Cubism: Making Cubes on Shapeoko

This video is about making cubes on the Shapeoko CNC. I have made a zip archive of the cut out files along with 3 of the side patterns I use (including the one in this video). These side patterns are all open source or my own designs.
www.dropbox.co...
The symbol on the side is from a package of screens available here: www.cncfiles.o...

[@tomx63]

Bravo, John Clark. This video was already getting a like, but the cat cameo of Rory for sure sealed it.

[@johnearlclark]

I will be sure to pass on your compliments to the real boss. :)

[@699hazard]

Instead of glueing the sides/top/bottom together you could drill and insert a small neodymium magnet on the beveled edges and then you could use them as a drink coaster set and when they're not in use they are magnets together as a cube and becomes an ornament for your table.

[@tavilucea]

Im going to try that

[@tawnydannybell2617]

What a great tutorial. Thank you for taking your time to make this to help others learn what you already know. I can’t wait to try this on mine.

[@woodencrowe9979]

What a nice box! I like that you show the tool path setup.

[@DavesShed]

It was just lucky that the cat was there to supervise. It made the whole thing turn out great. I'm impressed. I am saving up for a CNC myself. I'm leaning towards an OX style one at this stage.

[@johnearlclark]

The cat is great at quality control, but he makes terrible coffee. CNC machines are a ton of fun and there are so many cool things you can do with them. I still have a lot of "aha" moments. Also a fair amount of "oops" moments. :)

[@DavesShed]

@@johnearlclark I'm sure like all good managers, the cat has delegated the coffee making, meal preparation, cleaning, procurement, production, construction, etc to his staff. Then allowed the staff to think they are the ones running things. I have a fair amount of both those types moments even without a CNC. Hahaha.

[@richardfarwell6759]

Very nice design and finished product. I would suggest you try edge butting the sides face up: use a straight board to reference top edges so they are aligned, then tape the top surface: one strip in the middle, then one at top & bottom. Stretch the tape slightly and it will pull the mitered edges tight together. flip over and glue. fold and tape as you've shown. I've also routed my cuts so they don't quite go through the wood. Use a little moisture to soften the fibers then glue and fold -- no tape needed except for the closing miter. Not quite as clean a miter fold as with the tape though.

[@vf252]

i like the center positioning jig and homing technique. very detailed and repeatable. Thumbs up!

[@johnearlclark]

It's definitely one I use a lot. I also use a similar for the corner position that someone on Facebook showed me. The rapid position functions are incredibly useful.

[@danallen698]

Great video, I really enjoy the different ways you use the CNC! Another thought about that center jig - you could also use it to ensure square during glue up. Just make sure your tape is more towards the center so it doesn't interfere with the jig.

[@jaenulton9953]

@@johnearlclark I love working from the center, not just in positioning but even the toolpaths. For example, when I take a piece to the laser I will often burn from the center out. Hoping you can share your use of the corner position in an example video as I have never ventured outside of the center positioning yet.

[@johnearlclark]

@@jaenulton9953 I am working on a CNC Basics video and I plan on covering the corner position jig as part of that video. Glad you are enjoying these and thanks for subscribing.

[@shdwhealr]

Nice job and they look awesome. Hope to try one soon. Thanks for taking the time to show us your work.

[@seathwolf5610]

Thank you for taking the time to make these videos. So much good information and ideas.

[@Warpfield]

Love the Hellraiser cube :)

[@JamsterJules]

That's a great project. I have never thought of using a V Bit to do that - thanks for sharing - my house is going to be filled with boxes lol

[@resorter66]

John I did a box like you made here in your video. I used a white side 90 deg .5 dia bit. Found that it really does not have a .25 point cutter on it. So it made sort of a straight edge on the inside of the pieces. That makes the box corners not fit correctly. So I searched around and found a Bosch 7/16" dia 90deg vbit and it has the right lenghit point cutting edge to give a smooth 45 deg angle for .25 wood. The part number is 85219M it is is is a Bosch bit. Amazon has them .

[@johnearlclark]

resorter66 I am glad you found one. I will definitely take a look at that one. Sorry for not answering earlier. I have been at Dragoncon all weekend.

