autumn aldrich
TETRIS LAMP
Project Overview
TETRIS LAMP
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Designed in Solidworks
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First laser cut project
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6mm stained birch plywood
Inspired by laser cut lamps on Pinterest, I decided to make this as a gift for someone special to me. This was my first ever laser cutting project, which was challenging, especially since it was a personal project without any guides. It took some trial and error, but it was a very rewarding project as it gave me valuable experience with laser cutting and upped my homemade gift-making game.
Design Process
1. MAKING THE TETRIS BOARD DESIGN
In order to keep the design relatively accurate to the game, I had to place the pieces in places where they wouldn't clear the line in Tetris. This meant making sure to leave at least one gap per line using game accurate Tetris pieces
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2. GETTING THE SIDES TO FIT TOGETHER
The geometry of the design was relatively simple, since I only had to make three distinct pieces: the top and two sides. The top could double as the bottom and the sides opposite from one and other followed the same shape, just with a different design. This also laid the groundwork for an easier time tolerancing, as I only had to make adjustments to the even sides (to account for the odd sides) and the top piece.
3. CALCULATING TOLERANCES
Tolerancing the sides was by far the most challenging aspect of this project, as this was my first time working with a laser cutter and having to account for kerf. My goal for the fit was to be able to assemble the lamp without glue - I wanted to be able to take the lights in and out with ease but also have it hold itself together.
Before jumping straight to cutting whole pieces, I created a test cut piece to see which cut fit best with the 6mm thick wood. However, having previously worked with only 3D printing, I was used to having to add positive tolerance to my pieces. I greatly underestimated the amount of wood burned off by the laser, and eventually determined I needed a negative tolerance of around 0.4mm.
4. DESIGN CHANGES + CUTTING ISSUES
While finding the correct tolerance for the even sides and the top, I cut out one of the odd sides. Here, I encountered two problems: excessive bending and the laser cutter not being able to cut through the 6mm wood.
To fix the bending, I added a small notch at the top of the piece as shown in the CAD view above.
The laser cutter was a bit more tedious, as I had to test different power and speed settings. Eventually, I found that cutting fewer pieces at once and placing the more complex ones in the center increased its accuracy and cutting.
5. POST LASER DETAILS
Once I had all my sides cut out, I stained the wood with a dark stain and sanded the surfaces. Due to time restraint and preference I chose not to apply a finish to the sides.
In order to hide the fairy lights, I glued parchment paper to the inside of the lamp to make the lighting more even.