We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.
– Friedrich Nietzsche
This is one of my favorite quotes from Nietzsche. Somehow, when I read about this quote, the masterpiece – Künstlerleben – by Johann Strauss II hummed in my head. Why not bring them together in my CNC project? That’s how my inspiration was born.
- File Preparation
To realize my goal, I first did an extensive search on the Noun Project and downloaded three SVG files that matched the closest to my idea – a ballerina, a cat, and an arch (Fig. 1).
Figure 1. SVG files of a ballerina, a cat, and an arch download from the Noun Project.
I imported them into Carbide Create, deleted unwanted lines, organized them, and designed the toolpath as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Toolpath and time. Depths for each layer are labeled (unit: inch).
Initially, I made a mistake: I set all the starting depth to be 0 inch. This would cause the machine to waste some time moving without caving the wood. Paige spotted the mistake. After correction (Fig. 3), it took 24~25 minutes for the machine to cut the wood.
Additionally, #102 End Mill (⅛”) was used for all the cutting (Fig. 4).
Figure 3. Corrected settings. Left three: Pocket toolpath. Right: Contour toolpath.
Figure 4. ⅛” End Mill.
See the simulation in Carbide Create (Video 1).
Video 1. CNC simulation of Künstlerleben in Carbide Create.
Before proceeding to CNC machines, I spent a LONG time reading on Nomad 3 and watching about how to use Shapeoko, which proved to be worthwhile.
- Zeroth Attempt
Katherine trained me to use Shapeoke. However, we spent 30 minutes trying to open my file on the computer. Somehow, when I changed my file name from “Künstlerleben” to “K”, it magically worked. However, I did not have enough time to do CNC.
- First Attempt
In my first attempt, I tried on Nomad 3. I measured my wood block, edited the numbers, opened Carbide Motion, set zero with BitZero V2 (Fig. 5), and started cutting.
Figure 5. Set zero with BitZero V2.
The product looked amazing. But, wait, the outermost ring is too thin than I expected (Fig. 6). I realized that the contour was set inside/left instead of outside/right. Otherwise, this piece is perfect. The wood is flat; every depth is correct. The tiny details like the heel of the ballerina’s shoes and the cat’s tails were not shown, which is expected. To see more details, I could either enlarge the piece or use a thinner end mill. However, the first method was not realistic given the wood blocks available, and the second method would be time-consuming. I am happy with the effects. I know that my brush can do the magic to show the details.
Figure 6. From beginning (left) to finishing (right).
- Second Attempt
I took a new wood block, placed it in Nomad 3, did some measurements, set the zero, and started cutting.
Life is full of surprises, that is what makes it wonderful. When the end mill reached the second arch, a large crowd entered OEDK. A lab assistant kindly informed me that there is an Open House event until noon. Someone booked Nomad 3 after that. Therefore, I had to take my wood block out. Guess what? I accidentally became a volunteer telling two pairs of people about CNC (which I just learned) (Fig. 7)! I also explained to people about the LUCIA model. One family happened to have a doctor working on cancer and told me they loved them.
Figure 7. A temporary volunteer.
- The Third Attempt
Since Wen-Yi was using the Nomad 3, I signed up for Shapeoko. Since the clamps are notorious, I added many double-sided tapes onto my block to prevent it from moving during cutting (Fig. 8).
Figure 8. A heavily taped woodblock.
One thing different is that on the computer connected to Shapeoko, I need to download my V7 file, save it as a V6 file, and reset the toolpath in the V6 file. I made sure that I set the values correctly and selected outside/right.
This machine is big, but it worked in the same way as Nomad 3.
Figure 9 shows pictures of setting zero on Shapeoko (left) and Shapeoko during operation.
Figure 9. The big CNC machine called Shapeoko.
When the machine operated, I realized one problem: maybe because the left side of the woodblock was unclamped or maybe the wood was not sitting flatly, the depth the end mill went into was not uniform. The cut on right side is shallower than the left side (Fig. 10 right), which did not happen in Nomad 3 (Fig. 10 left). Moreover, the 0.05-inch layer was shallower than it should have been, even though I have checked the depth of the woodblock in multiple locations.
Figure 10. Product made by Nomad 3 (left). Product #1 made by Shapeoko.
When I turned the block to the back, I realized that it did not cut through. If the cut is not deep enough, I will reach the cut. Therefore, I used an orbital sander to sand the bottom away (Fig. 11). It was a ten-minute hand massaging.
Figure 11. Using the orbital sander to reach the cut.
