For this project I went with this icon of a topographic shape from the nouns project.

I started off by importing and scaling the SVG in Carbide Create. I added a contour toolpath to cut out the main shape and multiple pocket cuts that went .07″ deeper by layer.

I used the Nomad CNC for this, but I failed a few times because the wood piece kept moving during the contour cut despite covering the entire bottom with double sided tape. The whole cut took about 25 mins for each piece, but ended up taking me 2.5 hrs for the two pieces since everytime a cut failed I had to rehome the machine :(.

In the end I managed to get two decent pieces, which I sanded with 220, 300, and 600 grit sandpaper. Then I used two coats of tung oil for the finish.

 

As a final step, I added epoxy to fill in the grooves. I wanted a 3d-looking wispy lake effect using a mix of clear and colored epoxy, but there were limited colors so I ended up mixing a bit of white with 1:1 part A and part B epoxy, and this was the final result.

Next time I would make each layer deeper and change the white fill to be less so that the cut grooves would be more visible.

Cost analysis

Materials (approximate):

• 4×1 Wood 12″: $0.60
• Tung oil: $28 x a small amount= $0.50
• Epoxy AB soln: $49.98 (x 3 squeeze each) = $1.00
• Workshop access: $50

Labor cost: $15/hr x 4hr = $90

Total: $142.10