The othermill is a desktop CNC machine, that can mill pieces that are about 4x5in and below. As my 1/8 in mill bit was a little too wide for some of my more detailed designs, I quickly sketched the Death Star from Star Wars Episode V, after it is destroyed at the end of Episode IV. This was a relatively simple Adobe Illustrator sketch using only rectangles and circles, which were then turned into nice rounded edges by the radius of the mill bit. I really like the final product!
As you can see, the piece right off the block is a little rough, so a little sandpaper and tung oil go a long way to increase the color depth of the wood. And just look how it shows up when see at different angles!
Unfortunately, my computer restarted as soon as the mill was complete with etching the death star. As I edited the position of the design in the program, and did not record these edits (NOTE for LATER!) I was unable to cut any deeper to reveal more layers of the plywood within the etching. This was a little disappointing, but live and learn! And I still like the piece. Hard to beat evil things that are cute.
