Laser Cut Pencil Cup with Tray

thingiverse

Custom divided pencil cup with tray for erasers to sit on the back shelf area in my classroom. ** Note: .stl file is just a mock-up for posting on Thingiverse :)** Wanted something in wood and it didn't exist <i>just</i> the way I wanted it...so I created my own design and then built it! Back shelf is around 14" deep and runs the length of the back wall, so depth and width were not issues for our space, but I wanted the piece to be functional for its purpose and had to fit the media. Height was kept similar to previous pencil storage containers like a mug and small decorative metal pail that were between 4"-5" tall. A pencil is just over 7" tall when they are new. Dimensions needed to fit the media used (6x12 wood) because that was readily available and allowed for the laser cutter at the library. As such, I needed 3 pieces of wood for this project. You are left with a couple of small extra spaces and one large area ("bottom" piece file) for additional projects if needed. You can move files to a full (12 x 24, for example) sheet and get more done in one run. I did make this out of paper to check dimensions and figure out the layout for each piece of wood. Both the paper model and the actual completed design will be used as samples in my classroom to show measuring, modeling, digital design, laser cutting, laser etching, and vinyl cutting (blank pieces had vinyl designs added after). See photos for vinyl additions (white components on right side and front of tray). I used my Silhouette Cameo 3, the software it comes with, and matte white vinyl. Added small rectangles of black felt to the bottom of each side of the pencil cup. Default settings for etching and cutting seemed to be okay with this maple. We ran cuts twice on some of them just to ensure they popped right out. The library uses http://ocoochhardwoods.com/ for their supply. Great wood, but the residue is definitely sticky during/immediately after the cutting process on this maple. You can delete the text or only run the cuts (red lines) to make a version without any of the quotes. All lines were made into hairlines and pieces were combined to simplify cutting. All red lines in the files are cut lines. 3 files included are PDFs of: 1. side pieces/divider for the cup 2. front and back of cup/front of the tray 3. bottom piece (note extra space available on that piece!) Overall dimensions are 7" deep, 4.625" tall, and 5" wide. Dimensions are listed below for each piece. Side pieces (2): pencil cup portion is 3.5" wide, 4.5" tall and tray portion is 3.5" wide and 1.25" tall Front and back of pencil cup (2): 4.75" wide, 4.5" tall Pencil cup divider (1): 3.25" wide, 4.5" tall Front of the tray (1): 4.75" wide, 1.25" tall Bottom of whole design (1): 5" wide, 7" long/deep Please give attribution and link back to me online if you create something! Have a question about the design, files or customizing your own? Just want to say hi? You can reach me on Twitter and via my website (<a href= "https://msgilbertrocks.com/blog/2019/7/1/laser-cut-pencil-cup-with-tray">design process written up in the blog</a>): https://twitter.com/msgilbertrocks http://www.msgilbertrocks.com/ Happy making!