First, I started out by designing my box in MakerCase. I did a test cut and measured out the kerf to be 0.013, which is what I used for my box.

Next, I patterned the downloaded box outline in Adobe Illustrator, and added in the engravings I wanted, one of Lovett College and the other of my name, class, section, and date. Then, on the laser cutter, after following instructions and safety precautions that we learned in class and the tutorial, I test cut a small square in the corner of my plywood. I made sure the setting I wanted were correct, and then cut out a panel of my box.

The engraving and sides looked good to me. So, I cut out another panel and made sure they fit together. It was a tight fit, but it worked, so I proceeded to cut out the rest of the sides of my box, as well as the top and bottom. I had all 6 pieces.

Thus, I began the assembly of my box. There were sides that were pretty tough to push together. I think it’s because of the uneven setting of the wood, or irregularities within the large panel provided. I used weights on the plywood while cutting, but they might not have been evenly distributed, leading to these discrepancies as well. There are a few gaps after assembly too – I think I didn’t use enough force to push the sides together or the depth is off.

However, I was able to assemble the entire box.

Here is a picture of my cleaned workspace.

The cost of materials are the following: