I have never used a laser cutter before, so this project was an interesting experience involving many mistakes.

I started with a few test cuts to find settings that would result in a raster that I was happy with. I ultimately settled on 20% power and 80% speed for the raster, with the vector cut using a frequency of 10, 5% speed, and 100% power. The result is shown below.

The next step was to find the value of kerf that would result in a box with the proper dimensions for a press-fit. My main mistake in this project was this step, as I opted to find the kerf by printing many test pieces to find a value that fits. This took more time and wood than necessary, although I eventually found the value I needed.

I would create new box sections with the generator using different kerf values, then put them all in one file with each box labeled so I could keep track.

Another mistake I made was that I had misunderstood exactly how the kerf value affected the part, so I wasted a few pieces by increasing the value instead of decreasing it. Eventually, I did figure out that for my set of conditions, a kerf value of 0.004 in allowed me to assemble the box where the finger joints could fit into each other.

Workspace before and after pictures:

Cost Breakdown:

Most of the cost in my calculation resulted from the labor costs, which were higher than expected due to my inefficient method of finding the proper kerf value.