[@AndrewR74]

Thanks John. That’s a very cool idea

[@bullswoodworks8398]

as soon as I saw the Box of Lamentations I was hooked....

[@nwrasch]

Such a great project. Thank you for sharing this!

[@stefanmikenorway]

Very well done tutorial and a great project too. I don't have a CNC, but this is a perfect scroll saw project and with stack cutting it should take a lot less time than with the CNC (not gloating). I plan to make some of these (with a different designs) as I believe they will make perfect gift items for family members with their infinite design possibilities, and if I post them on a forum I will be sure to give you full credit. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@johnearlclark]

Thanks so much! Please let me know when/where you post. I would love to see what you come up with. I would also be interested to see how your process works with a scroll saw (I have zero experience with scroll saws).

[@jaenulton9953]

Amazing tip at 13:21, I am very happy I watched this video a second time before trying mill out a few of these! Thanks again John.

[@resorter66]

John I like the sort of fold up boxes. I see a lot of different things that can be cut into the sides. The jig to hold the parts is a great idea also. I knew I was going to like all of your videos and now I know why. Your a Cat guy. I had mine out in my garage for the first time yesterday and She loved exploring. I am not sure you are aware there are small battery operated Tee candles that would fit in to that kind of box. May be glue it to the bottom and then just set the cube on top. that way you could get to it to turn on and off. Thanks Jeff.

[@johnearlclark]

Thank you Jeff! I do like the tea candles and these are fun too: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075XGM1C7

[@JosE.TorreS.]

THANK YOU John Clark

[@rb67mustang]

WOW!!! I really like the cubes you're making. I found you just now as I created an account at Cut Rocket. I don't have the CNC Router yet. I'm trying to find projects to help me get started that are somewhat ready to run as I learn how to create my own programs using Carbide.

[@kennykyle4813]

I don't know if anyone else caught it but I did, that Senior moment with the side there at the end. lol You can also use rubber bands to hold that together.

[@andreww6738]

Thanks John for another exciting project! Looks awesome ! Glad to know I'm not the only one to have a dork moment, I've had a few in my short cnc career. I appreciate you pointing out the little things as you go, actually I think they are big things and make all the difference to the outcome. Hey, how big is that fire pile anyhow? haaaaha, I shouldn't laugh...started one as well. Andrew.

[@johnearlclark]

The first rule of the fire pile is we do not talk about... oh wait... I already blew that one. Can I tell you about the time I forgot to tighten the router after removing it to replace the brushes... it was... exciting.

[@akwright886]

Thanks John for your response to my Font issue. I will check that out to see if that works, I really appreciate your help and I will let you know how it works out. : ) Andrew

[@tristanw8865]

Great video, always look forward to your tips and projects.

[@TheJollyMisanthrope]

Lament configuration cube (AKA Hellraiser cube) looks pretty cool!

[@RudyMartinezL]

Great Video! I am looking forward to buy my own

[@markferrick10]

Beautiful work. I like the tape trick.

[@photovore099]

Excellent!!! Much thanks for all the uploads!!

[@j.hankinson7803]

Nice project. I think Freud makes a ‘true’ 90 degree router bit. I’ve read that some are not exactly 90. Thanks for posting.

[@johnearlclark]

I will have to check the Freud out. I do like their bits. This one was from Carbide Create and seems to work well.

[@wilbertpino8234]

Thank you John, your tutorials have been immensely helpful! I have to figure a way to post some pictures for you to check out. Have been waiting on the cubes Thank you!

[@johnearlclark]

Feel free to drop me a link here. My Instagram and twitter infor are here: kzbin.infoabout I would love to see anything you have made.

[@jaenulton9953]

John I have just subscribed, so don't take this in a negative manner... First excellent work, I admire the trial and error method - I too have a burn pile but my work is primarily in raw green mesquite so my mistakes smoke my ribs. Thank you so much for sharing, looking forward to checking out all of your videos soon. I can't help but wonder though... why? Why the cubes? I am all about the fun of experimentation and trying to work outside a comfort zone, but you have put a lot of thought and time in cubes, it clearly isn't just a one off test run of a design idea. I mean clearly you are almost to a full production setup at this point, tons of model tweaking and adjustments to perfect the CNC toolpaths, you even have built jigs and templates. It feels like I've missed the full story. Are you selling these cubes, making night lights of them, music boxes, candle sconces, vases? What is the final product, or is that a secret? :)

[@waynevance5045]

Awesome cube! Thank you for share your techniques.

