This was my first experience in CNC machining! I always imagined it to be scary and intimidating, but the Carvey is very approachable and user friendly. In this homework, I wanted to cut something out that is simple, yet cute, so I went with a rice bowl (from nounproject.com).

First, I downloaded the .svg file of the rice bowl and opened it in Adobe Illustrator to delete the text in the file, and also to make two separate files. The first was the “fill” of the bowl, and the second was the “outline” of the bowl.

Then, I changed the bit on the Carvey to the 1/8 inch upcut, and luckily it was long enough to be able to fully cut through the wood in one run. I chose two identical pieces of pine wood, inserted the measurements, added extra clamps, and then ran the program. Because I had two files, I “etched” the rice bowl first and then outlined to cut through the wood.

Admittedly, I had to cut several versions of the rice bowl, since the first one was too large and took too long (2 hrs) to cut. In addition, I didn’t realize that I had to produce two identical pieces, and so I had to cut smaller pieces, but still make sure one side was at least 3 inches long.

I also used acrylic paint and a thin brush to add color to the object. I felt like it was a little too 1D, so I attempted to add texture and 3D effects to the rice and the bowl.