It was finally time to make the totes! As part of the assignment, we had to cut the wood by hand and assemble it. Just as a reminder, here's what my design looked like beforehand:
So I had to change a few things. Unfortunately, Fusion360 got totally confused when I changed the dimensions and the spline got all messed up. It took me a bit to fix it and I had to completely start over on all of the curves, so they look slightly different. But oh well, it happens! Definitely something to think about for future splines/dimension changes.
After I fixed the dimensions to account for the thickness and width constraints of the wood provided, I began cutting using the chop saw. I only used the 9" and 3.25" from what we had.
But we started to run out of the 9" width (it was popular among the rest of the class too!). Luckily, I could just use some other wood in the shop that wasn't precut to these dimensions for some of the curvy handle parts because I didn't need the whole 9 inches! I then used the CNC to cut the curvy parts on cardboard to use as a stencil.
I thought the stencils were a brilliant idea, and I definitely cannot take credit for it!! Of course, it came from the brilliant Ryan and Jamie. I used the cardboard stencils to draw a line in pencil and then I cut along the line with a jigsaw! At first, I had trouble with the jigsaw and it was cutting super jagged.
Then jigsaw battery died and I realized the low battery was affecting the quality of the cut! I replaced the battery and BANG.
Super smooth. I still had to go in with a dremmel and some sandpaper, but all and all I was pretty happy with it.
But... I never asked what the dimensions of the wood were before I started drawing. Erg I didn't even think about it and I just wanted to kick myself! Here were the constraints I was SUPPOSED to follow from the beginning:
The material we have is 0.69 inch thick pine plywood, pre-finished on one side and pre-cut to the following dimensions:
- 9.0 inch x 8 feet (6 each - for whole class)
- 6.0 inch x 8 feet (9 each)
- 3.25 inch x 8 feet (9 each)
(F.Y.I the cost is approx. $1.20 SqFt)
But we started to run out of the 9" width (it was popular among the rest of the class too!). Luckily, I could just use some other wood in the shop that wasn't precut to these dimensions for some of the curvy handle parts because I didn't need the whole 9 inches! I then used the CNC to cut the curvy parts on cardboard to use as a stencil.
I thought the stencils were a brilliant idea, and I definitely cannot take credit for it!! Of course, it came from the brilliant Ryan and Jamie. I used the cardboard stencils to draw a line in pencil and then I cut along the line with a jigsaw! At first, I had trouble with the jigsaw and it was cutting super jagged.
Then jigsaw battery died and I realized the low battery was affecting the quality of the cut! I replaced the battery and BANG.
Super smooth. I still had to go in with a dremmel and some sandpaper, but all and all I was pretty happy with it.
Next, I used the hand-router on all of the curved parts. I cut the slits out of the side panels for the handle using a combination of the bandsaw and the jigsaw. Then I used a 7/8" drill-bit and the jigsaw to cut out the handle. I didn't want any nails or screw heads to show (and I'm only using this to hold paints and brushes) so I decided to assemble the tote using wood glue and clamps.
It held my brushes perfectly! But what's a paint tote without any paint?
I couldn't resist. I've got to say, it was pretty challenging to paint horizontally. If I could do it over again I would paint before I assembled. I could see how some people would find that undesirable, so I would suggest drawing things out with a pencil first or making a stencil if that's what you're going for. Personally, I like my paintings to be a little organic, so I was more than happy with the flowers being slightly different on each panel. At the end of the day, this tote is a perfect fit for my needs and my style. My current situation for my art supplies pretty much consists of a jumbled, disorganized box of paint, brushes, and markers (and it doesn't even have a handle which is super annoying). I'm glad I finally have an organizational place for my supplies that I can display has a piece of art itself! Tune in after two weeks to see the next iteration with the CNC...
Jessica Rodriguez
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