Laser-Cut Phoenix

Motivation

Decorating graduation caps is a tradition at my high school. I wanted to create something unique.

Details

Armed with recent access to a laser cutter at the library, I decided to make a phoenix, my college’s mascot, out of plywood. To begin, I drew out the shape of what I thought the profile should be in Illustrator. Shifting into Solidworks, I added the profile into a sketch and extruded 0.125” for plywood thickness, forming the base of my assembly. Then, I added a profile, slightly smaller, imagining that I was taking slices through the bird.

Next, I started working on the wings, repeating the same process. I wanted these to look like flames coming out of the side. As a final touch, I added my college’s logo to form the eyes.

Vector drawings of profile (top) and wings (bottom).

Bringing all the pieces into Solidworks, I formed the joint to connect the wings and body. I also made a separate piece to attach the feet to the cap and allow it to stand. I checked that the center of mass would be approximately over the feet. After cutting all the pieces out, I first watercolored them and added acrylic paint on the eyes. Then, I woodglued them together and placed the structure on the cap.

Solidworks render of Phoenix.