Another Box :)

• sk286

At this point it seems like this class is going to teach us every possible way to make some form of box, and I am here for it!

To start off, I printed out the kerf measurement file and found that the kerf was only about 0.004in.  This was much smaller value than I was expecting.  Additionally, I measured the thickness of the wood to be 0.2in.  After taking these measurements, I input all of the dimensions of the makercase box creating software, and had it create a 5x5x5in box with side tabs of length 0.64in.

After this, all that was left to do was to put the files into adobe illustrator, add some text and the Sid Richardson Crest, and begin to cut out the wood.  I made sure to only print two of the sides first so that I could ensure that the tolerances were okay.  The pieces all came out pretty well and they all fit together without issue.

I did need to use a mallet to help put the box together, but this wasn’t an issue as I want the box to remain together so the tight fit was working as intended.  Additionally, the first two pieces I printed had some inner edges that needed sanding as a result of the pieces getting stuck to the wood when trying to remove them.  To fix this for the last four pieces, I let the laser run over the outline 5 times (up from the 4 I used on the other pieces).  This fixed the problem and the panels fell off the wood with no resistance.  Finally, I cleaned off the table I was using.
There were no major issues that occurred in this making process.  I think the biggest thing I realized was the value of making small tests and doing all of your measurements beforehand in order to avoid having to remake the final product again and again.
Cost analysis:
2x2x.25in plywood (Home Depot) – $7.28
Laser cutter rental (1/4 hour of cutting & setup, lightobject.com) – $45.00
Labor ($10/hour for 2 hours) – $20
Total: $72.28 – This is much cheaper than other projects and is once again dependent primarily on labor and machinery.
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