Laser Cutter #009 - Meter box

I needed a box for my Humble Electronics #005 project. I downloaded a simple box for this project from boxes.py. I added the holes on the top for the hookups and display from an existing design of mine, with the same components, and cut it out on the Xtool M1 out of a scrap of plywood. 

 

 

I had a lot of failed cuts because my burn (kerf) values were too large (0.12mm plus) and I kept increasing them. I only cut a couple of interlocking parts each time to check the fit. I only realized I was going in the wrong direction after the fingers on the third set of cuts were now noticeably larger than the opening they were supposed to fit into. (I forgot the note next to the burn value field says to use larger values for a tighter fit.) I decreased my burn (kerf) to 0.7 mm 0.07mm and that gave me a nice easy fit for gluing. The cut also changes depending on the line thickness of the pattern. In my Xtool XCS software, when I import an SVG file, it cuts on the inside of the line. I like to use a line thickness of 0.1 mm or under so I can see it well and it doesn't seem to effect the cut. The boxes.py SVG files work great with the proper burn (kerf) adjustment. My husband cuts 2mm holes. At that scale, it is very important to keep the line thickness thin or your hole will cut too small.

 

After the burn adjustment, I cut the whole box out. When I cut it out, there was a section that didn't cut cleanly. This can happen from the unevenness of the plywood. It happens on the underside and isn't noticeable until you try to pop it out and flip the board over. If you cut parts out one or two at a time and see this, I have found that you can flip the board over and it will cut cleaner. So far I haven't had this happen on both sides of the board but it is possible since plywood can be uneven and sometimes has synthetic fibers running between the layers.

 

I tried to trim it with my hobby blade but it ended up taking out a finger joint segment.

I glued the base and sides of the box anyway as this was not a mission critical mishap. It ended up being a happy accident, as you will see. 

 

 

 

I put the box together and installed my components with some pressure and hot glue to the top panel. I then realized I needed the display power input to go out separate from the top panel components. I cut the gap from the missing part just a hair wider and the wire slipped right through it.

 

 

I put the top in place and called it done.

 

 The side on the output side doesn't close because I misjudged the depth I needed. I should have made it 10 - 15 mm deeper to clear the long female jack. I think I can use the pattern to make an extension I can glue in place with some reinforcement. Or I can generate and cut a new base. It was a good lesson to learn. There's always something new to learn with laser cutting and designing. 

 

Happy Making!

Michelle