[@ca8920]

Very nice

[@scottandgrace1]

Hi John, Nice video. Have you considered to do the detailed cut-outs on the 4 sides before you cut with the v-bit? That will save you a huge amount of time. For the top and bottom pieces, you could also do the same with two projects so that you use one full size piece of stock with one pass.

[@johnearlclark]

It depends on what I am doing. If all my cuts are through cuts, then yes, it very much saves time. However, I tend to do a lot of carving and that needs to be on the front. Or I can just split it up if there is only a little bit of front work to be done.

[@scottandgrace1]

@@johnearlclark Sorry, I wasn't clear. I meant do all the carving on the front and then turn it over to do the v-cuts at the end

[@leksey7870]

Beautiful cubes!

[@DCDLaserCNC]

Love the cubes! Thanks for sharing!

[@JANDLWOODWORKING]

I love it!!! so cool! I emailed Shapeoko to get me setup!! looing forward to it!!

[@ValkilaOy]

Very nice work!

[@teekaypew6538]

Hi Rory! Nice vid. Keep at it. Box looks great.

[@charlesnemo4325]

excellent comme toutes tes videos Merci

[@hurley954]

Very cool! And thanks for sharing the g-code, i'll give this a try soon.

[@ClockDesignCo]

Does the spoil board flatness affect the mitre joint accuracy? I had this sort of idea for a subwoofer box but thought I'd run into issues this way

[@daveklein2826]

Great work

[@willthedingo]

I'm glad you did this video, was plotting out ideas for myself and glad to see it's as easy as I was thinking it'd be! Also - 30 Degree bit for making a dodecahedron? Would need to make 12 cuts however. I'll have to do some research to work out if the angle is possible.

[@johnearlclark]

Thanks so much William! I would love to see what you come up with on the dodecahedron. Please post back here if you come up with something. It seems like a fun build to try.

[@samstinner]

very nice!

[@jimgreene3863]

Hello John Very nice work let me share a trick with you right now you have a grain that flows around three edges how would you like it to flow around all four edges? OK here is the trick first figure the length of the stock to make the four sides lets call that X=12" and you want these sides to be 0.25" thick. You need to get a piece of stock 3" tall & 6" long by 0.5". What we are going to do is called book matching. Setup your band saw to cut right down the middle of that 0.5" thickness as best you can. now pass the stock thru the band saw & you will have two parts now in the 6 " length oped into a 12" length with the cut sides down on the bench now if you look at the boards grain you can see that it will line up at all four corners TADA! & if any one asks you how you did this just say it's really hard you have to find twin trees this is really good with wood that has a real strong grain pattern.

[@johnearlclark]

Thanks Jim. I have done some book matching before and it does work well. For the channel I am trying to focus mostly on just the CNC part, for people who might not have quite as many extra toys as you and I do. :) I appreciate the tip.

[@shaunm2208]

Thank you great video

[@JohnColgan.]

Is there Catnip in Danish Oil? Cat : what you doing Dad, can I help? I can brush with my tail! If I can get my whiskers in there, then I can climb through!

[@johnearlclark]

I think everything I make has a certain amount of cat hair in it.

[@resorter66]

I like the video on your boxes when you cut the 4 sides out did you have a board between the bed an the board you were cutting It looked like I could see a gap between the wood and bed by the clamp on the right side. The other thing is about the mdf jig. you said that the piece was centered to be in line with the rapid move point in CM. When you did your spoil board did you take using that point into consideration when you layed out the of your holes. JeffPeters

[@johnearlclark]

I typically have something between the spoil board and the piece I am cutting, just to keep from marring it up too much. However, as you can probably see from my videos, I still manage to mark it up quite a bit. When I initially laid out the holes for the board I had no idea how the rapid positioning worked, so I didn't take it into account. Eventually I plan on replacing the spoil board and laying out the holes differently. It helps to have some time to realize the kinds of projects you enjoy building and then make the holes. Live and learn.

