My first big job, routing a huge wooden map of Mexico City, came when I still had a very small workspace across the street in betahaus. It was a regular day, I was just sitting around with not too much to do, and then Mariana Castillo Deball knocked on the door, and asked me if I had time to do a project for her. This was a case of pure good luck, because Mariana lives right in the neighborhood, and because she had noticed my workshop, and that I had a CNC router. Most of the work I do, 85 to 95 percent, comes to me online, but there have been some important exceptions. The job that I would do for her for the Hamburger Bahnhof brought in more than a quarter of my earnings for that year, and because it was my first year, it literally saved my ass, financially speaking. [Read more…]
Using a cnc router to make the worlds best bar stool
I know it sounds like I’m boasting in the title, but seeing as I didn’t make this stool myself, (I wish I had, I wish I had) I don’t see why I shouldn’t lay it on as thick as I want to. This barstool was made by Pierre Guibert, and is called the bracket stool.
Pierre made it using my cnc router, 24 mm Birch Plywood, a small piece of Birch, plenty of glue and lots of brainpower. He made it because I asked him to design a barstool, as I needed one or two for our front desk. We have an agreement, Pierre and I, that he may use my cnc router as much as he likes for his own projects free of charge. Its my way of soothing my conscience, which would otherwise tell me I pay him too little. [Read more…]
2D vs 2.5D vs 3D – What Do I Need for My Design?
When starting a project for a CNC router, the design may seem daunting at first. It is not obvious that most CNC projects are simple in their design. It often isn’t necessary, for instance, to have a 3D model of the project. This is because many of the operations a CNC router performs need only two dimensional paths. Take 3D lettering or engraving as an example. Although the object is three-dimensional, the paths required to make it are simple and only two dimensional.
3d Printing vs CNC
It used to be that CAD software and other 3d design solutions were complicated and difficult to use without years of training. Today, however, the traditional forms of software are becoming easier to use and there are alternatives such as Google sketchup which allows users to intuitively design 3d models for free. The creation of physical objects from those models is also within the grasp of the average user today, thanks to 3d printing and other types of automated manufacturing. [Read more…]