As in many of my projects, the Glowforge is an important tool but not an exclusive one. I created a mouse that is celebrating one of my favorite foods - Swiss cheese.
The cams and all-important templates that define the position of the axles, belt tensioner and other elements were done with the laser.
The mouse and cheese are 3D printed and then carefully smoothed with an epoxy topcoat and painted with an airbrush.
Used my CNC to carve a shallow mold that I cast a pewter weight from. This helps the riser supporting the mouse to maintain contact with the cam.
I originally had a series of gears driving the motion, but I found the noise distracting and switched to pulleys and timing belts. They drive both the motion of the mouse and rotate the handle on the music box mounted at the rear.
The box is mahogany with a light polyurethane finish. Dimensions are 6" wide x 6" deep x 12" tall.
Love it! I just got my first block of Swiss in a few years so I can relate to the feeling but relating to all that jumping around makes my old knees hurt
That’s just super creative. If only it could support a jar of Cheez-Whiz. That would be a celebration!
The switch to belt drive was spot on. Nylon or Delrin gearing cut on the GF might have provided similar sound levels but the belts give it a little retro vibe that feels perfect for it.
We’re on the same page! We have a Dachshund, and I was going to make him my next subject.
Still in the process of posing him. But we also have 2 cats so I’m sure I’ll get to them as well!
He’d be great with a beach ball. We used to play basketball with our Corgi and he’d jump like that to hit the ball back. He could play the game a lot longer than we had the patience for
That is so darn cute! Unfortunately I couldn’t hear the music box, even though my computer sound is all the way up and nothing is muted), but watching that little mouse dance around was delightful! Job well done! Can’t wait to see what you do with the dog and future cat(s)!
I just got my first block of Swiss in a few years so I can relate to the feeling but relating to all that jumping around makes my old knees hurt 
