For this project, we had already been struggling significantly with the Shapeoko pro and vcarve while attempting to CNC the positive mold for our final project. Because of this, I wanted to pick a simple design that did not require vcarve and I could complete without requiring four separate attempts. I still wanted to experiment a little though, so I decided to fill my CNC noun with dyed epoxy.

 

I first found a vector graphic on the noun project that I wanted to cut out. Then I downloaded this and loaded it into carbide create to create simple 2 dimensional toolpaths for the nomad 3. After carefully securing my piece to a sacrificial piece of wood with as much double sided tape as I could fit on, knowing this could be an issue from my experience trying to secure the block for our final project. Fortunately, my material stayed attached the entire time, and the machine worked perfectly both times I ran the cuts.

After cleaning up the parts with sandpaper of various grits, I mixed some two part epoxy with deep blue dye and poured it into the pocket cuts I had made, just overfilling them slightly so I could sand it down to be perfectly flush. This part of the process worked perfectly, and I was able to use the belt sander and sandpaper grits up to 800 to achieve a velvety smooth surface finish, but the dye bled into the surrounding wood grain, making the lines messy and the part look dirty. In the future, I would attempt to seal off the wood before pouring my epoxy to avoid this staining. I finished the parts with butcher’s block oil, which gave some protection and brought out the contrast without drastically changing the colors. The final parts came out pretty well, but the staining means I could definitely do a better job of this assignment in the future.

 

Cost estimate:

• Stock wood: $2
• Epoxy: $3
• Die: $0.05

Labor estimate: I probably spent around four hours on this project from start to finish, so at $15 an hour this is $60. The total price then comes out to about $65.