Jdeboer's Projects

After cutting several different things with my Maslow, I have decided to create this page to keep a running tab of what I have cut. I have many of the gcode files saved and will share if asked! Let me know what you think of my projects, how I can improve, and any other general questions comments or concerns!
(If you do use any of my files, I would just like to see what comes of it! Thanks!)

6 Likes

One of the first projects that I completed with my Maslow was a sign for the family construction company. I used a very simple design, and it took a few tries with different programs to get it right. This first picture is the finished project. I painted the inset letters and sprayed a clear coat over that.


The next picture was just a cool picture :smile:.

I also have a time lapse video for those interested!

I created this file simply by inserting the logo picture into AutoCAD and tracing it by hand, not the most efficient process, but it works!

10 Likes

After scrolling through the forums for a while, I came across @ScrumdyBum who had cut out the Cubs Marquee. I really liked this, so I downloaded his file, and cut it out. After six and a half hours of cutting, the outcome was quite nice! I cut it out quite a while ago and its still not totally finished being painted, but here is a look at it anyways!
If I were to cut it out again, I might reverse what is cut out so that it takes less time and is easier to paint. I cut it out of MDF because it is such a soft material, although it does create a lot of dust. In a later post I will go over the dust collection that I set up that works wonders!


I do also have a time lapse for this one!

Let me know what you think!

7 Likes

I decided to keep going with the Cubs theme and I cut a cubs sign plaque. This one I designed myself. I did both the normal cubs logo as well as the cubs bear. I haven’t finished painting the second one, so I only have an unfinished picture of it!


Enjoy!
Get some inspiration!

6 Likes

Quick post!
I tried to cut a Disney castle, it turned out alright, but I had to re-engrave part of it and I forgot to correctly set the depth so it started to cut into the middle of it further than I would have liked. I tried a few finishing techniques but none worked so it did end up in the trash, but it was still cool to see! I plan to cut another one out at some point but that is another task!

7 Likes

I enjoy woodworking and making a bunch of little projects, So I decided to mix and match a sign with my Maslow. I make lots of signs, kind of a small business, this one turned out alright! I learned that hardboard is not a friendly Maslow work-piece.


I do have a time lapse of the word cutting out, If I can get it to work I will attach it here!

6 Likes

I recently tried a more advanced cut that invloved some moving parts in the end! A Tic Tac Toe board!
This project took a while as well because of the amount of material that was being removed! It turned out well, it just needs to be painted (Like most of my projects :smiley: ) It was cut out of 3/4 MDF as I love how the Maslow cuts MDF!

15 Likes

I came across the thread about F-Engrave here on the forums, so I decided to try it out for myself! I really like this program and it works very well when using a V bit or Round Bit (Which I have yet to try). I cut out a Ford logo sign for a friend a little while back, so using the same file I turned it into a V-Carve file so I could try this new program out. It can be a little touchy, but overall It works great for what its built for!
Here is the Ford Logo cut out I did using the program.


One thing that I dont love is how it leaves some lines on the finished product due to how the bit passes through the material. It can be fixed various ways, but it is time consuming for the machine to do.

The most recent sign I made was a Sisters sign for my girlfriend and her sister. This is one of my favorite things I have cut out, I think it turned out really well! Let me know what you think!
I also used F-Engrave for this one as it was the best option. This sign was cut out of a smooth plank of Aspen.

8 Likes

I think one of my favorite things to do with my Maslow is to make it better, more efficient, and easier to use. With each of these things comes challenges and problems, So I will share with you all what I did with my Maslow, how I made it better, what works good and what doesn’t.

First, I will go over the general design and framework, then work my way around the different parts.

I started out with the plain, vanilla frame made from 2x4s and plywood. I did use MDF for the backbone of the frame because of how much cheaper it is. I forgot that MDF comes in 8’1"x4’1" so I do not have it perfectly centered on the machine, but it still works just the same. I bought my machine with the ring kit, and the z-axis kit which I installed straight away. Both of these features are great and make the process much faster and more accurate.

A few of the main features I added to my machine are:

  1. Dust collection
  2. Laptop/Computer station
  3. Easy access power switches
  4. Storage shelves
  5. Rolling storage bin
  6. Web Cam

In the first picture, you can see most of the components, but I will go into detail with pictures for those who are interested!

On my plywood, you can see four silver paint spots. When calibrating, I just used the backer-board as the calibration board as I did not want to use a full sheet to do it. After calibrating several times, I could not see which mark was the most recent mark so I just used spray paint to cover the past cuts so the new cuts would be visible.

I also have my vacuum port under the plywood just right of center. Some of you may say this is a bad idea due to the router hitting it if I am cutting on lower portions of the board. It is not a problem for me because I tend to make smaller items, so I can cut further up on the board as needed.

Lets start with the dust collection, I had a small 2hp shopvac the I had directly hooked up to the router. This did not work well. The filter was always clogged up, and dust got everywhere. I decided to upgrage to a 6hp shopvac with the Dust Deputy as the dust extractor. This works amazing. I cut a lot out of MDF and as many of you know, MDF makes a very fine dust, so keeping that fine dust out of the air is a priority.
For the system, I have a small portion of piping that goes from the vacuum to the dust deputy, then out the front of the machine. The first picture is of the general area underneath my laptop stand, with my compressor, extension cords, and ear muffs. The second and third pictures show a little closer how I used the small space I had left behind the machine to put my dust deputy! I had just enough room to fit the bucket and cyclone, and there is enough space in the side of the machine to remove the cyclone when it gets full!

