Introduction: Easter Egg Stands
I made these at TechShop www.techshop.ws
Step 1: Materials & Equipment
Laser cutter (my TechShop has a Trotec Speedy 300)
Acrylic strip heater
1/8" thick acrylic sheet (clear for arms, colors for bases)
Superglue
Step 2: Design the Base
Start by drawing a 2" by 2" spiral using the built in Spiral tool set to 10 Spiral revolutions. Make sure you set the line color to red and the line width to hairline (to indicate that these lines should be cut and not engraved). Then draw a pair of identical trapezoids that are 0.7" tall, 1.25" wide at the base, and 0.35" wide at the top.
Next draw a series of reference rectangles on the trapezoids. To make them interlock, draw opposing rectangles (from the top on one and the bottom on the other) that are 0.125" wide (the width of the acrylic). Next add a reference rectangle to the top of one trapezoid to act as a tab for the spiral and ultimately the arms to sit on. I chose a 0.2" wide tab that is 0.25" tall (the thickness of two pieces of acrylic).
You need to make a slot in the middle of the spiral, so draw a reference rectangle that is 0.125" wide and 0.2" long to match the tab on the trapezoid. Next add a horizontal line across the first spiral leg that doesn't hit the slot. You will use this to delete the inner spiral so that there is a flat area to glue on the arms. Finally, using the 3-Point Curve tool close off the end of the spiral.
To complete the design, use the Virtual Segment Delete tool to remove the appropriate line segments then change all of the line segments to red with a width of hairline.
Step 3: Design the Arms
To make the arms draw two reference rectangles that are 0.15" wide and 2.5" long on top of the arm lines. Finally, using the Virtual Segment Delete tool remove the appropriate line segments and set all remaining line segments to red with a line width of hairline.
Step 4: Laser Cut the Pieces
Step 5: Form the Acrylic
Heat the arms in the same fashion as the spirals. Once they are pliable, hold an egg in one hand (I had a hard boiled egg on hand for this) and press the arm piece around the bottom of the egg. This will form each arm into a nicely shaped curve that matches the egg profile.
Step 6: Superglue the Pieces Together
This step goes pretty quickly. Apply some superglue to the interlocking surfaces of each base piece and slide them into each other. Once those dry, apply some superglue to the tabs on the top of the bases and set a spiral onto each one. Finally, apply some superglue on top of the center of the spirals and place the clear arms on top. This completes the assembly of the egg holders!
Step 7: Put Your Eggs on Display!
Time to decorate some eggs and put them on display with your new egg holders. Happy Easter!