Woodworking & CNC
CNC Wood Globe
Dec 2022 - Apr 2023
CNC · CAD · Woodworking
An 8-inch wooden globe made from walnut and maple.
Design: I started with a map projection of the Earth onto a dodecahedron, ensuring that there was enough space for a 1/8" bit to cut around the shapes. Cutting the pentagons directly on the lathe would have meant removing too much material, so I subdivided each one into 5 triangles (60 total). Each triangle was cut as a separate land piece and water piece, then glued together.
Assembly: Using a table saw jig, I cut precise bevel angles needed to join the 5 triangles into a pentagon, then glued the pentagons into 2 hemispheres. The hemispheres meet at the equator with a gap, held only by dowel pins, leaving the inside hollow enough to mount a motor that spins the globe with no external mechanism visible.
CNC Topography Map
Mar 2026 - present
CNC · CAD · Woodworking · FeatureScript
A 5 by 2.75 foot wall-mounted relief map of my family's farm, currently in progress.
Materials: Each wood species corresponds to a land-use type: black walnut (forest), cherry (trees), birdseye maple (fields), padauk (garden), sapele (wildflowers), purpleheart (rivers and creeks), ebony (buildings), yellow poplar (grass), and white oak (floodplain).
Process: I used high-resolution elevation data with a custom Onshape feature I wrote that takes an STL file and a board thickness, then generates contour-shaped pieces sized to minimize wasted wood while staying self-supporting. The piece is hollow underneath to save weight and material. Layers are just under an inch thick with a maximum height of 5 inches, giving at most 6 layers, though not directly stacked, and species of differing thickness don't align to the same heights. I am currently cutting the layers; they are not glued together yet.
More Projects
- F1 Logo
- Toronto Maple Leafs Logo
- Buffalo Bills Logo
- Project Ploughshares Logo (Commission)
- CNC Cow
- Chess Set
- Sphere Light
- CNC Hike Topography
- Workshop Sign (Commission)