Above the shopvac I have a nice laptop and extension monitor stand. I did not have my laptop out when I took the picture, but I simply plug the HDMI and USB into the laptop when I want to cut something. I use the second monitor to display Ground Control, which allows me to use my laptop to work on other things while still ensuring the Maslow is doing the right thing.
I originally had the laptop stand much lower so that I could sit and work at it, but when I introduced the dust collection it worked much better to raise it up so that everything would fit underneath.
On the front of the stand, I have two switches, one controls the dust collection while the other controls the router. This allows me to stay by the computer instead of having to walk over to the router, or reach under the table to turn the vacuum on. Underneath that there is power strip with a master switch in case I need to shut everything down at once.
I have seen some people dedicate multiple circuits to the router and the dust collection, but I have not had a problem running both from the same outlet.


To the left of the laptop stand, I have a bunch of router bits, as well as the router wrench and a square that I use to get the bit at an approximate height.

Now onto the storage side of things.
One of the first modifications I made to my Maslow was the three storage shelves to the left of the machine. I had a bunch of misc. wood that needed a home and I found that the space behind the maslow was somewhat wasted. First, I cut a small brace to put between my maslow and the wall so that it would not fall apart when I cut out the leg. I then unscrewed it from the top, and cut the remainder out with a circular saw. I used this piece to restructure and add a place to brace the shelves later on. I measured three evenly spaced shelves and cut some plywood and wala, the shelves were born. (I used the same concept in the middle behind the machine as well for the back of the shelves.)
It may not be the preties thing ever, but it works wonderfully. I wanted to keep the Maslow as close to the garage door as possible, so when the garage is open I can easily access what is on the shelves.
I do have a bunch of extra wood stacked up next to the maslow, that is just general wood that may be too long or mis-shapen to fit on the shelves.


I recently added two small struts near the motors above the machine to place longer lumber. This works great for the few long pieces I have because they do not fit anywhere else!

The last storage solution that I was able to fit into the Maslow was a rolling cart underneath. I thought about more shelves, but I liked the rolling cart idea better. This is where I keep all of my stain, paint, and a few other random things that I don’t use all that often. The box is just a simple 4’x2’x16" made out of MDF. This works great because it is easy to access and it uses the left over space very well!

IMG_2269

I do not have a good picture of the WebCam that I installed, but it works using WebCam XP 5 which allows me to export live video feed of the machine cutting to my phone or other laptop where I can watch what is going on without being present. This way I can go inside the house while the Maslow is cutting, set up the live feed, and not worry that it is ruining the piece, or worse; burning up. You can see in the first picture a cord running up the wall in the back, that is for the webcam.

If you have any questions or want to let me know of anything I can do better, let me know!
This was a very wordy thread, so if you got this far congratulations! You made it! This is the end.
Thanks for reading!

15 Likes

I love your cut.:heart_eyes:
your maslow is perfect! nice idea!:100:

Thank you!

I’ve had this design in my mind for a waving flag for a while, so I made a drawing file to represent it. I tried using MakerCam with my file but it was too complicated so I gave up with it. I then found out about F-Engrave and that ended up working perfectly. Although it did take a long time to cut out because it was a reversed image, it turned out a lot better that I had originally expected. My z-axis is usually pretty accurate, but because I was switching bits, and I did not have a large enough clearance around the piece the background did not end up perfectly flat. I sanded out most of the bad parts, but because of the layers in the plywood it was very visible what was not cut properly.
I first stained the whole thing with a dark walnut stain followed by painting the background with a matte black exterior paint to try to disguise the background. I then painted the stars white with a very tiny paint brush. I ended up finger-painting the blue and red because it was the easiest way to keep the paint layer thin, keep it off the black paint, and allow for a smooth layer.

5 Likes

I recently made a larger version of the small Ford Logo sign I made in the past. It turned out really good other that a slight mishap when cutting the outline out.
Here are a few pictures of the finished product.


I used F-Engrave to generate the g-code for this sign. The Ford Logo was orriginaly from a free DXF site, but I made some modifications to it to make it work out better and cut faster.
I also made a video on how to generate the g-code for this ford logo or any other dxf drawing using F-Engrave, if you would like to check that out:

There is a short Time-Lapse at the end of the video of the Maslow cutting the Ford Logo out. Skip to 5:15 if you would like to watch the Time-Lapse!
at about 5:45 you can see where my router decided to climb up into the sign for some reason and I had to use my jigsaw to erase the mistake. Lucky I caught it before it kept going straight up and ruined the whole thing!

3 Likes

Nice save!

Hello all,
I am working on a YouTube video on one of my CNC projects and I was wondering if anyone out there knows how to make a good YouTube Intro. I can montage my work together and all that sort of stuff, but when it comes to making a cool intro I really don’t know where to start!
If anyone is interested in taking on a small project such as this send me a message!
Thanks!

1 Like

I do Motion Graphics on the side, are you looking for “Pro bono” or do you have a budget?
-J

Personally, I just use a whacky “action cam” intro: https://youtu.be/TBY54iW28DE Your aesthetic may be different, but the point is: you don’t need no fancy-pants graphics for an intro.