Brandi Dixon Education Program Manager Hardesty Center for Fab Lab Tulsa

Computer Controlled Machining

Super excited for this week! I've been waiting for a motivator to start building a plywood canoe. This weeks project was a great opportunity to get this project started.

I purchased plans for a 2 seat canoe. Purchasing directions saved me a lot of time and mistakes, as well as money by purchasing their recommended materials instead of the wrong ones. The Plans were purchased here: http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/storer/eureka/

The plans are drafted and look something like this:

(I won't post all of the draft pages.)

By using traditional drafting techniques in a 2D drawing software I can begin to make files that can be cut on the shopbot. I used inkscape to begin my drawing. We can use guides in inkscape to create the drafting guidelines

Then I used shapes to mark out the distance from the center or edge line the drafting indicated and used the pen tool to draw a line at each point. After this step I have the basic drafting done but the shape has sharp corners, not the smooth curves I would like my canoe to have.

I can select all of the point that make up the line and use the "Auto smooth" button to automatically smooth them. This instantly creates a perfect curve.

When it's all finished I have a file like this:

Pieces on the shopbot:

One file was milled out twice to create 10 pieces, 5 sets of mirrored pieces.

Pieces layed out on the floor and butt jointed together:

Assembly! Holes are drilled and the sheets are stitches together with copper wire. The boat starts to take shape fairly quickly. I'll be doing the finishing work for our composites week. The inner and outer seams will be fiber glassed for structural integrity.

I don't have a place to store the boat at home. For temporary storage we hoist it into the rafters. It makes a good conversation piece in the lab!