I started this homework by looking through thenounproject.com to find a shape to cut out. I decided to cut out a rocket which I edited to remove the flames coming out of the bottom so it would fit better on the wood.

Once I had the file I used Carbide Create to prepare the file so I could cut it out on the Nomad 3 CNC. After I had everything set up I started my first cut. Unfortunately, when the cut was almost done, the tape came loose so the piece moved around a little which caused it to mess up the cut. I instantly stopped the machine before I removed the piece so I could redo the cut.

The top of the rocket got cut into when the wood shifted.

The second time, I made sure to use as much tape as I could fit on the wood and press it down to reduce the chance of it coming off again. The next two cuts turned out well so I could start post-processing them.

I started by removing the tabs and then sanding up to 220 grit 

 

My original plan was to use a stain to finish the wood, but because the cuts in the rocket were very thin, it was hard to get an even stain on the surface.

Because I did not like the look of the stain, so I chose to resand it and use spray paint.

I first primed the wood, then used black spray paint, however, I did not love the final look so I decided to sand it down again. Instead of sanding everything, I chose to only sand the top and bottom to leave the paint on the sides and in the groves which I really like the final look of. Here is one of the final pieces and in my clean workspace after I brought the spraypaint back inside. 

Cost breakdown:

Wood: 8 inches of a 1×4 which costs around 4 dollars.

Labor: 2.5 hours at $20/hr which comes out to a total of 50 dollars.

The total cost for both pieces is 54 dollars or 27 dollars per finished part.