What Easel Project Should We Do Next?

Easel
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Hey there, Easel Community!

We would love to know what kind of Easel project you would like to see from start to finish in a video tutorial.

Would it be a 2D project designed in Easel from first click to final carve? Or a 3D STL import project with every step explained, from bringing it into Easel to the finished carve? Maybe there is something in the Easel Gallery you have had your eye on and would like us to walk through.

We want to hear from you! Share your ideas in the comments. The more detail the better. Your suggestions will help us create content that is useful, inspiring, and tailored to what you are most excited about.

We are looking forward to reading your thoughts.

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Most every cnc manufacturer seems to show a Fender Stratocaster body in their promotional materials. I bet a lot of folks would like to see that done. It is probably the most popular shape out there. There are two 3d portions but the rest is all 2d. Even the top arm contour could be made flat, leaving just the tummy contour to be done with a gradient or other design tool available to Easel.

dxf file of 60s Fender Strat body | 3D CAD Model Library | GrabCAD

Fender Stratocaster Guitar Templates | Electric Herald

Here’s one completed examplel:

Fender Classic Series 60s Stratocaster Body, Candy Apple Red - StewMac

4 Likes
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I like what Martin is suggesting because it involves 2D and 3D, and would of course mean different bits and multi-stage carves. I think maybe a guitar body is a bit advanced though, and certainly a larger piece that would require a larger machine.

How about something a little bit smaller that could fit on just about any machine?

One of my favorite Easel Gallery projects is the Death Star Trivet - Easel - Trivet - Death Star

I have done this project several times now, and I really fumbled my way through it and learned it the hard way. A tutorial video on how to do it would be helpful to many, I think. The way I do it is in several stages. The first stage is all of the circles and ovals, and I do that at a depth of 3mm with a 1/8 bit. The second stage is the line that goes across the middle, and I created a separate workpiece just for that, and use a 30 degree v-bit. You CAN do both of those stages with a 30 degree bit, but I don’t like the v on the circles and ovals, which is why I use a straight bit.

The third stage is do cut the ‘scoop’, which is the concave circle, the 3D part. I would like to see just how to create this part, because I have not done that. The file that I have for it is not editable, I cannot choose a bit, depth per pass, or determine just how I want it done. This is the part that I have struggled with, and boy did I make a lot of mistakes trying to make this work.

The fourth stage is to carve out the trench to about 10mm with a 1/8 bit. Then I cut out the “incomplete” parts where the rest of the Death Star haven’t been built yet. These are through cuts again with a 1/8 bit. Then I do the sixth and final stage which is to cut out the whole outline to full depth.

Perhaps a simpler suggestion would be to do the Heart Dish Easel - Heart Dish

I have not done this project yet, so I can’t offer any info on that one, but it does involve a 3d cut and multiple stages and bits.

I would really like to see a tutorial on how to go about designing and executing a 3d cut.

Looking forward to seeing what else is suggested.

1 Like
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I like the idea of the guitar body.
I say no, to the death star.
I like the idea of the Heart Dish, too.

involving both STL files, with 2D carving would be very instructional.

How about a 2 sided carving from start to finish, and show the solving of the alignment issues?

2 Likes
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One of Easels competitors has come up with a AI to STL design program to be used in conjunction with their carving software. I would love to see this offered through easel also. If this is not possible, I would like to see AI 3-D graphics developed and carved through the easel software. I believe that the competitor was carveco, but but not certain. It was demonstrated on James Dean YouTube channel.