[@Volt64bolt]

For the tape, I recommend using one piece of really wide tape

[@paddy2579]

Hi John, thanks for making these videos. Where would you recommend someone to start learning how to work with CNC to do the types of things you’re making?

[@johnearlclark]

I learned a lot through KZbin (but I have been woodworking for years). I am currently in the planning stages of a series of beginner tutorials, but nothing to show just yet. Winston Moy has a good intro series: kzbin.info/aero/PL1uBWVo4mhkBJdZwAalGIXH6hwycvmKtc

[@JrCNC-mx6pd]

Great Video.

[@TylerHarney]

This is awesome! I'm thinking of some kind of piggy bank where you have to break it apart once it's full. Hmm

[@fournierluc2205]

John, first thank you for this great video. I have produced the jig and a cube using the octagonal design. I am trying to produce the Chinese pattern and when I look at your toolpaths in the files you graciously provided, I see two toolpaths, one is a cutout and one is named V trace but the bit you have chosen is a 0.125 ball end. Is this correct or do we need to change the bit to a V-Carve bit and if so which one?

[@johnearlclark]

The v-bit should be the trace cut that makes the outside edges of the cube panels. It should be a v-bit. It may just be a difference in the bits we have in our respective libraries. I will take another look at the file.

[@patriotwoodworker6092]

Can the design be cut first then have another tool path to cut them out? Cool box though I like the book match grain.

[@fulmoon72]

Lovely project, love to try this out but I lost it at 7.23, so the bit didn't travel to the bottom, so how Will we get perfect mitre, am missing something?

[@johnearlclark]

So for the sides, I like to leave a couple thousandths of an inch of material. At that thickness, the wood folds like paper and you get a smooth corner. The top and bottom I just cut with a razer. It's tricky but looks nice when it's done. You can also try going for an exact depth cut if you prefer.

[@michaelwalsh2522]

Awesome work. Did you only use shapeoko or was there another tool?

[@michaelwalsh2522]

I noticed you mentioned something about Vcarve. What is that?

[@johnearlclark]

@@michaelwalsh2522 This is all on Shapeoko. VCarve is another software program for designing CNC files to run. However, this project was all done with the standard Shapeoko software: Carbide Create (designing and generating Gcode) and Carbide Motion (running the Gcode on the machine). Gcode is just the math the machine uses to figure out where to cut. There are lots of different design and Gcode driver programs available. Since the Shapeoko understands Gcode, you can use pretty much any of them. Does that make sense?

[@robbjrc]

John, If you still look in on this string I have some, late-in-the-game questions. Thanks in advance! 1. After you've made these in many varied configurations, do you have a recommendation for wood type and thickness? 2. My 90 degree V-bit ( IDC brand-ugh) has a LOC of .250 and my cutouts are not smooth. ( .250 Vietnamese ply ) The depth of cuts has worked so good for me at .219 for no tabs, or tape. The pieces do not wing out but stay in place with a paper thin bit of wood remaining and very easy to remove from main stock. 3. I tried cheating by eliminating the vcarve around the design and making a 4" x 4" cube cutout with the design element .250 from the edge. I carved the designs and then cut them out and got a fair result. I did this out of laziness because I did not want to make and set up the jig. Bad idea, Huh? 4. Finish recommendations? Finally, I owe you! Your videos I have watched repeatedly and I have tried many of your designs you provide open source. How do you get compensated for all you do here? I'd like to do something for you. Not only are you extremely creative but your instructional style is exception Suggestions? Best regards, JC www.etsy.com/shop/WoodmanJackCreations?ref=shop_onboarding&ele=shop_open

[@johnearlclark]

Hi Jack. Glad you like the videos. I tend to use .25 inch or so wood, which gives me enough thickness for gluing and v carves. I use carbides V-bit and it seems to work well. I would also recommend taking a look at the depth per pass you are using. I prefer multiple shallow passes for a cleaner cut. As far as #3 goes, I am a fan of whatever works. :) The jig just helps make things really precise. My go to finish is Watco danish oil, but I also like a water based wipe on Poly (Minwax?) or Bullseye Spray Shellac. Hope this helps.

