CNC carving a female torso out of plywood - with the Shapeoko

Female torso CNC-carved out of plywood.
By Dennis Van Hoof, from Top o' Arts (topoarts.com).
3D model generated from a series of 50 photos of a gypsum statue that I made 2 years ago. 3D model creation with Zephyr software. Manual clean-up and slicing of the 3D model with Meshmixer software. Router tool paths created with VCarve software.
Carving done with the Shapeoko XXL, using WhiteSide router bits. Approximately 10 hours of carving per plywood board (4 boards in total). Gluing of 24 pieces with regular wood glue.
Sanding with Dremel drums and flap wheels, and polishing finish by hand. Stained with Danish natural oil and varnished with semi-gloss. Statue was mounted onto a marble slab with Fuze-it LN2000.
Music: Jamie Woon - Lady Luck

[@kataklasm5621]

Truly impressive project, Dennis, love seeing your CNC work!

[@mohamadkassab8701]

You have big brain and big heart to teach others Thank you

[@y007p3]

The plywood has a beauty of its own

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

I agree! It's like a topographical map.

[@JasperTielen]

Great project, wish I could have those files. Would be impossible for me to start making them myself even after you explained how to. Job well done.

[@mattkoch7473]

Very interesting way of doing it! Very cool project.

[@spuddiver]

#Intense & #Awesome 3d CNC work there!

[@jimkemps1676]

I am not much of an artist but you have inspired me to tackle a project that I thought might be impossible to create.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Your only limitation is the creativity of your mind. ;)

[@esfliegtshon]

Simply WOW! AMAZING!

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thank you! You should see the final version (this was just a test): kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqK9Z6t6nJ6Hjbc

[@oliviermars]

Really great job !!! I love it

[@coulterjb22]

Wow that turned out great!

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Wait for version 2.0, which I will be posting later this week. :)

[@michaelkeymont501]

Masterful!

[@fournierluc2205]

Impressive Sir. You are a very skilled artist. I can produce 3D models on the Shapeoko but your ability to start from scratch, plan a very complicated project in layers and understanding of the software capabilities is incredible. You do not mention the time it took to plan, create the 3D model and to design the project in the different software and the total time to produce on CNC and finish. I'm sure you are north of 100 hours. Looking forward to see some of your other CNC project to learn.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thanks for appreciating the effort en time that I invested in the planning part; you are right that the prepping and planning to develop an idea into a physical piece took much, much more time than the actual carving and assembling.

[@Renwark]

This is incredible, love the way it turned out.

[@philippe5394]

I am impressed by your inventiveness! Congratulations for your talent, your patience and for the result, of course!

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thanks, Philippe! More coming up in a while. Stay tuned...

[@The1BigDutch]

Great video once again!!

[@allnaturaledgedesigns]

I'm super impressed and have been struggling uphill with CNC, I'm a traditional sculptor and got into CNC due to physical limitations, hopeful it would save time I went all in well it's 2 yrs later a lot of time and money spent but I'm hooked for life, you have inspired me greatly with your ingenious ideas patience and creativity, I'm definitely going to use your rotary access plans because I'm currently building an upgraded 15" z axis with 6 hp spindle on a frame with open bed and your idea will fit it perfectly

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thank you for your kind words, David. I've done my share of traditional sculpting too, so I can totally appreciate your background. I'm also flattered, and happy to inspire; sometimes you only need a little nudge in the right direction to fully exploit your own potential. CNC definitely opened up a whole new array of possibilities to complement traditional sculpting, but it still has its limitations. So I'm looking forward to seeing your creations with your 15" Z-axis with 6 HP spindle (one word: "wow!"). Keep up the good work!

[@placitas52]

What can you do with 15" z motion when most bits Max out at cutting depth of three inches? That's why you use a slipicer in modeling.

