introduction
In this post I detail how I my process using the CNC machine to create these minimalist turtles.
Procedure
To begin, I chose two pieces of wood. I began doing some post-processing methods immediately by using the orbital sander to smooth out both large surfaces of the wood. Afterwards, I hand-sanded the wood to smooth out the surface further.
I then stained both sides my wood using black dye. I thought this would look very cool after using the CNC machine to cut out pockets, with one side having clean edges while the other side was a smooth black. Also, the edges of each piece would display the unique grain of the wood.
I began the process of CNC machining my first turtle. Unfortunately, because I made the mistake of measuring the thickness of the wood with a ruler and not a caliper, the drill did not fully cut through the outer edges of the turtle. I had to use the bandsaw to make it easier to break off the excess material.
Having learned my lesson, I used a caliper before cutting out the second turtle. The piece snapped out easily and the bottom of the turtle was as intended. Unfortunately, because I had to try to make the pieces identical, I chose not to keep the black bottom on the second turtle as I was worried about the stain leaking on the edges on the first piece and I didn’t trust my masking tape skills.
I used the belt sander to sand down the bottoms of the pieces, and also added slight slants to the edge of the bottoms of the appendages and head. This was for no reason other than I wanted to add a feature since I was already using the belt sander. I then hand sanded the sides and the bottom for a smooth finish.
Cleaned workspace:
conclusion
My turtles turned out pretty well. I really like the natural look of the wood on the otherwise similar turtles. Staining first was a good idea as I really like how clean the edges look.
Cost Analysis
Total Cost: $46.32
Labor: $40 ($10 per hour)
3/4″ Cedar Board: $1.35 ($9.87 for 8 ft)
Wood stain: $3.25 ($12.98 for 1 qt)
Sandpaper: $1.72 ($20.59 for 24)
