Introduction

I am originally from Bixby, OK, a suburb of Tulsa, so I decided to CNC the shape of Oklahoma into a piece of wood for my CNC project. This involved preparing the file to be uploaded to the CNC machine and executing the cut. This was my first time using a CNC machine, and I was very happy with the outcome.

Preparing to Cut

Using Carbide Create, I was able to prepare the gcode file that would be imported into the CNC to produce the cut. I measured the dimensions of the piece of wood and changes the settings for ensure that no damage would be done to the base plate in the process of cutting. This included a pocket cut of the shape I was trying to produce and a through cut along the outsides. The width and height were 3×3″ to meet the requirements supplied to us.

The CNC machine I was using has no way to clamp the items to the milling surface. As I mention in the next section, I dealt with the issue of parts being ripped off the bed. While part of this was fixed by modifying the settings to be gentler than the default, I spent a lot of time taking steps to increase the adhesion to the milling bed. This included applying the double sided tape to the piece I was cutting like everyone is supposed to do but also wiping down both surfaces with cloth that had been damped with isopropyl alcohol. I did this with the intention of removing any loose particles from both surfaces to ensure a secure “stick”.

Milling

The milling process was initially quite frustrating. I had my first piece get ripped off the bed, to which I blamed myself for not being especially intentional about excessively taping the piece to the bed. It was only when the second piece was ripped off (seen right), that I began to realize that it was not entirely the fault of the tape job. After modifying the settings and taking the extra steps mentioned before to ensure a secure fit, the cuts were extremely successful, taking about 20 minutes to complete.

 

Using careful measurements, I was able to ensure that the milling bed was not damaged. I cut all the way through but left a small gap was was easily snapped off (in addition to the tabs). It was cool to be able to see through the wood from the other side due to how thin the remaining material was.

Below is a time lapse of the cut. Though not as exciting as other CNC content out there, it is still quite satisfying to watch the cut from start to finish.

 

Post Processing/Finishing

To finish the project, I sanded the pieces up to 220 grit and applied a thin coat of polyurethane.

Final Assessment

I was very pleased with the outcome and consistency between the two parts. The only issue that I could identify was the roundedness of the panhandle. Because I exclusively used an 1/8″ drill bit for this project, the roundedness of the sharp square panhandle was inevitable. I could have made the corner more defined by changing out the drill bit, but I was content with the final product, even with the small imperfection.

Cost

1×3 Wood ($2.50/8ft bulk ordered for 1 ft): $0.32

Labor ($15/hr for 1.5 hr): $22.50

Equipment: $0 (Shared resource)

Total: $22.82 ($11.41 each)