[@allnaturaledgedesigns]

@@placitas52 we are all here for sharing which is what is so cool about this platform. Currently from Amana you can buy 6in end or flat Mills which I have both. Also, there are many specialty companies that will make them as long as you want. Slicing is great and I will use to produce large parts 👍😊. However as a business that takes time for me, I need to produce quickly and all the hold Downs that slicing requires with exact precision setups and what not have guided me in this direction as a business model so that I can flip one time is my goal however with Dennis's idea I can rotate just a couple times and get undercuts happening like a 5-axis machine his idea its quite innovative I showed it to machinist friend who has been in the business for forty years and he was quite impressed. I think I will be trying it, it may take six months or more but I'll get there. Take care Armando

[@allnaturaledgedesigns]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 thanks for the feedback, your confidence and ability on the CNC is quite impressive keep inspiring the rest with your knowledge, if you ever get to Oregon, US look me up. Also it would be great to have more videos on mesh mixer as I use it with mesh cam and vectric. Personally mesh cam is very fast for 3d where its slow in 2d but this is opposite in vectric which is why I use both. But I'm most curious in your rotary slicing in mesh mixer as this is the big part of what you do that requires exacting precision, and I understand that in concept but I could see where it would be a rabbit hole to destruction if not deployed properly. Keep up the great work and innovative videos!

[@blackmamba3427]

Brilliant art. Awesome 👌 video. Amazing 👏

[@jimbelcher988]

I would think if you showed how you made the "Slices" in Autodesk Meshmixer and prepared to cut would be a good instructional video that could get a lot of views. Awesome Job on all your videos.

[@vampyrew0lf]

Yea...im here strictly for the comments. 👍

[@denislavdochev3783]

I like very much how the rounded circles on the back were formed

[@cheapinvite1]

Phenomenal

[@SalmanSalman-iy3os]

Wow👍 this was a lot of work ❤🙏

[@williamvisel]

A work of art, very impressed.

[@pipercub45]

Impressive! As I am a beginner I can see you must have mastered the software. Wow!

[@BrianHeplerSasquatch]

In addition to the comments below, with the 3D model sliced into layer like that, it would be trivial to turn this into a piece of wall art. Well done.

[@tekn0lust]

That is very impressive. Lots and lots of work for an excellent outcome.

[@jorgel.martinez2648]

Impressive Job!

[@gabrielbaez8034]

No problem hand sanding that one.

[@thedude6736]

"inspecting".... Lol Great work!

[@JPMRJuan]

Awesome!!

[@MANJITSINGH-ko2oi]

WEldone Dennis very good. lot of work but that's what why its beautiful.

[@ES-bl1wy]

Stunning what one can do with the right tools. You need to do a male torso. She needs a mate. 👈😎❤️

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4mXgaeLab2Dg9k

[@ToddRobertson-ty3ym]

I guess you had to have a white object to take photos of and then get a good image on both zephyr and Meshmaker. I had a dark object . the darkness interferes with getting a good image on meshmaker and zephyr.

[@user-hk7cj7yg5f]

Автору уважение .

[@SteveMcQuillin]

Absolutely amazing :)

[@MrPDawes]

Should have enlisted a body double for the initial 3D image. Great job though. Just wish I could get ply as cheap as that in UK.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

No need for a body double. I have access to the original model every day. ;)

[@HWPcville]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 woo woo!! lol

[@thekjartis2281]

He actually said "made out of hard wood". Great job tho!

[@poetwarriorrare9489]

This is fascinating but this can be done much cheaper by just cutting out the shapes with a band saw or jigsaw and then glued up and sanding or grinding away the ridges. Considering a computer generates the shapes of each layer.....I much prefer your koi which is made from a single block of wood. Sure, you get more precise cuts using a CNC but you also have to buy a CNC.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

You're right. All my plywood projects are actually just tests. I recently made this female torso out of a few thick burls that I cast in epoxy. I used my rotary setup, like I did for the Koi fish v2.0 (but then the female torso is a 4-sided project). Still working on compiling the video. Stay tuned...

[@elessal]

8:39 always make sure to make a thorough inspection

[@pauposts]

very well executed.

[@groundunder12]

WOW

[@mmediaimage]

Super craft man keep up the good work.

[@danielloewengrube]

Very very nice

[@ExclaimMediaDotCom]

Amazing Dennis!

[@TobiPHartmann]

Wow Are you a professionel Artist? Awesome work dude live it

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

I'll take that as a compliment! But no, I'm just an enthusiastic hobbyist. :)

[@TobiPHartmann]

Hobbyist?😅 more like a pro👌

[@angelvanbredam3548]

10/10

[@Portarius1984]

Inspiring. 🙌

[@thomasszalay2077]

Imagine how amazing that would look if it was in a block of clear resin.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Imagine what it would look like if it was a combination of wood and resin. :) Stay tuned. This has been an idea ghosting around in my mind for a while now, but it requires some thinking through of the technical challenges...