- The Fourth Attempt
I put my faith in Shapeoko one more time. Uneven and shallow cutting is again observed (Fig. 12 right). Additionally, an accident happened – the clamps came off during the final contour cutting and the end mill dragged my woodblock to the left as it moved (Fig. 12 left). I halted the operation, positioned the wood, and restarted. The end mill was off the path, so I had to reposition the wood again. Finally, the cut was done, but a part of the arch was damaged by the end mill (Fig. 12 right).
Figure 12. Nightmare about the Shapeoko (left). Product #2 made by Shapeoko (right).
- Post-processing
I sanded the wood blocks using 100 grit and then 400 grit sandpaper. I sanded the ballerina’s body and the cat to make them look more soft. It was particularly difficult to reach the inner-most layer. As a result, the path of the end mill can still be seen from the sanded blocks (Fig. 13).
Figure 13. Product #1 and #2 post sanding.
Next was my favorite part – painting! Because Product #2 has a hole, I tried to use glue and paint to cover the flaw (Fig. 14).
Figure 14. Glue is the answer to everything.
Then, I used my thinnest brush for Chinese painting and my oil painting supplies to paint the wood blocks. They were not just wood blocks. Before I painted them, I could already see the ballerina dancing inside a grand hallway of the castle. I painted down the dome, the sunlight, the piano, the carpet..as they appeared in my mind (Fig. 15). Maybe it took 4 hours or maybe 8. I could not tell the flow of time.
Figure 15. Painted pieces.
After 3-4 days, the painting was fully dried, and I added a clear coat to protect my artwork and add glossiness (Fig. 16).
Figure 16. Applying the clear spray paint.
Then, I wrote the quote from Friedrich Nietzsche on the back of the block using a Sharpie. The ink diffused a bit, creating a mad, burning effect, just like Nietzsche himself (Fig. 17).
Figure 17. Künstlerleben with Nietzsche’s quote (left). Nietzsche’s picture (right).
Lastly, I attached golden strings to the block using super glue to make my art a hangable ornament (Fig. 18). The strength of the glue and the string needs to be tested.
Figure 18. The final product.
Cleaned workspace:
Cost table for two CNC products
| Cost Type | Cost | Price | Source | Quantity | Total |
| Materials | Wood blocks | $ 5.25 | The Home Depot | 2 pieces, each around 0.76×3.5×6 inch | $ 0.32 |
| Oil painting – paint | $ 19.99 / 576 mL | Amazon.com | 10 mL | $ 0.347 | |
| Oil painting – oil | $ 10.04 / 125 mL | Amazon.com | 1 mL | $ 0.08 | |
| Clear spray paint | $0.5 / ounce | Amazon.com | 0.2 ounce | $ 0.1 | |
| Sanding disk | $ 9.97 / 15 pack | The Home Depot | 1 piece | $ 0.66 | |
| Sandpaper | $ 68.1 / 9541.8 cm2 | The Home Depot | 16 cm2 | $ 0.11 | |
| Super glue | $ 0.96 / g | Walmart.com | 0.5 g | $ 0.47 | |
| Glue | $ 1.49 / 4 oz | Target.com | 0.02 oz | $ 0.007 | |
| Labor | TA and lab assistant | $ 16 / hr | Glassdoor.com | 1 hr | $ 16 |
| Prototyping Engineer (Intern) | $ 17 / hr | ZipRecruiter.com | 8 hrs | $ 136 | |
| Cut the wood board (if there is such a step) | – | – | 2 pieces of wood blocks | – | |
| Overhead | Shapeoko (rent) | $ 50 / hr | Manor Mill (not Shapeoko) | 1 hr | $ 50 |
| Orbital sander (rent) | $ 13 / 4 hrs | Home Depot.com | 10 minutes | $ 0.54 | |
| Painting brush | – | – | 2 brushes | – | |
| Sharpie | – | – | 2 sentences | – | |
| Reusable painting plate | – | – | 2 small plates | – | |
| Vacuum | – | – | 20 minutes | – | |
| Quality contro | $ 27.5 / hr | LinkedIn.com | 0.5 hr | $ 13.35 | |
| Design | Engineering and Development | $17 / hr | ZipRecruiter.com | 2 hrs | $ 34 |
| Iterations | $17 / hr | ZipRecruiter.com | 1 hr | $ 17 | |
| Misc. | Waste and Scrap | $0.17 / L | Houstontx.gov | 0.04 L | $ 0.007 |
Sum: ~ $ 270
Labor accounts for 56 % of the total cost.
