For this week's assignment, we were tasked with making something BIG by designing, milling, and assembling. I decided to make a step stool for my bed because my friends often struggle to get onto it. Below is the goal for what I wanted to make.
After designing in CAD what I wanted the end goal to look like, I broke it down into pieces and created finger joints for each piece. For time purposes, I left out some components that I thought weren't vital. For the joints, I used the Nifty Dogbone software to simplify the process after I had created all the joints.
Then I designed a tool path on Fusion 360 to mill the pieces out of the OSB we were provided.
Then I took them to the bandsaw to clean them up a bit.
However, a problem I encountered was that I forgot to confirm the thickness of the material. I had actually planned ahead and made the thickness a parameter called "thickness" so that I could change it depending on the size of the OSB. Unfortunately, I neglected to change it. The consequence was that the joints I so perfectly aligned fit snugly but not flush. Since it was about 1/8" off, the stability of the stairs became less than expected.
But I was able to assemble it anyway and get my finished product. In an optimal case, I would make it again with the correct sizing and also include the back face for more stability (I wouldn’t trust a person's weight on it just yet). And, of course, I would make it much prettier to match the vibe of the room.