[@terrydockery3690]

I like the video and your cat

[@johnearlclark]

My cat and I greatly appreciate your support. :)

[@bountyhntr23]

Super video. So glad you are willing to share things that don't go as planned. Wondering why you didn't use the square jig you made for the CNC to get the box square for gluing???

[@johnearlclark]

Glad you like the videos. I have some plastic ones I like to use for glue-ups since they don't accidentally get glued to the cube itself (I speak from sad experience).

[@JohnColgan.]

To get the time reduction to 15mins, did you change the cut from pocket to contour full depth?

[@johnearlclark]

Yes. I also fiddled with the plunge rate. Anytime you have a pattern where the bit is moving around the piece and repositioning a lot, you can increase the plunge rate to gain some time. When I did my first big V-carve, I notice that every time the bit repositioned, it took a good 4 seconds to re-engage with the wood. If it's doing that about 20 times, who cares, but if it's doing that over 1000 times (Like say, the Aztec Star Wars design), that's over an hour of time where the bit is just waving about in the air. If you cut that in half it saves a ton of time.

[@JayReidy]

"Doobly Doo" Is that technical talk for "kakaflatchey?"

[@johnearlclark]

Most definitely related. "Doobly Doo" was stolen from the Dear Hank and John weblog.

[@resorter66]

John Can you explain to me how using the stock bottom works. Do you still touch off to the top of the material. Also do you get a fill 90,degree angle on the edges. I have a 1/2" whiteside v bit and it will not cut a full 90 degree angle with out having a small straight edge. Do you have that problem. I have coming a Bosch 5/8" 90 degree vbit that I hope will have a long enough point cutting on the 45 degree side to cut a full .25 Inches. Thanks Jeff

[@FuzzyScaredyCat]

Is there any reason you wouldn't carve the 4 pieces in 1 long line and then cut the v's to separate them? ie giving you the ability to have the pattern the entire length of the piece.

[@johnearlclark]

Mostly habit. I do a lot of cubes of different kinds, so I keep a lot of non-engraved sides laying around for when I decide what to put on them. I have not tried a full piece pattern, but that is an interesting idea. Thanks!

[@ak2007r6]

Great box. Going to have to try one of these. Has anyone told you that you sound exactly like Nicholas Cage???

[@johnearlclark]

lol. You are the first.

[@athanasiospersopoulos1499]

Thanks for the help John curiosity if you do this with birch pklywood and you do not cut all the way through but you let a 1 1 16 i guess you will be able to glue together and you will not have any indication of cut i maybe will try and see what the result will be let me know what you think though

[@johnearlclark]

I have not tried it yet, but it seems like a good plan. If you end up tring it before me, let me know how it goes. Thanks!

[@athanasiospersopoulos1499]

John Clark will do haven’t tried the eagle yet

[@bjpasco]

wow! so very cool. my next project. i use SainSmart 4030 with Offline controller. Lack the advantage of CMotion and reentering command.

[@johnearlclark]

Thanks so much! The only thing I can suggest for a repeatable center on the SainSmart offline controller would be to get the machine as close to center as you can and write down the coordinates listed in the Machine-XYZ on the jog window (Not the work-xyz). I would write these on the jig itself. Next time you put the jig on the machine, you should be able to re-center by jogging to that same Machine-XYZ. Not automatic, but doable.

[@bjpasco]

@@johnearlclark Makes senses as I already had to write down the coordinates for a lower left start project I did that had 6 layers of slightly different design per layer. Thanks again for your quick answer and inspirational ideas So the 90' bit size is 1/4" shank but what width? I was confused when I opened up the toolpaths on some of the cube files. Looked like same tool and path on simulation yet one was 10min the other much less. Some were disabled, was that so that different g-codes could be created? one for angles and one to cut through? Confused

[@johnearlclark]

@@bjpasco So the design for the cube itself is just 6 squares. I overlap the lines to save material, but you would have 3 squares on top and 3 on bottom. The V-bit is 1/2 inch wide at the top and a cutter length of a 1/4 inch. All we are doing to make the cube sides is exactly tracing the squares. It may make more sense visually: johneclark.com/2018/05/07/cubism/

[@bjpasco]

I had problem reading comments for over a week. But during that time, by rewatching your video yet again, I was able to figure out how to make repeatable cuts with jig i made. I have created 2 great cubes so far (learning a lot in the process) and have jig so I can easily set up to remake panels and jig for cutting designs on panels. One more question. There is a V Carve tool path in the chinese pattern file that I haven't yet figured out what it does. No simulation shows up. I may just cut a trial piece to see what happens. Thanks again for sharing your creative ideas.

