For my latest ENGI 210 project, I was tasked yet again with making a box, but of a very different nature. The goal of our first box was its purpose: to hold objects. Sturdy and useful. Our second box is the exact opposite; in fact, I’m still not sure what purpose it serves. The goal of this box is to create a seamless 4″x4″ closed square using no adhesive.

I generated my box’s dimensions using the Makercase website. I input the material thickness, measured using calipers, at 0.198″. I made my box 4″x4″x4″ with a finger joint size of 0.535“. At first, I set the kerf to the average size listed in the homework document, 0.012″.

For my first cut, I set the Epilog FusionPro laser cutter to 44 speed, 35 power, and 50 frequency. To test the measurements and settings, I cut two sides of my box using the Epilog FusionPro laser cutter. The cut did not go completely through the first time and the finger joints were too wide, causing the pieces to not fit together. To solve these issues, I first did a test cut of a 2cmx2cm square using a higher power (40), which successfully cut completely through the wood without starting a flame. To measure the kerf accurately, I cut a kerf box. I measured the gap with calipers and divided it by 10.

To use less wood as I experimented to get the correct kerf, I used the Pathfinder tool in Illustrator to only cut one connection instead of two complete sides. This allowed me to test the connections using a minimal amount of space on the provided sheet. I printed multiple tests of the connections, first using the measured kerf of 0.008″. Each iteration was closer and closer to fitting until I got a perfect match at 0.004″. Once I found a kerf which worked, I printed all six sides of my box. Two of my box’s sides had engravings, as required by the assignment. I warped the text and I used the Image Trace tool to vectorize images I added to the design.

My printed squares fit together perfectly! I used a rubber mallet to get the joints as tight as possible, then sanded the corners. I used the tung oil to finish my box and let the natural grain of the wood come through. I wish I had incorporated other designs onto the other sides of the box, but now that I am comfortable with laser cutting I’m excited to expand on engraving in the future. Second box, done!

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Estimated cost:

One sheet of 3/16″ plywood = $3.97

Tung oil finish = $14.98

4 hours of labor (at $15/hour) = $60

Total: $78.95

(If bought new, a laser cutter costs over $10,000. Since this laser cutter is communally shared among students and will be used for many years, I have omitted the price)

A clean laser cutter bed after use! No scraps left behind and no flames started.