As it is nearing the end of the semester, my focus has been more on the final for the course so I opted for the beginners instructions for the CNC assignment.
I first followed the assignment instructions to look for an object on Noun Project then fix the settings on Carbide Create. I downloaded an svg file of a bow and arrow design and then used calipers to measure the dimensions of my piece of wood. I had to rescale the whole piece so that it would cut to the dimensions of my wood. When I was creating my tool paths, I realized that parts of the design would not show when the CNC machine cut, so I had to omit some details.
I set up the Nomad3 CNC machine using a piece of sacrificial piece of wood under my wooden block so it would not tear the machine. I stuck with the 1/8in drill bit and probed the corner so the machine could initialize and calibrate. My piece took about 30 minutes to complete and it was complete before the program fully finished as my stabilized wooden block started to shake and wobble.
After adjusting the dimensions of my second wood piece, I repeated the process of carving my second bow and arrow.
To post process both my pieces, I lightly sanded both objects with 60 grit sand paper before moving to 120 grit using the orbital sander. I noticed that the orbital sander did not work as well for the groves and the contour parts of my object so I went back and hand sanded using 120 grit as well. On once of my pieces, the tabs I had put in place in Carbide Create took off more than anticipated when post process so I had to sand the whole object down evenly.
Next I opted to stain both pieces with a two layers of golden oak stain before letting it dry. I think that the project didn’t take as much time as I thought it would and I also thought that there would be a steeper learning curve to using the CNC machines.
Clean workspace:
Cost Analysis:
3.5 by 5.5 by 0.75 in wood *2 (HomeDepot)= $6.35
Masking Tape: $1.5
Wood stain: $7.47
Rental of CNC machine: $75
Labor 15/hr = $45
Total: $135.34