[@Eigil_Skovgaard]

it's a real beauty, and I had this association: Christopher Dunn, a British-American engineer, who has written Lost Technologies of Ancient Egypt, would be interested in a cnc tooled three dimensional Ramses figure (torso), not least the guiding code. His theory is, and it's not as far out as an outsider would think - that the precision these sculptures were manufactured with - in granite! - and apparently the same model (code) was reproduced again and again - indicates the use of power tools - cnc (like) machines - which in that case would be of a lost civilization and its technology. He is really a seriously working man with both legs on solid ground, and his observations and ideas have gained momentum the last years. Maybe an idea for another sculpture?

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

It's like you can read my mind! I have been investigating how to carve the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun with 3D inlays. It's going to take a while, as I have at least 2 other engineering challenges lined up before that. But I like your thinking ahead! :)

[@Eigil_Skovgaard]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 Sounds great, looking forward to both - patiently.

[@sanp2457]

excellent

[@ronsbeerreviewstools4361]

This is a very good Informative & entertaining video. Good job, Cheers ! Thumbs UP & I Subscribed.

[@walshy2116]

Didn't you make the olive wood violins? Man they were nice

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Yep, and many other things! Thank you for the nice comments! :)

[@osmanarslan6364]

I love your work. I would love to be able to do what you do. Even though it is not my business I can't stop thinking that the stuff you create takes enormous time and effort. Material is not cheap either. I would only make these to give them to my loved ones. Otherwise, there is no price tag to justify these beauties. I don't think anyone can afford to pay for these. At least if I were the one to sell them.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thanks for your kind words! I'm totally on the same page that I don't sell my pieces of art, but only give them away to those who are close to me. Materials and labor may have a price tag (and you're right: these are not cheap!), but creativity, dedication and personal design are priceless.

[@osmanarslan6364]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 Sure Dennis, you deserve all the kind words. Yes it makes sense. I will be watching all your work. Thank you.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

@@osmanarslan6364 I'll post a DIY project tomorrow. Stay tuned...

[@RickGreenPhoto]

Great job! Now mix the sawdust with epoxy and carve it into something...

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Great idea! But what to do with the saw dust from that saw dust project? ;)

[@Sqwince23]

I was thinking if you do this again, it might be smart to put in small pin holes in each piece so that it is very easy to align one part to the next using a short 1/4" dowel or something. Would prevent layer shift from part to part. I was curious how you avoided that.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

The layers weren't shifting, so that wasn't a problem.

[@phillipremondini5617]

This is freakin amazing

[@thijsdebont]

Subscribed. You got my attention.

[@chuckmoney1688]

Nice

[@retrogazele]

big thumbs up !!

[@aaaooaao9949]

also a good technique to get from plates to 3D bodies

[@jeromewelch7409]

That is awesome specially how are you plotted the grain

[@felderup]

i'd be interested in making one from foam, as a dress form.

[@coulterjb22]

I love your ingenuity but I gotta ask, have you looked into a rotary 4th axis add-on for the shapeoko? I am looking into it but I must not be looking in the right place as I'm not finding anything out there.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thank you for your kind words! Unfortunately, the Shapeoko XXL circuit board does not support a 4th axis. Besides, the price of the hardware, as well as the tool path design software would be disproportionally high for the extra features that it would give me. This manual rotary setup is a cheap alternative, which is good enough for my purposes. :)

[@coulterjb22]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 I think it might be good for my purposes also! You are using what I have so I'm loving your approach. I have just started watching your videos and learning a lot=thank you. Awhile ago I a video of a guy using a Shapeoko where he disconnected the X-axis and attached that to his 4th axis rotary system. So it was a hack using the controls Shapeoko had. i'll find it again somewhere a send a link back once I do. I'd love doing some automated 3D sculptures.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

​@@coulterjb22 Yeah, I've seen that gig. But it will require some ingenious software, if you plan to make things more complicated that a chair leg. Keep an eye on my channel, as I'll be posting a new video at the end of this week. I'll show the making of the female torso with 4-sided CNC out of a solid piece of stock (similar to the Koi v2.0). It sounds like that is something you are aiming for.

[@coulterjb22]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 Yea....sounds great. Your vids are driving my interest for sure!

[@rschiwal]

Me: "Look at what I carved." Wife: "Who the hell posed for that?!"

