In the two years waiting for my Glowforge I never told my wife about it. That made the delays a lot easier to deal with. But, when the big box showed up, she was a bit skeptical. To really show its value I needed it to do something useful.
For a year or so now we’ve had a broken outdoor light fixture. Since it was in the shape of a box I figured it would be a perfect project for Glowforge to come to the rescue!
Now, I’ve never made a box, but had previously downloaded an Inkscape plugin and gave that a shot. I did some testing and found it a bit limited (I needed a box with an open end) and it had some issues with the kerf calculation (or I was confused).
So I did some searching and found an updated plugin that was perfect.
I started out with proofgrade draftboard trying to calculate kerf printing 1" squares etc. I needed the box to be snap fit as I didn’t have any glue on hand for the PG frosted acrylic I intended to use. After some trial and error making mini boxes in both draft and acrylic I came to the conclusion I was ready!
Great first project! You live dangerously - like I do, but after 39 years she has adapted to my spontaneity. She came home from work one day and a wall was missing. Nothing has surprised her since.
Enjoy the adventure!
I have gone through a rollercoaster of patterns when coming to this. I started by begging my wife when I really wanted something, then later I just started to buy things and convincing her of the benefits before telling her I bought it, then we began compromising - I buy this you can buy that. We’ve finally come to where we can basically tell one another that we’re getting something without any objection from either side.
Congrats on the fix and the application! I haven’t forayed into box making yet, but I’ve got some cool ideas brewing
Very nice. I have a big load of .221" acrylic I got from Craiglist from a light fixture guy who is selling his offcuts. These offcuts are so big I can cut them into three sections to fit in the bed. He mostly does custom stuff for lobbies and offices. I’ve suggested that he get a Glowforge because the acrylic is just so easy to work with, engraves great and has so many uses.
That plugin is my favorite box maker. It’s versatile, works in inches and metric, allows you to eliminate sides, and also makes dividers. I’ve spent hours and hours making cardboard boxes with it, just because.
But, when the big box showed up, she was a bit skeptical. To really show its value I needed it to do something useful.
