For this CIM project, our goal was to make a chair using our CNC machine and plywood. Our assignment was to create something that someone could sit on, lounge in, rock in--whatever we wanted, as long as it functioned as first and foremost a chair. This was what I created! :)

Supplies

For this project, our supplies were limited to:

1ft x 1ft plywood sheet (5mm thick)

CNC Machine

Binding/attaching element (Glue, nails, etc.)

Sand Paper

Step 1: Research

Though the first step to creating any design is often to define the problem-which, for us, would be the need for a chair-our first step was mainly to research all the different types of chairs that we could make. We've found several different types of chairs, such as rocking chairs, stools, and strange types of chairs that I can't quite find a name for. I decided, after looking at a few previous laser-cut chairs and stools, to attempt a simple, minimalist type chair for my first design.

Step 2: Brainstorm/Design

As far as brainstorming goes, I knew that I wanted to make a chair that was small/compact, and comfortable to lounge in. I did this by keeping the height of the chair on the shorter side while also making a bigger seat area for the user. After a couple of sketches, I had cemented my design-a low-sitting flatpack chair with armrests on each side. Because we were making a scaled-down version of the actual chair, the next step was to create a model.

Step 3: Cardboard Model

For the first manufacturing stage of this project, I made a model of my chair design from cardboard and hot glue, simply to test out my measurements and the logistics of my design. The design was fairly successful, and the scale was accurate and effective.

Step 4: Fusion 360

My next step was to create my design in Fusion 360. Using the same measurements, I put my design into fusion, and had to change the shape a bit to make it easier to design in the program. After I finished putting the design into Fusion, I saved it as a DXF file, and uploaded it into Carbide Create.

Step 5: Carbide Create

Once I uploaded it into Carbide Create, I had to change a few settings. Things like the depth per pass (how deep the machine should cut), the placement of tabs (little bits of wood in the cut out that help to keep the board flat on the CNC), and the drill type (I used #102 endmill drill for hardwood) are all little settings that needed to be adjusted. After taking care of all that, I was ready to upload everything to the machine. To do this, I simply saved my Carbide file to a cute pink flash drive in our Makerspace, connected that flash drive to the machine, initialized the CNC (this included letting the machine run it's own evaluations to see if it was ready to print, making sure there was a piece of wood below the drill and that it had been secured correctly, and moving the drill to the x and y axis that I wanted the cutting to start at), and ran the code. The cutting at first did not go smoothly, as I had put two pieces far too close together in my Carbide model, but, after adjusting the distance between my pieces and reprinting the design, everything worked out perfectly.

Step 6: Final Model

For my final model, I used the cut out shapes from the CNC machine, sanded down the leftover bits of wood from the tabs I had used to secure them in place, and glued the pieces together using hot glue. Though the model isn't perfect, and there may have been some small details I might want to tweak or improve--for instance, the lack of armrests, which I originally had in my brainstorm--I'm happy with the end result!