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

LOL, I think she knows very well who served as the model. ;)

[@headlessdrifter8401]

This will make a great beer bong

[@kevinbrett5793]

Love your work, very inspirational. Just wondering what the settings in Vcarve were. I'm trying something similar and having difficulty getting the two sides to match up. Any advice appreciated and keep the videos coming, there amazing.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thanks for the kind words, Kevin. When you say that you have difficulty matching up the two sides, do you mean the positioning of the dowel holes? Not sure if this is what you are referring to, but the dowel holes are drilled only with the first carve; after that, you use those same dowel holes to flip the stock upside down, and position the stock by temporarily sticking bits with the same diameter all the way through the stock and into the holes in the spoil board. If you do not change the X and Y zero coordinates in between carving the top and bottom, then both sides should line up perfectly. I'm working on a DIY project right now, to carve a 3D sea shell box (with lid) on both sides. It may take a while before I have that video uploaded, though. Check out some KZbin videos that explain the principles of using dowel holes in the meantime, if this is what you need help with.

[@zeynepka22]

Hi Dennis. I have a homework and I have to my sculpture with cardboard. I think I can make it with this method but I don't know how can I do 3d model?

[@jeanlucbonnet594]

Bonjour Je suis jean luc Je suis artisan chocolatier en France..je recherche un buste et de la lingerie ...ce que tu pourrait en fabriquer ... Jluc

[@NaF_Art_Studio]

beautiful work sir. can you share the g code of the 4 bords ? or can i find it somewhere if it's ok to reproduce for my self. facinaaating.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thanks for your interest. Unfortunately, these files are not for sharing.

[@iceman1982one]

Layering nice move

[@geraldsmith8878]

Your skilled my friend!!!

[@Kreasy]

That girl has definitely not had any children

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Two, actually; the boy is now 19 (almost 20), and the girl is 15.

[@mikefarris1623]

Man you really have some very creative skills, nice work. I was thinking about getting the newer XXL shapeoko, but one of the project that I want to do is 30"X26" and the XXL is 33"X17.5", so do you know if it is possible cut 17.5" of the project and then slide it forward to cut the rest of it?

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thanks for your kind comments! Yes, tiling is absolutely possible with the Shapeoko.

[@mikefarris1623]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 Thanks Dennis and keep up the great work, look forward to seeing more.

[@brianconley1732]

What no downloadable plans!!! Sniffle sniffle

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

LOL, yeah, sorry. Not everything is freely available...!

[@liambuffat3731]

Really amazing work. I wonder if you thought about using two free pieces of software in your work. One is Makehuman which allows you to make 3d humans and another software called Blender which allows you to make any 3d object you desire. I think there is a way to convert blender files into cut files. Also I am considering buying a CNC machine and wonder what you thing about the shapeko. Thanks

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Yes, I have Blender too, and I used it to create a simple heart-shaped box. But I find Meshmixer to be more intuitive when it comes to sculpting. I'm not familiar with Makehuman, but I use photogrammetry with real models rather than create a 3D object from scratch.

[@liambuffat3731]

Makehuman has basic human figures which you can modify age sex weight clothes. You can make any human figure you desire

[@semprequevoceleroscomentar4888]

Show ❤️

[@AliSot2000]

Really nice sculpture! I would suggest to up your audio game a little. The noise from the microphones and the misaligned pan were distracting at the beginning of the video.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thanks for the suggestions! I live near an airport, so we have a lot of background noise from airplanes. And I don't really know how to adjust the panning, as I record everything on my cell phone. I need to find out if there is a way to do mono, as stereo is not needed anyway.

[@AliSot2000]

Dennis van Hoof I’m not sure what type of software you’re using but something like GarageBand or Audacity are able to perform this action. Also more advanced editing software like FCPX and Premiere shouter able to do this. I used those myself and am pretty sure these “modifiers” exist.

[@mikes1330]

Hi Dennis! Looks like you moved on from the E3/E4...

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Yes! No regrets. :) I still have my BobsCNC, but I use it only for laser engraving now.

[@ardelpedro7866]

How long did it take you to get the program made? It would take me forever.

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Do you mean how long it took me to make the 3D model with the program? About a week in total to take all the pictures and have Zephyr calculate a 3D model out of it, then manually clean it up in Meshmixer, and then calculate and create the 3D tool paths with VCarve, taking into account the dimensions of the stock and limits of the CNC.

[@RichardRocket1]

Wow...that is unreal...you have great patience...I had a Shapeoko about 4 years ago and I was not happy with its performance. Do you like this machine and is it better now??? Do you recommend it???

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thanks for your kind comments, Richard! Yes, I am very happy with the machine. I think the results speak for themselves about its performance. I don't know how previous versions performed, so I cannot give you a comparison.

