If the featured image of a blog post of mine would ever encapsulate my entire experience working on a project accurately, it would be this one. My featured images normally showcase my final product in all its embellished glory, but they fail to depict the struggles and failures that peppered the manufacturing process. They only give a snapshot of the destination and not the journey. This time, the feature image tells a story… a story of all the failed parts, the faulty settings, the incorrect kerf values, the raster complications, and, ultimately, the complete box sitting triumphantly like a king on a spectroscopic array of subpar attempts at this deceptively rigorous project.

“It should not take more than 2 hours,” as I was told before embarking on a novel ENGI 210 adventure. As such, I expected smooth sailing. I began by preparing an Adobe Illustrator file for the sides of the box. I used en.makercase.com to streamline the design process. I used a digital caliper to measure the width of the wood I was going to use. I entered all the details of the box but one: the kerf. I had already heard of people experiencing problems with the kerf, and I was told that a kerf of 0.005 resulted in the sides of the box barely fitting together. As such, I erroneously thought that the kerf had to be bigger, so I raised it to 0.0075. Spoiler alert: it did not work.

After downloading the box file, I added the Lovett crest and a nameplate to the front and back sides of the box respectively (which was an intentional decision for a symmetrical appearance). All the strokes were appropriately adjusted, and it was time to laser cut. I put tape on the wood to prevent the unaesthetic look of burnt edges, I focused the beam, and I started the machine. Initial settings for the laser cutter were:

• Vector:
  • Speed: 4
  • Power: 100
  • Frequency: 10
• Raster
  • Speed: 45
  • Power: 50

Once the machine stopped, the cut sides initially looked great. I thought I was done, and I let out a breath of satisfaction at the sight. However, when I fiddled with them, I realized two major problems: the kerf value I set was too big, and the raster of the Lovett crest was faulty (the valiant stags were missing an outline). A wave of exasperation fell over me as I realized that I would have to go to the OEDK another time to restart the project.

Take 2: I adjusted the kerf to 0.004, and I iterated on the raster settings over and over again with scrap pieces of wood covered with tape to get a satisfactory result. The settings were:

• Vector
  • Speed: 3
  • Power: 100
  • Frequency: 10
• Raster (Speed/Power): 45/60
• New raster: 40/70
• Newer raster: 35/90
• Newer newer raster: 40/60

By the time I did the last raster without getting desired results, I decided to adjust my strategy. I would only put tape on the areas that would be cut, and I would leave the areas that would be engraved bare. I also decided to slightly increase the kerf to 0.0042 because the joints were a bit looser than I would prefer. I had to come back to the OEDK at a later time. While I was exiting the OEDK, I thought to myself “A lot of people got this done in 2 hours. Why is it taking me more than 4?” I also remembered how it took me 20 man hours to complete the crate project, and I also reflected on how my classmates had seemed to be familiar with all the equipment and how to use them, while I was struggling a lot. I got a sense of imposter syndrome and doubted whether I was good enough to take the course. After this mini crisis, I told myself that I was taking this course to learn these skills in the first place. Even if others happen to be inherently better than me, I should not compare myself to them and should only focus on my own growth and the quality of my own projects. I was motivated to go back in action.

Take 3: It was 10:00 PM on the night before the project is due. I had a multitude of other assignments, but this project was no less important. I was ready. I was determined. I was laser focused (get it… laser…). I put the tape on the areas designated for cutting and left gaps in between for the raster. The final settings that I went with were:

• Vector:
  • Speed: 4
  • Power: 100
  • Frequency: 100
• Raster
  • Speed: 90
  • Power: 60

Bada bing bada boom and the pieces were cut! I took off the tape and assembled all the sides. It was beautiful. It wasn’t perfect, though, as I should have put more tape in a certain area. Not doing so resulted in a slight burn on one of the edges, but the box did not have to be perfect to be beautiful. The box was complete after evolving from its precursors that failed to survive. As such, it deserves the title “King of the Boxes”.

Money time!!! 🤑

I will only factor the materials that went into the final box into the cost. All failed parts will be neglected for the sake of keeping the cost low. However, I will still be charging $10/hour of labor instead of minimum wage, and to balance that out, I will not charge for Adobe Illustrator, for which I have a subscription. I will also not include any cost pertaining to the laser cutter because that was graciously provided to me for free by the OEDK.

• 1/4″ x 4″ x 4″ wood costs $5.75 from Home Depot. A total of 26.4 square inches was used for the box, resulting in a cost of $9.49.
• 1 roll (792 square inches) of blue painters masking tape costs $2.17 from Amazon. An estimated total of 50 square inches was used for the box (both sides of the wood were covered with tape), resulting in a cost of $0.14.
• Production of the box took 5 hours x $10/hour = $50

==> The final cost of the box is $59.63.

 

brianbishara