Jeremiah Baker - Laser Cut Finger Joint Box

rhino file

work in progress

box front

box back

interior

spin animation effect attempt 1 (failed)

Concept: I wanted to create a mount for my 3D print from earlier this semester. The 3D print is an illusion if viewed a certain way, so I wanted to reflect that idea in the box. I used 4 simple and recognizable illusions for each side of the box. 

Modeling Techniques: Creating the box itself was fairly simple. I used the boxmaker website to create the initial outline, and then the Rhino template to lay out where the illusion cutouts should be. 

        To start out, I used wood glue to put the bottom and 3 of the sides together. After I had done that, I found a spare block of wood to mount my motor onto, and aligned the motor head to the exact center of the box. Originally, the top of the box was going to be all one piece, but the cut was too close to allow the spinning, so I had to cut it down into four separate pieces. The cylinder I had cutout from the top piece was nearly the same size as the 3D print, so I decided to use it as a mount. I fastened a connector for the motor into the center of the wood cylinder and used that to test the spin and make sure that it was level. I then glued the 3D print to the wood cylinder, and attached it to the motor. 

        I did have some trouble (and still am having trouble) with the spin being unstable at the top speed. Before gluing the 3D print to the wood, I hadn't considered that it wasn't symmetrically balanced, something that made the spin very unstable. After putting the last side onto the box (not glued, it worked out that it was a tight fit so I could have access to the motor), the stability improved greatly, but was still wobbling at the top speed. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a dimmer switch to slow it down (still looking for one). I also need to find a more permanent (and prettier) place to put the battery and on/off switch.

        Creating the animation illusion that the 3D print was made for has proven to be more difficult that I originally expected it to be. In theory, the illusion should be visible with a precisely timed strobe light, or a precisely timed camera. The effect hinges on the viewer only seeing the print every 137.5 degrees, whether that be through the strobe lighting it up, or the camera capturing a frame. Unfortunately, I have yet to achieve the effect. I will be sure to post a video of the effect as soon as I am able to make it work.

Materials Used: I used a sheet of plywood from Home Depot for my box, and Elmer's wood glue to put the box together. I had the motor and wiring from an old project. It worked out that it had more than enough power to spin the piece.