[@RichardRocket1]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 Thank you...

[@Cyberfool1]

So 40 hours actual cutting on the table... + Considerable time with photography, how long did programming take? Incredible, Really!

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

I appreciate that you very well understand it's not just carving! Coming up with the idea, and realizing the concept is definitely the largest effort of it all. Photography, and 3D model creation in Meshmixer took me many, many evening hours in front of the computer screen. Cutting the virtual slices, while making the VCarve calculations in parallel kept me busy for a week (as it also required me to learn features of the software packages that I didn't know even existed), and so did dividing the many individual pieces as well as placing them at the right depths in the virtual stock, while keeping in mind their orientation. The math behind it all was among the most challenging for sure. Then figuring out where to place the tabs in the 3D space, and finally making sure that all the theory would actually be possible with the machine's limitations in the actual world. Of course, I re-ran many of the calculations and made minor adjustments along the way. From beginning to end (including carving, gluing, sanding, staining, varnishing, mounting on the marble slab), this project kept me busy for about 6 to 7 weeks. :)

[@Cyberfool1]

I definitely do not have that level of patience... Now do a Male torso, but make Him about 50 with a substantial gut, and sagging Man Boobs. :-)

[@elaineabreu282]

he made himself a nugget XD

[@andreyvorotyntsev7519]

Красава!!!

[@theobolt250]

I understand the need and plywood is cheap... but wouldn't rubber be better? ;-)

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

I prefer the real deal. But from an art perspective, I have something even better coming up. I hope to be done with this project and video montage in a month or two. Stay tuned for version 2.0

[@waaduu6189]

Great work! What kind of glue did you use? I asume clamping to be rather difficult. Also: considered dowels for aligning the layers?

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Just regular wood glue; nothing special. Thanks for your input! I considered dowels, but they won't get you very far, as you'll soon reach the sloping edge of the layer above. Clamping was doable, as the protruding tabs that were still present at that time provided some points to hold the clamps.

[@user-oo7vk1oz5w]

класс

[@marc_frank]

wonderful evening sir. what were your reasons for making this beautifully executed statue?

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Because I like to! :)

[@marc_frank]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 hehe, the other line of comments is still there, were you weren't as friendly should i delete mine, too?

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

@@marc_frank It's OK, Marc Frank. I was just joking. No offense taken! :)

[@marc_frank]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 :)

[@justinjonathan4450]

my right ear feels lonely

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Thanks for tolerating the inconvenience! My older videos are default in mono on 1 side. Not sure why, but I'm using a different video editor now, so this should be fixed in my later video.

[@TienPham-vb9ye]

You can instruct how to program from jpg to 3d images. Thanks

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

I use the program Zephyr for that.

[@beaconofwierd1883]

What!? Not a single comment mocking him for being a neard and making a womans body because "neards can't get ladies". This comment section is almost more impressive than the video itself :O

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

LOL! Guess who served as my model. ;)

[@beaconofwierd1883]

Dennis van Hoof I really really want to make a ”Yo mama” joke here xD

[@johnnyspropshop]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 You did her justice, well done. Look forward to seeing more projects. Have a great weekend.

[@chrisp2327]

Very cool! How did you slice the model in meshmixer in even slices. Manual or is there an automatic function?

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

It's a semi-manual process. You can slice automatically, but I chose the option to move the model accurately in the Z direction and then make slices at the zero plane step by step.

[@chrisp2327]

@@dennisvanhoof9958 thanks for the quick anser. I will try my luck :)

[@rodney73991]

who has cmc machine in there mower Sheed ? were put push mower? it be like go to little mower building. there mini bat cave with full suit. bat motersycle.

[@satchelsieniewicz738]

what is the fence you used for your circular saw? i want one

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

They don't sell the one that I have anymore, but this is the link: smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TXSAHU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@3discnc424]

can you plz tell what dewalt thank you

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

DWP611

[@kameron.w4089]

But why

[@MrChrist741]

He needs a lot of patient, but why didn't he visit the hospital for the video? 😂

[@jamesbrown99991]

Does that earring mean you're a pirate? ;)

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

I eat pirates for breakfast!

[@dennisvanhoof9958]

Harrr harrr harrrrr!!!

[@78779]

Used my wife as a model

[@fkingride.5500]

would have been quicker to just hand carve it out of a log !

[@gregd.88]

If my wife had posed for tha.... it would be rounder!