BIG STEP 3: GATE 3

Step 1: Mr. Dumbledalf Gets VCarvy

At this point in the project, we were at a good point to be. We were slightly ahead of where we needed to be at the point in time for this step, and we were already making moves to get going with this step. What we didn’t realize was that Gate 3 would be a bane of our existence for the next week and a half. The goal of Gate 3 was to use the CNC to carve out a positive space mold of the back half of Dumbledalf so that then we could create the other half of the mold. So, we got to work.

The first step in this process was taking our stl of the back half that we had made when using SolidWorks and throwing it into a program called VCarve. This program takes an stl file and then can convert it to a gcode file that the CNC router can understand. So, we uploaded the stl file and specified all the settings necessary for our specific piece of wood that would be cut. Once this was done (which took a while, we will say), we then secured our piece of wood to the cutting bed. In all the times except the last cut, we did this in this way: we applied double sided tape to the bottom of the piece, used a right angle to make sure it was aligned correctly, and then stuck it down. Following this, we would secure the sides of the pieces by putting the clamps by the machine onto the sides. The tape and the clamps ensured that the wood would not during our cutting process. Once this was done, we zeroed the probing bit to the machine and then probed the corner of the piece of wood on the CNC. This ensured the piece “knew” where the front left corner of the wood was, giving it a reference point. We then changed the bit to the ¼” flat end mill bit that would be used for our roughing cut. Once this was done, we zeroed the bit one more time and then hit start on the cut.

Step 2: We CNC’d Dumbledalf So Well His Hat Came Off

If this first attempt at CNCing had gone well, it would have been a blessing. We were very close. The roughing pass went beautifully. Nothing went wrong, it ran so smoothly. Once the smoothing pass started, though, we noticed something a little off. In between each pass of the bit, there was a really thin fuzzy bit of wood. Additionally, and more importantly, on a pass, the bit, for some reason, broke off Dubmledalf’s hat. This was the start of the end for us. We ended up making it through the rest of the cut, but between the fuzzies and the hat missing, we knew that this was not satisfactory to us or the assignment. We chalked this cut up as a learning experience and went to fix the issues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Mr. Dumbledalf Gets VCarvy (Again)

Back at the computer, Amelia asked around how we could fix the fuzzies. After some consulting, Dr. Wettergreen and Cris both told us that we needed to increase the amount of stepover of the finishing bit. What this means is that the bit would go over the areas that it had already cut so that the fuzzy parts would not appear. As for the hat breaking off, we used a higher bit speed and changed the direction of the cut such that it would be going parallel to the face plane of the hat rather than normal to it. Once these adjustments were made, we got a new piece of wood and got to work again.

Step 4: The Bit Bites Mr. Dumbledalf

We set up the wood and CNC the same as last time, and probed the machine. Little did we know that we forgot to measure the bit length like we normally did (oops). So it was no surprise when the bit dove straight into our wood and started taking out massive chunks of wood before we stopped it. This attempt was salvageable because we could rotate the wood and try again. And then it happened. The bit, as it was cutting, lagged on the wood, as if it couldn’t cut it, and then kept cutting. We thought it was okay until the pass turned around a couple inches too early and started shredding through (again) Dumbledalf’s hat. We were sad, and deduced that the mess up was because the coordination of the machine got off when it lagged. We chalked this up as a mistake and decided to come back the next day and try again.

Step 5: Mr. Dumbledalf Got So VCarvy That He Didn’t Actually Get Carved (Until He Did)

We quickly found out that it was not a mistake. Four tries later, all with varying degrees of success, we were at the same spot that we were. Each time we tried to cut, somewhere along the way, the machine would “lag” and then get off and then mess up. Honestly, we were pretty frustrated. We were tired of failing and just were done with the project. We reached out to people for help, even Fernando! Eventually, Dr. Wettergreen pointed out our two main issues. First, we were using treated wood, meaning it was much tougher and harder for the bit to cut through. The second issue was the way that we were securing the wood. Instead of securing the sides, he suggested securing the top, such that the piece would stay compressed and not get caught up on the bit.

We followed this advice, and it started working much better. Dr. Wettergreen also told us that whatever we ended up with in this cut, we should just use it because we had done more than enough work for this step. The cut honestly went a lot better. But, it still didn’t finish. As the finishing bit was trying to pass the hat, it got caught on the wood and gouged the hat. At this point, we pulled it off and called it good. We filled the hole in the hat with hot glue and then sanded with a dremel the rest of the piece so that it was relatively smooth. After this, we were done with the CNC router, whether it was pretty or not.

Step 6: Mr. Dumbledalf Gets Covered in Goo (Again)

The next step in the process was similar to the 3D printed piece, we needed to make a mold of the CNC piece. We used a different two-part molding chemical combination, but the process was essentially the same as last time. So, we let it stay in the mold and came back the next day to free Dumblebalf. We came back the next day and pried out the mold from the CNC wood piece. It was kinda scuffed, the bottom was too wide and the brim of the hat was bulged out and too thick, but, like we said, it was okay because we had tried out very very best.

BIG STEP 4: ASSEMBLY OF FINAL PRODUCT

Step 1: WE CLONED MR. DUMBLEDALF HEHEHEHEHEHEHEH

The final step in the process was actually making the chess pieces. The process for this was simple but tedious. We put the two mold together, lining up the pins and holes, then put rubber bands on the molds. After this, we put wood boards on the molds so that the pressure on the molds would be evenly distributed. Then, eight times, we pour a molding mixture that we mixed into the molds, and let it cure. This process was tedious and long, but then we got it done. There were a couple mess ups, but generally good. Oh, I almost forgot, we used different colors for Dumbledalf the wizards for variety.

Step 2: We Helped Mr. Dumbledalf’s Clones Discover Personal Hygiene

After we got the wizards out, we used sandpaper to make sure that the wizards were as good as possible. Our CNC mold did get in the way of getting clean pieces because of the issues with the CNC machine. We were happy with our parts and honestly, we tried our very very best on this project, and put a lot of effort into this. Mr. Gandore Dumbledalf and his friends were complete.

REFLECTION: We Say Goodbye to Our Wonderful Mr. Gandore Dumbledalf

This was a good final project, but it was very trying. We tried so so hard, and although it didn’t come out as well as we wanted it to, we know that we did everything that we could. Our pieces may be ugly, but the have heart and spirit. This project was really fun, we had many laughs and we grew closer as work partners too. Looking back, this was a great time. We both just wanted to make clear that the imperfections in our wizard come from the messed up CNC cut. We did approval to continue with the project from Dr. Wettergreen, so we left the CNC mold as is. We really did try to post-process as much as possible the wizards, but there was only so much we could do. 🙂

COST BREAKDOWN

• 30 hours of labor for $20/hour: $600
• 3D Printing Filament: $10
• Wood for CNC: $5
• Molding Chemicals: $10 for platinum silicone molding and $5 for the other molding material
• Sandpaper: $2
• Liquid Plastic: $10

Total Cost: $642