CNC Project

Ideas and Inspirations

I found the idea for this project on the class Google Classroom page in a post with a list of links. I found pictures for a docking station and liked the simplicity of it. (I also wanted a phone stand after my mom started using the 3D printed one I had made earlier in the year).

After I chose my design I started to sketch it out on paper then Fusion. On the paper version of the sketch, I laid out dimension details and designed the overall layout of the project.

I then extruded certain parts of the sketch, and the following pictures show how I made the project. First I extruded everything by 19.05 mm (the thickness of the wood), and made the sketches visible. I then extruded to cut certain portions of the sketch at different distances to create the object.

After I finished modelling the project, I wanted to prototype it using the laser cutter and cardboard. So, I projected the top face of the object, saved it as a DXF file and opened it in CorelDraw. The cord part of the project did not convert over, so I had to redraw it.

After I had the CorelDraw files saved, I prototyped and laser cut the design on cardboard. I noticed that the smaller part of the project seemed too small and was not wide enough, so I edited it by changing the dimension to be longer by two centimeters. The phone hole fit, and the other holes seemed to be fine, so I left everything else as is.

After the sketch design was set, I started to make tool-paths for the project by going to the Manufacture section of Fusion360. I first set up a stock horizontal offset by one inch. Then I made two "Pocket" paths and one "Contour" path for the 0.25 inch bit. For the 0.125 inch bit, I had a little bit of trouble with the thin cord path– I tried making it a pocket at first, but realized that it wouldn't work. It turned out that using a contour path worked far better. The picture below show my process of going through and adding tool-paths.

After I prepared the paths, I moved to the CNC and started to prepare the mill. Mr. Rudolph had our stock pieces ready. I laid the stock on the bed of the CNC and drilled in screws on each of the four corners of the wood until it was extremely tight. I uploaded my design file and started the mill after checking everything was alright. The picture below shows the CNC operating. (We had forgotten to turn on the vacuum so there is a lot of sawdust, but we quickly turned on the vacuum right after this picture was taken).

After my design was milled, I used the drill to pull up the screws. This is what my project had looked like so far:

Next, I had to break the tabs. When I was using the table saw, I accidentally broke the knife when I think I tilted the wood. After, I used a mallet and sharp tool to break the tabs. Afterwards, I used the sanding machine to sand the tabs off.

I had also used small sand paper to go around the sharp edges and send them down a little. The picture below shows what my project looked after the initial sanding and after being assembled. To assemble the project, I just had to link the two wood pieces from their joints.

I wasn't too content with the way it looked yet; the color made it seem like it was still a work in process, so I decided to give it an oil finish. I first used the sponge brush to coat the wood in a layer of the oil finish. I then used a piece of fabric to wipe down any excess shiny oil, and I left the project to dry.

I am pretty happy with how this project turned out. I think it achieves the purpose I wanted. However, looking back, I realize I should have made sure all my dimensions were correct before going ahead and milling the final project. The pockets for the "air pod holder" and "ear bud holders" were all a little too small, although I can use the pockets to hold and store other things. But overall, I am glad I made this project and got to learn about the CNC machine.

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