As a project concept, I wanted to created a large trellis that would hang from my ceiling across a hallway. Originally, I thought about creating an archway of ivy.
I tried to design an archway in Fusion360, but I ultimately had to adapt the concept given time constraints. I decided to create a flat structure instead that would be comprised of different tiles, giving the flexbility to create different patterns when assembled. This would look akin to a drop ceiling in my hallway, but a trellis with ivy hanging through.
I adapted the silhouette of a monstera from online using adobe illustrator and transferred it to Carbide Create to prepare for cutting. I know this is a super simple concept, but it was my first time using computer-controlled cutting and I wanted to begin with something that was simple that wouldn't be lengthy to cut (especially given this was my first test). We set up the design to print two tiles.
I chose thin wood in order for the trellis to be light-weight. We measured around the entire board with a caliper, finding the thickest edge to be approximately 0.28 inches. This would be the necessary depth of the cut. We set up on the CNC and screwed the board into the sacrificial board underneath. The printing of the first tile went well. After the first leaf outline was cut, the board popped up. I stopped the machine and removed the first piece. It continued with cutting the outline of the tile.
While cutting, a tube detached. This required the Reef staff to come and reassemble.
The second tile proved to be more of an issue. For some reason, the toolpath was different. It cut around the outline of the tile before the leaf. This was an issue because the square would then be loose and unstable, preventing the leaf from being cut both safely and correctly.
To try to salvage this, we could have drilled directly into the tile itself, securing it to the surface. However, this would affect the design. Therefore, we screwed several pieces of scrap wood around the perimeter of the tile to secure it in place. Resuming printing, this did not work. The tile was not sufficiently stable. The cutting of the leaves would not be correct and it would not be safe to continue cutting a loose board. We removed this tile and did not continue with this one given time constraints.
Here is the final product. My favorite part of this project turned out to be the cut outs of the leaves, not the tiles! I look forward to using these in some creative way!