For my last homework, I battled the CNC machine to create some not so lonely hearts.

First I chose this design from the nounproject.com. This design fits closely with my artistic affinity towards swirly face designs.

It seemed a simple enough design to do, however, I -faced- many challenges along the way.

Firstly I uploaded the designs onto Carbide Create.

I made a pocket cut out on the left face ensuring and made a full cut around the perimeter of each heart. The eye of the left face was leveled off at a layer slightly lower than the face on the right. I wanted to give the illusion that the face on the left was coming up from behind.

I picked a piece of wood and set up the project on the CNC machine.

However, due to the material I had chosen, the pieces came out rather “harry”. The wood was far too soft and not dense enough to smoothly sand. Additionally, the pieces came out too small.

So I switched the wood out for a denser form and increased the size of the CNC file and ran the project on the CNC machine.

This produced a couple of successful prints.

I sanded both pieces using 2 different levels of sand paper. Then, I moved to post process the pieces.

First, I coated the pieces with a protective wood stain.

I filled each pocket with polyurethane dyed pink and let the resin cure.

I then coated both the hearts in a gloss clear coat to protect the wood. I also defined the eyes a little bit better with a black sharpie.

After letting the pieces dry, I was done with the project.

 

Cost:

Materials:

Wood: $10

Polyurethane: $36

Red Dye: $4

Wood Stain: $6

Clear Coat Spray: $6

CNC Access: $60

Labor:

9 hours of labor: $126

 

TOTAL COST: $239