This was one of the projects I am more proud of.
Because I like pigs, I chose to looks for nouns of pigs. However, I decided to choose a flying pig, specifically, because of the expression “..when pigs fly” to make my pieces semi-symbolic. (https://thenounproject.com/icon/possibility-2466095/)
With that file, I went to my CNC tutorials with high hopes that I’d be able to get at least one piece done. As always, there were a couple hiccups that set me back a little. After sorting out an issue with getting the right file for the computer, I started out on the Shapeoko. After starting my cut, I realized my piece wasn’t secure enough, so I stopped it and re-secured it. After that, I started the cut again and the machine was cutting… above the piece of wood. By that time, we were out of time so I planned to try again another day. This first mishap led my piece to have a “scar,” because I decided to use the same wood.
The next time, I used the Nomad CNC. With this one, I had to rotate my piece of wood and orient it so my noun would still cut on the horizontal piece of wood, even though my file was vertical. With a little help from the OEDK assistants, I was able to do this by shifting my object and manually zeroing the machine so I could print in the center.
My prints took about 20 minutes or less and I was able to get them both done within the same time period. My next step was to sand the edges made rough by the CNC machine. After doing this, I used one coat of a dark brown stain for color. One coat proved to be enough, so I left it at that!
COST MODEL
Cost Type | Cost | Price | Source | Quantity | Total |
Materials | 1×4 Board (8 ft long) | $2.87 | Home Depot | 1/4 | $0.72 |
8 oz. wood stain | $8 | Home Depot | 1/10th? | $0.80 | |
Sand Paper (3) | $6 | Home Depot | $6 | ||
Labor | Woodworking Operator | $17/hour | Zip Recruiter | 40 minutes | $11.33 |
Prototyping Engineer (You!) | $36.48/hour | Zip Recruiter | 0.5 hours | $18.24 | |
Overhead | Facility Cost (Machine Time) | $50/hour | Manor mill Machine Rentals | 2 hours | $100 |
Total | $137.09 |