[@johnearlclark]

@@bjpasco Hi Barry. I think the operation you are referring to is a simple trace done with a VBit. It follows the outside of the design and just serves as an accent.

[@SkipEvansx]

I have been trying to duplicate the honeycomb pattern in the video. Can't do it. Can you provide assistance on measurements and proportions. Can't get the C2D file to open with VCarve. Skip....

[@johnearlclark]

Hi Skip, Patterns like that are usually something I create in Inkscape, where the tools for alignment and spacing are much better. I have posted the SVG file here: www.dropbox.com/s/rfb7hupsidkdylb/HexPattern.svg?dl=0 which should work with VCarve. Let me know if it doesn't import and I will throw together some instructions for you. Glad you enjoy the videos.

[@dgramsz2146]

Great job. You have done swveral small boxes. Have you ever done a triangle? I am trying to figure out the lips and having a heck of a time getting the halves to line up.

[@johnearlclark]

Thanks! Glad you like the videos. I think the problem you are probably having is the corners. When the bit is travelling around the outside of the lip, it can make a nice sharp corner. However, when it goes to make the matching lip on the other half, it is travelling on the inside of the cut, which means you get a rounded corner (since the bit itself is round and cannot get all the way into the corner). The key is rounding the corners on both the top lip and bottom lip. I talk about how to do something like this for a rectangular box here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/goKsiGOLmp5_pK8 The process should be much the same for a triangular box. Let me know if this helps. -John

[@JohnColgan.]

Beautiful build, good inspiration for future projects. Be interested to know how you got cut time down from 1 hour to 15 mins ??

[@Сачёк]

Hello, thanks for the video, what types of wood do you use? thank

[@johnearlclark]

Mostly cherry wood. The darker wood in some of the examples is Sapele.

[@kevinconway4284]

Hi John, I was wondering about the "hex" cutout files have the stock thickness is set to .200" while the stock thickness in the cubism files are .240". Is this intentional or should I adjust both to my actual stock thickness? Thanks, and great work. Enjoy watching your videos. Kevin

[@johnearlclark]

Kevin Conway you definitely want to adjust for your actual stock thickness. I find a lot of stuff labeled 1/4 inch can vary quite a bit.

[@joseph-thewatcher]

Did you round over the top of the box with a router?

[@johnearlclark]

On something like this I typically use a hand plane to round over. It gives me a lot more control, rather than running a kind of delicate box against a spinning bit. I will sometimes use the router table and a roundover bit for a larger box (like this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4eahZWFftOCgMU ) but on something as thin as the cubes, I am afraid the router would just blow it apart. I have an older version of this plane: www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/planes/block/46791-veritas-apron-plane and basically I just take about 5-10 passes on each edge and I can get a pretty good roundover on it.

[@shdwhealr]

Hi John, great videos. Can I ask what lights you are using inside the box?

[@johnearlclark]

I love these: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0785G1SBP. They produce a nice flame effect and come in a variety of colors.

[@Olivsam]

Thanks you use a 90 degree v bit for those?

[@johnearlclark]

yep

[@nar907]

Tom Hanks?

[@JLHahn]

I would try to dip the cube into the oil and hang up to dry.

[@cliffart7398]

was that a cherry plywood?

[@johnearlclark]

No. Just a thin cherry hardwood.

[@resorter66]

John When you show designing you show the squares snapping to the midpoint. CC pro I can't see the mid point word come up. Is there some place to turn that on. Jeff

[@johnearlclark]

This seems to be something they removed in version 4 of CC and I am hoping that add it back. Right now, corners will snap together but not the centers (there seems to be no node there). You have to use the alignment tool instead to get things centered against each other.

[@hal32024]

Is there a reason you didn't tape them while they were facing down? They looked perfectly lined up.

[@johnearlclark]

I tried it a few times, but the edge of one piece would always sneak slightly under then next piece and cause me problems. Putting them on their backs seemed to eliminate the issue.

