Inspired by the TV show The League, my roommate and his high school buddies started
a Fantasy Football league this year and asked me to make them a trophy for the winner.
They all like to hang out at the Peacock Lounge in Sunnyvale, CA so we decided to make
the trophy in homage of their favorite bar. After some brainstorming and a few sketches I
came up with a design, and my building process is as follows....

Things used:
AutoDesk Inventor
Adobe Illustrator
ShopBot
Table Router
MDF
Wood glue
Laser Cutter
Beer cans
sand paper
Metal Lathe
Milling Machine
Fix-It-All
acrylic paint
Painters tape
threaded rod
bailing wire
aluminum foil
Bondo
Dremel
Pliers
Rasp/Surform
Knife
Spray paint
Devcon plastic welder
& TechShop =)

Step 1: Design

My initial sketches were done by hand, but in order to take full advantage of the CNC ShopBot
at TechShop I had to make some digital files (this also helped to fully visualize the project before
starting anything physical). So I did a mock up of everything except the peacock on top, due to my
3D character modeling skills being a bit rusty. Once the files were made its Making Time!

Step 2: Prep the MDF

So the design I came up with has a 1.5" base and middle section, yet the hardware store only sold
3/4" MDF. Therefore I had to glue two pieces together before I could begin cutting on the ShopBot.

Step 3: Cuttin' the Base and Mid Section

Once the glue has set, I set up the ShopBot and ran the job to cut out my base and mid section. I also
routed out spots for the where the beer cans would nest and a center hole to keep the rod perfectly
aligned. On the mid section I also drilled a hole all the way through to help with the alignment of the
keg and peacock. I used a table router to add the chamfered edge after ShopBotting.

Step 4: BEEEEER Cans

These guys are enthusiastic and really enjoy their drinking. I thought it only appropriate to make the
columns of this trophy out of beer cans. So saved up 6 cans, and with a knife and pliers cut off the tops
and bottoms of the cans. Using the base and mid section to keep everything aligned I taped everything
off that I wanted to stay clean and filled the cans with Fix-It-All to make them solid. And to give the
appearance of elegance I spray painted the beer cans gold.

Step 5: Lasers!!

Back to the base and mid section. I put these two into the laser cutter machine to etch my logo on the
bottom of the base, and "The Peacock" on to the top of the mid section.

Step 6: The KEG

Went to the local metal supplier and picked up some square stock and took that to the metal lathe to
turn the features for the keg. Next took that to the milling machine to mill out a section on top and make
the top handles.

Step 7: Making the Peacock

Before this project I had never used Bondo before, but had heard lots about it and decided now is the
time. First I made an armature using bailing wire and aluminum foil. Then layer by layer coated the
armature with Bondo. Smoothed out most of the rough spots with a Surform and knife. Then came the
hours and hours of fun with the Dremel (highly recommend using a Flex Shaft if you have this much
work to do). Once I finished sculpting all the details I sprayed the peacock with gold spray paint, and
then hand painted the green and blue accents to the feathers.

Step 8: Inlay

Again we return to the base and mid section. After both pieces were laser etched I sanded them smooth
and spray painted them Gloss Black. After a few coats, I then mixed up a small amount of Fix-It-All and
added a tiny bit of acrylic paint for a touch of color. Next I applied the Fix-It-All to the laser etched areas
and squeegeed off the excess and let dry. Once dry I gave the base and mid section a few coats of
Gloss Clear spray paint to finish them off and make them extra shiny.

Step 9: Assemblage of the Peacock

Now that the base and mid section, the beer can columns, the keg, and the peacock are all finished came
the time to assemble everything. Using Devcons plastic welder I coated all of the threaded rods, holes,
and adjoining, flush surfaces to be mated together. Stuck everything in their appropriate place and held
together until the plastic welder cured.
And there she is.... The Peacock... behold a trophy worthing fighting for!

only the deserved shall hoist her on high