Hello! I’d love to share the process behind my CNC-carved lilies. I chose this design because I almost received the name Lily because it sounds similar to the pronunciation of my Chinese name, which makes it feel personal and meaningful.

To begin, I found an .svg file of a lily on The Noun Project. I imported it into Carbide Create and began editing the toolpaths. After experimenting with different combinations of pockets and contours, I decided to create pockets on each petal. This approach helped preserve the delicate form and overall shape of the lily.

Then, it’s time to CNC! I adjusted the settings in the software to match the dimensions of my wood piece (width, height, and thickness), then secured the material, zeroed the machine, and set up my drill bits. I used a 1/16″ bit to carve the petal pockets to preserve fine details like the anther and stigma. Once the pocketing was complete, I switched to a 1/8″ bit to cut through the full piece more efficiently.

After the carving, I moved on to sanding. I started with a coarse grit and gradually worked down to finer grits, smoothing all sides of the piece.

One of the biggest takeaways from this process was the importance of patience. Every step matters. I actually had to restart once because I mistakenly used a 1/8″ bit instead of a 1/16″ for the pockets—the bit removed too much material and lost the intricate details. It was frustrating at first, but the second run went smoothly and I learned a lot from the mistake.

My failed piece due to using the wrong drill bit:

Once everything was sanded, I used masking tape to tape down the sides and bottom  to preserve the natural wood color. I then spray-painted the top in hot pink. Afterward, I did some extra sanding with an orbital sander to clean up the finish and edges.

I’m really proud of how this turned out—especially since it was my very first CNC project! As an architecture student, CNC is a word I hear all the time in conversations about topography and landscape modeling, but I’d never actually used it myself until now. This experience was a great introduction, and I had a lot of fun throughout the process.

Here is an image of my cleaned workspace:

Cost Analysis:

Pine wood blocks: $8.45 

Hot Pink Spray Paint: $6.88 

Time: 4 hours of labor at $20 an hour = $80 

Total: $95.33