This week in ENGI 210, we were tasked with using a CNC method to create a noun. For this task, we had to use the Carvey CNC machine and wood to create our design.

The Carvey is a very simple machine to use that takes in SVG or Gcode to run the machine. For my model I decided to use a puffer fish from the noun project website and tried to cut that out of the wood. The Carvey software is very easy to use and walks you though the steps of setting up the material. The material must be securely fastened to the bed and additional clamps should be used to make sure that the wood does not move.

Initially I tried to just cut out the inside, but the outcome was not what I had really intended. Some of the parts were too small and so were broken off easily.

My next attempt was to try to cut out the inside of the shape as well as the outline. Doing this however was not very successful either. The shape was a little to intricate for the machine and the small piece of wood. The result was not what I hoped would happen, so I decided to take a different approach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For my next attempt I decided to instead try to use a bigger piece of wood as well as use a smaller milling bit. For the previous two versions I had used a flat 1/8″ so I decided to instead use a flat 1/16″ bit this time. What this would allow me to do is to be able to make the model smaller without losing many of the details. I also decided to place a bag design around the fish. This is to make it look like the fish is in a fish bag. I thought it would be a nice aesthetic effect for the project.

After finishing the cut, I decided that it would be best if I cut out the bag outline out of the block of wood. Since I had already taken the piece out to the Carvey by then, there was no way for me to do it with the Carvey anymore. Once the model is taken out of the cutting position, then it is basically impossible to get it to line up in the same spot again. To cut out the model, I sketched the bag outline on one piece and cut them both out at the same time. This would ensure that they would have the same cutout.

After cutting it out, I sanded all the edges to uniformity. After this then it was time to paint. I used acrylic paints to paint the fish outsides and insides. I then used a two-part jewelry epoxy with a blue added dye to fill in the pocket of the bag. The epoxy was left to dry. I then used a red stain to coat the outside of the wood. The finished model turned out nicely and had a lot of color contrasts.

I believe that the project was very successful and this is something that I would want to display on my wall.

In terms of cost, the machining of the project took about 1 hr for each model. The labor involved including the sanding, painting and staining took about 2 hrs. At 10$ and hour for human labor and 2 hr of machining at 7.5$ an hour, which results in a cost of 35$. With the cost of the material, ~10$ for the wood and 15$ for the resin, then the total cost of the project was 60$.