For my Carvey Homework, I decided to base my design on the outline of Australia and the states within it. To satisfy the requirement of cutting at multiple layers, I decided to cut out the states individually using a shallow layer, and then cut out the entire shape of Australia by cutting at full depth. My project was based on the SVG file below.
To achieve the desired levels, I used two different cut paths, at different depths, of slightly modified versions of the original file.
The first cut was used to cut out the outline of the states, and was done to a 1/4 inch.
The second cut was used to completely cut out the shape of Australia, and was done to the full depth of the material.
On my first attempt, I decided to use plywood at my material, simply because there was an appropriately sized piece available at the Carvey station. I had not considered any structural weaknesses of my design that could lead to destruction in the process of making the cuts. However, this first attempt certainly revealed the weak spots of my design.
The material properties of plywood meant that the cuts made around thin walls lead to them being chipped off. Some of the edges of the states were also removed, essentially completely ruining this attempt.
I believed that this design could still work, but that I needed to use an actual piece of wood, rather than plywood. This turned out to be work perfectly, with the very fine walls stayed together (almost) perfectly. There ended up being a few minor chips, but they were hardly noticeable.
I repeated this again with a similar material, and the result was even better – the finish was very smooth.
Following successfully cutting out two copies, I lightly sanded the top surface using a belt sander. This was more necessary for the first one than the second one, as there were a lot of “fluff” on the edges of the cuts that needed to be removed. The second copy was also lightly sanded, but this was more so to expose a fresh layer of wood beneath, as it would appear more aesthetically pleasing once a finish was applied. A minor chip was made in the second copy, but again, this was hardly noticeable.
Finally, the two copies were finished by applying a spray on acrylic. This layer would complement the freshly sanded top to produce a smooth top.
Costs:
Total Time spend:
- File preparation/research: 2 hours
- Carving : 4 hours
- Post-production: 2 hours
Assuming wage of $15 an hour
Total for time spent: $120
Material:
Plywood: 5.5 x 5.8 x 0.6 inch, $0.50
Source: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Birch-Plywood-Common-1-2-in-x-2-ft-x-4-ft-Actual-0-476-in-x-23-75-in-x-47-75-in-154153/203504316
Birch: 2 of 5.5 x 7.5 x 0.8 inch, ~$1.00
Source: https://www.woodworkerssource.com/birch/birch-44-lumber.html
Spray: ~$0.00 (hardly used any)
TOTAL: ~$121.50