[@hal32024]

@@johnearlclark Ah, that explains it. There's always something to make life miserable ;)

[@johnearlclark]

@@hal32024 LOL. I should post my outtakes from the videos at some point. There is much swearing though.

[@mattivirta]

nice cube, i like, but im not artist not have idea what decoration need carve to cube sides. and you say you uses up cut bit, not good, need be down cut bit if want be sure not have worst corners, cut better all corners then. first cut down and then deep cut up cut bit.

[@donaldfoulk842]

Dont cut quite all the way thru...then 'bend' 4 sides.....no seams showing!

[@InTheLab3d]

I was about to type the same thing... Make it half the width of a veneer or something like that... I dont have much experience with this stuff (yet) but it seems like it could/should work.

[@bullswoodworks8398]

Do you have a video of the "box of lamentations" that you did? Id love to do that one!

[@johnearlclark]

Not yet but I will add that one to the list. As soon as I can manage to get over the flu, I plan on making some new videos.

[@fgschill4766]

Just fooling around today and cut a 4.75 cube. I haven't assembled it yet and I noticed that the corners were some what rounded. Anything I should be doing? Maybe the vcarve bit.

[@johnearlclark]

Hi Frederick! It sounds like things might have been set to cut to the "inside" instead of "no offset." An inside cut tries to keep the entire width of the bit inside the lines, so if you have a 90 degree v-bit with a 1/2 inch diameter, the cut stops before actual corner and curves around to stay "inside" the line. Does that make sense?

[@tommiller4233]

John Clark @

[@ssteele1812]

Would you consider sending a box of your "burn pile" pieces to a fellow maker?

[@johnearlclark]

My burn pile tends to be things about 2 inches square, so it's not worth doing much with. :)

[@ssteele1812]

@@johnearlclark if you have put that much work into a 2x2 square, it has value. A wood turner that works with epoxy could do many things with those pieces.

[@johnearlclark]

@@ssteele1812 Oh believe me I know. I am also a wood turner and I tend to use small pieces to create spheres and other projects. :) goo.gl/photos/MhayHKb19MkMEJdS7

[@resorter66]

John do you have a video on your spoil board and square and knobs you show in this video

[@johnearlclark]

I talk a little bit about the knobs in my Finger Joints video. The cut files for them are here: www.dropbox.com/s/agg7vis55v2j1i1/knobs%20and%20washers.zip?dl=0 They fit any length of 1/4 inch hex bolt. My spoil board is from a pattern I got off the carbide create forums. Having used it for a year I am thinking of redesigning it, now that I have a better idea of the things I like to work on. I don't think I have done anything on the corner square that I use. I borrowed the idea from someone on the facebook group. I will see if I can post a write up later today on my website. I will drop a link in the reply.

[@andygoldring]

Hi John. Being new to CNC im very interested giving this a go. i've downloaded the cubism nc files but do u have a nc file for the top cutting jig you use please

[@johnearlclark]

The Carbide Create file is here: www.dropbox.com/s/j6aciu4iuogmqqr/cube%20side%20holder%20jig.c2d.zip?dl=0 If the sides don't fit snuggly, you may need to make some modifications to keep them in place.

[@andygoldring]

@@johnearlclark Than you

[@scottdeslauriers5209]

did you add another part to do the led lights and where did you get them

[@johnearlclark]

I did a brief one here on LEDs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXnEon6EhNOimNU

[@LightningHeart442]

Thank you. Inspiring work. I looked at the dropbox files. They are .nc and my Mac doesn't suggest any app to open them, what are they?

[@johnearlclark]

The .nc file is straight gCode and probably should not be in there. The .c2d files are carbide create files. The basic cube is really just 6 squares of equal size.

[@robbiejames1540]

If youve got a CNC and a controller program, you should be able to import the nc files into it. It will then send it to the machine in order to make it.

[@robbiejames1540]

@@johnearlclark Pls dont remove the nc files! They're more much more convenient for me, at least :)

[@johnearlclark]

@@robbiejames1540 The big problem with keeping the .nc files is that if your material varies from what I have, you will get bad results: parts not cut out completely or cut through the wasteboard, cuts that run off the edge of the material and possibly over your clamps. It's really not a great practice to run other people's g-code directly unless you are really confident in your ability to hand edit the files.

