I designed the bowl using OpenSCAD, since it allows for programming parameterizable objects in 2D and 3D, and was pretty easy to use. I just made 2D versions of the rings and stands, guessing points from my sketches to make the curve for the stand
And now for the cutting! I used the 'Cardboard' preloaded settings on the laser cutter, and decreased the speed since our laser cutter is getting a bit old (speed 30%, power 60%). Before cutting the bowl, I did some test cuts to figure out the best peg width so the cardboard would slide together and fit snug.
I then cut out my rings and stands. I cut out rings of width 6,9,11,13, and 15 in. The larger rings ended up being much to wide to work with and fit on the stands, so I ended up not using those. I didn't add notches to my stands, and I figured the friction would be enough to keep the bowl together, but that made it much, much harder to construct evenly. Looking back, I should have tried to model my bowl in 3D with all of the parts connected, instead of just believing they would fit together perfectly in the end. It was hard to get my bowl into the initially desired shape, and I ended up with something taller than expected. Looking back, I also should have incorporated a stand, or some way to keep balance so it doesn't tip over when there is fruit inside.
