Prior to setting up my Maslow I’d never had any experience with power tools. So, in building the frame for it I was a little terrified I was going to decapitate myself with the circular saw. But here I am somehow.
Technically, this isn’t my first project. The first thing I cut out was a rectangle as a bottom for my duffle bag using the directional control arrows in Ground Control. My first automated cutting was the improved sled, much like anybody else. This is my first “real” project.
A few things I learned with this.
- The Maslow CNC doesn’t ‘make’ furniture - It cuts wood accurately, but there’s still the sanding, staining, and glueing/assembling afterward…that’s a lot of work! Somehow this obvious fact blew right by me: cutting out the pieces of wood is one step in a larger overall endeavor lol
- I tried to skimp out on the tabs I used and tried to save space by squishing too much together. As a consequence one of the pieces fell loose and the pocket was completely ruined. I ended up draw up an identical piece, as a stand-alone drawing, and cutting that out…
- …And when I set up the tool path, I accidentally clicked the ‘leave material behind’ button. So my pockets were all about 0.4" too small! Rather than cut a new piece out, I just hand routered everything all ugly. The pockets are pretty hidden, so no one will ever know. Hopefully I don’t make that mistake again!
- A little dab will do you with the stain. Since this is a shower stool, I thought it would be better to just glob it all on (contrary to the instructions). I’m sure it’ll work fine, but it didn’t spread well. If I was less impatient I would have done it right but now I know what happens when you do it wrong.
After sitting on my shelf for 2+ years, coronavirus inspired me to finally get this thing working. And it’s been a lot of work. Learning to use power tools, learning to use CAD, and CAM, all the sanding, the staining. I bought a brad nailer to help tack it together! It’s been a lot! But a lot of fun.
In the end, I actually don’t even like the design of this stool. I should have make the lower ledge wider than the top and rounded out the edges, but I just wanted to get going and see the Maslow do something.
Thanks to everyone in for forums who provided so much help for us new users through the experience! This community has some great people in it!