[@robbiejames1540]

@@johnearlclark Those are good points that i hadnt thought of! I might be able to use the display on my G-code sender to work around some of those, such as clamp avoidance, but its probably easier to use the other file types

[@fgschill4766]

I seem to have a problem with the corners a little rounded. Any advice?

[@johnearlclark]

Make sure that the tool path is set to "No Offset." That will make sure the center of the bit follows the line. If you set it inside our outside, the outer edge of the bit follows the line. Let me know if this helps.

[@fgschill4766]

Thanks John for your reply. I'm using Aspire and cutting on the vector. I think I need to cut a little more into the spoil board and that should do it. I'll let you know. I love making scrap wood.

[@fgschill4766]

I think I might have solved my problem. I think cutting into the spoil board would prevent the bit from making a turn on the material, but better than that I made a cross pattern of vectors that look like a tic tac toe box.2 vertical and 2 horizontal. they extend past the cube I'm making (4.75) by .25. This way there are no curves at all, just 2 vertical cuts and 2 horizontal.

[@AndrewAHayes]

Is the first cube the Hellraiser movie cube?

[@johnearlclark]

Yes! I made it out of MDF and then finished it with a gold and black wash coat.

[@samuelfreeman2181]

Do you know if the Chinese symbol has a name? Can't open your c2d files, and can't seem to find it via Google.

[@johnearlclark]

Sorry. I thought I linked it. The download is available here: www.cncfiles.org/filebase/file/110-seperator-patters-raumtrenner It's part of a huge and wonderful package of patterns.

[@samuelfreeman2181]

@@johnearlclark Thanks for your help, John, but all I get when i download the 24 mb file is 14 jpg's that are pictures of the interiors of homes--showing the patterns that separate rooms. I must be missing something.

[@johnearlclark]

Samuel Freeman there should also be a .dxf file you can import, or open it and edit in Inkscape.

[@johnearlclark]

Also, It is a really big file and takes some time to open.

[@rschulz01]

I'm not able to convert the c2d file to dxf. Would it be possible to generate the file as dxf? Or provide the source for the pattern? ! Thanks!

[@johnearlclark]

If you are talking about the cube itself, that one is just six equal size squares. The pattern was a screen collection from here: www.cncfiles.org/filebase/file/110-seperator-patters-raumtrenner/

[@rschulz01]

@@johnearlclark Thanks! after setting up an account, i was able to download the file, and discover4ed i had to use another DXF program to edit it down to the pattern i wanted - VCarve just couldn't process a file of that size. How thick are the sides of the cube?

[@johnearlclark]

@@rschulz01 I generally use stuff that is around .2 inches. The only key thing about the thickness is that it cannot exceed the cutting depth of the full angle of the bit. (See this for a visual of what I mean: www.dropbox.com/s/yrogckhr1c50gum/vbit%20depth.png?dl=0 )

[@rschulz01]

@@johnearlclark Thanks! It's hard to judge the thickness from the video but I had guessed somewhere round 1/4 " - 3/8". This is a great video - thanks for posting!

[@mattivirta]

nice job, only one big mistake has, you need kicked this worst router off and add REAL good spindle, lot better, accurate,silent and strongest torque, etc, 800W aircooled ER16 spindle have lot better torque than 1800W worst router and lot lot silent. and lot cheapen than router have.

[@Phosphoros47]

Oh no, you shouldn’t have made THAT cube 😱

[@johnearlclark]

"Sir, there is a man named 'Pinhead' here and he would like a word..."

[@Phosphoros47]

@@johnearlclark Nope, nope, nope! I'm out!

[@Nigmye]

John, use Easel.... its sooo much better

[@mattivirta]

touch plate have lot lot better accurate ewery bit change set Z-axis zeroing.

[@keithspencersr.6806]

Do you ever sell any of your work?

[@johnearlclark]

I have not really done much selling so far, but I need to. The house is starting to look like a museum of wood. :)

[@otaviodasilvaoliveira2112]

Tem como chamar no WhatsApp

[@chaparrito77]

Very nice.