Design Practice, Need Feedback - MCM End Table

Projects
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My Maslow will be coming next month and I’m trying to get myself familiar with designing something to cut on the CNC. I’m new to all this, but I’m looking forward to it. What I need is feedback on what I’m doing. Not sure if I’m doing anything right or wrong and I’d love to hear what works and how to improve.

That being said, I decided to convert an end table my wife found at Goodwill for $5 to a 3D model. I figured it’d be easier if I knew what my end goal would be. A picture of that end table is here:

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So I decided to design it so it would just fit together with glue but without any fasteners (is glue considered a fastener?) This is what I came up with:

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and a cutaway to show the joints is here:
MCM%20End%20Table%20Cut%20Away

Tell me where you think I could improve upon the design. Thanks!

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2

Very cool, I’ll take one when your finished. :grin:

Only thing I might change is to not go all the way through the table top with the joints so it is one flat piece of wood for the table top. Could go .5 pocket so it still fits nice.

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I kind of like the idea of the joints coming through (make sure you dogbone the slots). I think it adds an interesting feature and shows how it’s constructed. I’d sand down whatever part of the tendon in sticking through the table top though to make it all flat.

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Firstly I would recommend the book http://designforcnc.com/ as it was the best information I have found about how to make furniture with CNC, and might give you some more ideas on joints and such. But overall I like your design. Personally I like the look of bigger tenons, also are you going to use any screws or just glue?

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I have a trip coming up, so I’ll grab a copy of it to read on the plane rides.

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I’m thinking just glue.

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What is a dogbone and why is it recommended?

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I’ll post the plans once I get them polished up.

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A “dogbone” allows a square piece to fit inside a square cut by a round bit.

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That is a very helpful explanation.

I think I’ll opt to recess the pegs now, I’d prefer to hide them than have the dog bones visible from the top.

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So I spent some time reading Design for CNC, only 100 or so pages in thus far. It has been one of the most informative books I’ve come across in a while. I went from being completely lost to having some idea of what I need to do. I am still figuring out a few kinks related to my workflow, but I think I have produced the gcode needed to cut the table. Too bad my Maslow hasn’t shipped yet.

If I wanted to post this to the Community Garden, what should be posted and what information should be provided to be the most beneficial for someone to build this if they so please?

Workflow: (because I’ll need to reference this in the future and it might help someone else)

Oh, and for what it is worth, one of these can be cut out of a 4 ft by 4 ft sheet of 3/4" material.

MCM%20End%20Table%202017
MCM End Table 2017.png1631×928 7.77 KB

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That is great you found that book helpful as I thought you would. As far as garden, to me I would only upload the sketchup file, and the original svg.

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I’ve been putting up my gcode files and the svg saved from MakerCAM with has all the inside/outside paths saved too. The gcode might not be right for everyone, but when it works it’s really nice to be able to just open the file and go. The file from maker cam makes it very easy to change the bit size or wood thickness and recompute the gcode

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14

I added the project the community garden: http://maslowcommunitygarden.org/MCM-End-Table.html

If anyone decides to make one, I’d love to see it! I’m still waiting on my Maslow to ship, so it will be a while before I can make my own.

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