This week, we were tasked with creating a wooden object using the CNC machine and all the post-processing that comes with it.
To begin, I started by going to thenounproject.com to find myself a design that I liked. I landed on a Kirby Face for one, because I love Kirby, and two, it seemed like a good difficulty to start out with my CNC journey. This face would be quick to CNC, and the eyes, cheeks, and mouth would look great with a colored resin fill.
I imported the SVG file into Carbide Create and created a deep contour pocket for the outlines, and a contour cut for an offset outline. I decided against multiple pockets in the eyes since I wasn’t sure if it would have worked well with the resin filling I was hoping to make. Also, I made sure that everything here was big enough where I only need to use the 1/8th inch bit.
After going through the steps of setting my file up, I went to get started on the CNC machine. Once at the CNC machine I measured the width, length, and thickness of my pieces of wood, updating my drill cut and contour instructions. Then I followed the instructions from the tutorial and help from another 210 student (Steven my goat). I cut both of my pieces out and painted both of them pink with acrylic paint (cause Kirby).
Once my piece was cut, painted, and slightly sanded, I was ready to start my resin process. I picked a dark black color for the eyes and mouth, and a pink color for the cheeks. To start, I mixed equal parts resin and hardener in a 1:1 ratio, then adding drops of color till my desired color was reached.
Once mixed for about 5 minutes, I pour a light amount of resin into each pocket to fill them with the color I liked. The final result is as follows.
I am rather proud of it, my first attempt of pouring the resin was a little rough, I would recommend practicing on something else before pouring, but my second one come out exactly as I had hoped. If I could do the project again the only thing I would likely do is sand the wood a lot more. I only used hand sanding, and I think using the orbital sander could have added the extra finishing touch.
Total Cost
- Wood for CNCing($2.72 for 4 ft at 1 ft used): $0.68
- Resin ($59.99 for 256 oz at 4 oz used): $0.94
- Resin Dye ($16.88 for 24 colors 0.35 oz/10ml each with 2 colors used at 0.05oz):$0.20
- Labor ($14/hr at 4 hours my OEDK pay): $56
Cost: $57.82
(Clean Mill After Use)
