Introduction
You already know the drill. Another blog, another project. This one you may ask? A box, but this time, no adhesives or methods of connection. You may be puzzled on how to do this, but Amelia did just so you could sit back and enjoy our little masterclass on creating a finger-joint box using a laser cutter.
First Step: Setting up the Laser Cutter
Right out of the gate, Amelia and I knew that to start the creation of our box design on the computer, we needed the kerf of the laser cutter first. So, following our laser cutter instruction session, we flipped on the exhaust, turned on the laser, and focused it. While this was happening, we created an Adobe Illustrator file where we made a box with nine cuts in it, totaling ten pieces. We uploaded this cut to the laser once it was ready and let it rip. This method is a way to check for the kerf of the laser cutter, or how much wood the laser takes off during each pass. Ours turned out to be .0058 in. Confident we had our measurement, we went onto the design of the boxes.
Second Step: Designing the Box
We opted to go with creating a 5″x5″x5″ cube with engravings on all sides and finger joints to hold it together. You may be thinking, “But Mina, how did you create a box so easily on Adobe Illustrator?” Well, Amelia and I opted for a website that makes the box file for you, MakeABox.io. This made our life easier and faster. Following this, I imported the box file to Adobe Illustrator and then started adding the laser engraved bits I wanted on my box. I added my personal info, my home college (JONESSSSS), a soccer ball, a goat, a character from a show I enjoy, and gear. I scaled and centered these svg files on each of the sides of the box respectively, and then hit export.
Third Step: Laser Cutting (Part 1)
Well, in theory, we were close to being done. Both Amelia and I had completed our box designs. We had sent them to the laser. Now all that was left to do was cut. We taped the wood so in case of burn marks, they wouldn’t show. We placed the wood in the machine, closed the lid, centered our file, and hit print. 20 seconds later, the laser, which before was strong and bright, suddenly became dim and didn’t cut anything. So much for finishing the project early. Afterwards, we realized the mirror on the laser was cloudy, thus making the laser extremely inefficient. So, we had to postpone cutting till a later day.
Fourth Step: Laser Cutting (Part 2)
Once we came back to the OEDK, Amelia and I hit another pothole. This time, everything was running smoothly until we ran out of time and the laser cutter settings were not cutting through the tape when engraving and then it burned my wood from the vector cut, and combining that with running out of time, we knew that we had to do the process one more time.
Fifth Step: Laser Cutting (Part 3)
We got to the OEDK this afternoon and we knew that we could do it today. Amelia and I decided to engrave the images, then tape, then cut the edges so that there would be no burn marks. Everything went smoothly. The only big mess up was the the tape area left some burn marks around some of my edges, but I didn’t know how to fix it because I thought it wouldn’t burn, but other than that, the plan went smoothly.
Sixth Step: Assembly
This was the final (and easiest) step.
I took my pieces and snapped them all together, and they fit very very snug. I sanded the sides a little bit to get some discrepancies off, but I was done, and Amelia (as you can see) and I were very happy.
Reflection
This project was super quick and honestly fun. I also enjoyed that I definitely improved my skills on the laser. I actually paid attention to the speed/power/frequency settings and I took the time to do my best on this. It didn’t come out exactly how I wanted it to, but I definitely improved my skill set. Amelia always have a blast working together and I can’t wait for the next project!
Cost Estimate
- 6 hours of work for $15/hr: $90
- Wood Scrap: $1
- Sandpaper: $2
Total Cost: $93
