How to make a multiple business card holder, postcard and pen holder.

We just finished this really specific project for a client. They needed a slot for 3 vertical cards, 1 horizontal card, a postcard, and pens.

 

To be honest, we have been looking for a reason to add a CNC router to our workshop for a couple years now, and we decided there was no better time to take the leap than now.  So...this finished piece is officially our FIRST EVER project on our Shapeoko CNC Router. [<--- not a sponsored post in any way.]

 

The project started with a huge solid block of maple wood.  We searched everywhere for "thick wood".  Home depot, Lowe's, Woodcraft - no one locally sells thick wood for this project. We found a guy who knew a guy who had chunks of wood in his garage.  SCORE.  

 

We had a loose idea of what we wanted the piece to look like.  General dimensions, and we knew we wanted it to be cut into 2 levels. 

 

Step 1: Danny used a band saw to cut away the wood and create a "stepped" piece.  While a CNC router can do this job as well, it would take a lot longer for it to shave away all that wood when a band saw could do just as well.  

 

Step 2: The design process - this is arguably the most time intensive portion of the process.  Using the design software that comes with your CNC router, create a 3-d layer object that inside cuts the dimensions you need for your cards.

 

Step 3: We cut several mini-test pieces to find out if the design seemed viable.  And then...with a deep breath, we clicked GO on the actual piece.  Check out the video below for a full view of the process.  To purchase one like this, check out the listing in our store: Multiple Business Card Holder by NorthIdahoMade

 

We took this picture to find out whether our client wanted the piece natural maple, stained walnut, or treated with linseed oil.  Linseed oil is not a stain.  It simply brings out the natural beauty and richness of the wood color and grain.

 

To see more finished photos of the piece and a fast motion video of the Shapeoko CNC Router cutting the piece, we've compiled a 40-second video of the piece: