CNC Cut Sawhorse. Written By: Eric Schimelpfenig

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1 CNC Cut Sawhorse Learn to CNC cut your own sawhorse. It's easy to cut on any CNC machine. Sawhorses are elegant and strong. Just about any 3/4" plywood can be used. Written By: Eric Schimelpfenig 2017 sketchup.dozuki.com Page 1 of 13

2 INTRODUCTION These sawhorses were designed to be strong, and material efficient. You can cut one sawhorse out of a 3'x4' piece of plywood. This means that you can get two out of a full sheet of plywood with room to spare. They use simple hardware. They are designed to work with any 3/4" thick plywood. This is a great project if you're new to CNC and want make something useful for the shop. This guide will show you how to import your SketchUp model into VCarve or Aspire and mill it on a CNC. (Skip a few steps to get to the files and build guide if you're already comfortable with importing) TOOLS: VCarve Pro (1) SketchUp Make (FREE) (1) PARTS: 2.5" 1/4 x 20 bolt (14) x2 for two sawhorses Nylock Nut (6) x2 for two sawhorses Plywood (1) 3/4" Any 3/4" plywood works. For one sawhorse you need a 3"x48" piece. A full sheet will get you two sawhorses with some extra room. 2x4 that is at least 34.75" long (1) Wood Glue (1) 2017 sketchup.dozuki.com Page 2 of 13

3 Step 1 Importing SketchUp models to VCarve SketchUp models can be imported easily into VCarve or Aspire. When importing a model it can be laid out flat on plywood automatically For this to happen, each part of your model needs to be a separate group or component To learn how to use groups and components read here and here 2017 sketchup.dozuki.com Page 3 of 13

Step 2 First start a new VCarve or Aspire drawing.

get an error message saying that your SketchUp model cannot be opened,

Step 3 The next dialog box has a lot of options.

4 Step 2 First start a new VCarve or Aspire drawing. Next to go File>Import>Import Vectors and find your SketchUp model If you get an error message saying that your SketchUp model cannot be opened, make sure your software is up to date. Step 3 The next dialog box has a lot of options. Don't worry though, we'll list them below so that you can make the right choices. The really important ones are highlighted sketchup.dozuki.com Page 4 of 13

5 Auto Orientate - Largest face is top face This means that all of the groups and components will of your SketchUp model will be taken apart and laid flat. VCarve will take the 2017 sketchup.dozuki.com Page 5 of 13

6 largest face and lay that one flat. Sometimes your parts can be reversed, so be careful here. Orientate by Material This option will treat a face (or faces) that you paint with a color of your choosing as the top face. This is great for really controlling the way that your model is pulled apart and laid flat. Gap between parts Once your parts are laid out on the plywood, this is the gap between them. You're very likely going to be changing this later, so leaving it at it's default is just fine. Three Views This option will take three 2D snapshots of your model and lay those vectors out. Create Circles for polygons & Refit Arcs SketchUp by default makes segmented circles and curves. This isn't ideal for CNC. Thankfully the software actually creates smooth curves automatically from your SketchUp model. You'll likely want to leave this checked. Group Imported Parts If you make a group or component of something in SketchUp, the software will treat it that way when it's imported. If you uncheck this, you'll get "loose" geometry sketchup.dozuki.com Page 6 of 13

7 Replace outer boundary This option will attempt to trace the outside of your group or component. Be careful with this one if you have holes or other features touching the edge of the outer boundary of your geometry. Step 4 Start Toolpathing! Now that you have your SketchUp model loaded up, start setting up your toolpaths. You may want to practice with these import steps a few times to get the hang of them sketchup.dozuki.com Page 7 of 13

Step 5 Now that you have your geometry imported you're going to need to create toolpaths to get your machine

Click here to learn how to make toolpaths. Step 6 Gather your hardware Check the list of hardware in this guide.

These can be ordered online at Fastenal. They show up fast and are reasonably priced.

8 Step 5 Now that you have your geometry imported you're going to need to create toolpaths to get your machine cutting the files. The best place to learn Cut2D, Cut3D, VCarve and Aspire is at Vectric's site. Click here to learn how to make toolpaths. Step 6 Gather your hardware Check the list of hardware in this guide. Nearly all of it can be gathered from a local hardware store. The only hard to fine part is the weld nut. These can be ordered online at Fastenal. They show up fast and are reasonably priced. If you can't wait, or can't order one you can get a regular 1/4x 20 nut and washer and just grind down the edge of the washer a little bit sketchup.dozuki.com Page 8 of 13

9 Step 7 Gather Plywood Your plywood can be just about any 3/4" thick plywood. I've designed this project to accommodate varying plywood thicknesses as long as they're close to 3/4" This means that you can get parts out of scraps you have around, or tuck parts into other jobs as you mill them. One of my favorite types of plywood for projects like this is this stuff it's easy to work with and cheap to buy sketchup.dozuki.com Page 9 of 13

Step 8 Setup toolpaths and mill If you're using Vectric's VCarve or Aspire you can import SketchUp models right in and make toolpaths for them. A great guide for that is here.

VCarve, Aspire, and DXF files can be found here. You'll notice in our milling files we have the material thickness set to.725". If you're using plywood ~3/4" you shouldn't have to change this.

10 Step 8 Setup toolpaths and mill If you're using Vectric's VCarve or Aspire you can import SketchUp models right in and make toolpaths for them. A great guide for that is here. This is good if you want to modify the sawhorse. If you want to skip right to the fun part we have created the ready to cut files for you. They can be found right here. VCarve, Aspire, and DXF files can be found here. You'll notice in our milling files we have the material thickness set to.725". If you're using plywood ~3/4" you shouldn't have to change this. If you do, just make sure that your slot for the weld nuts leaves.125" of material. You don't want it thinner or you can break through the wood, too thick and your bolt won't line up. This toolpath is setup with tabs. Despite having a vacuum table, I've found that the tabs help keep everything in place. Feel free to modify this to suit your machine and needs sketchup.dozuki.com Page 10 of 13

11 Step 9 Glue it up! Glue up the small and large legs. Use regular wood glue. You can use some of the assembly bolts to line things up when you glue them. You'll need to clamp the legs together while the glue dries Check the diagram to make sure that you assemble the large leg properly. The weld nut slot must be exposed so that you can bolt on the 2x4! 2017 sketchup.dozuki.com Page 11 of 13

Step 10 Cut your 2x4 This sawhorse is designed to have just about any type of wood on the top. This means that you can replace or modify it any way you'd like.

12 Step 10 Cut your 2x4 This sawhorse is designed to have just about any type of wood on the top. This means that you can replace or modify it any way you'd like. Use this dimension guide to cut a regular 2x4 Step 11 Sand it up! After you've glued the legs up take some sand paper and/or a hand router and round over the edges and smooth everything out. Even though these are sawhorses and not show pieces it's always a good idea to sand things out to prevent any splinters sketchup.dozuki.com Page 12 of 13

13 Step 12 Sawhorses Assemble! Assembly is pretty straightforward, just assemble all the parts using this guide. A 7/16" wrench and socket will be needed sketchup.dozuki.com Page 13 of 13

a cheap plastic one. Go make a few more!

14 Step 13 Make a few more! Congratulations, you know have one of the strongest and most elegant sawhorses anywhere, and at a cost that's under a cheap plastic one. Go make a few more! If you want a big set, mill a part or two every time you run your CNC so you can turn scrap into tools. If you want all of the files (SketchUp models, pictures, DXFs, PDF build guide) just go here and download them all. This document was last generated on :58:08 PM.

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