My girlfriend’s cat is a clever boy and a bit of a tank. He discovered that he’s strong enough to open the door to the living room. There’s no problem with him hanging out in the living room but my cat has her front claws, and she’s a holy terror who scratches furniture.
I needed to do something to keep my little monster out of the living room now that her accomplice was letting her roam freely.
I took measurements from the door handle. It may have been easier to take the measurements with a ruler and a caliper, but I happened to have a fiberglass measuring tape handy. The dimensions I was after were the distance between the handles and the diameter of the handle stems. Measuring the circumference of a single stem and wrapping the measuring tape around both handles would let me calculate those distances easily.
I sketched the door handles and a crude outline of the device as I saw it. It was designed to loop over each handle so they cannot separate. It was also given angles so it could hang freely by one handle, the left in this case, so it could hang off that side without falling on the ground.
CAD Software was used to create the design for the door hooks. Exact measurements were second-nature in drafting software as opposed to design software such as Inkscape. Fluid lines, like the ones used for the two narrow hooks at the ends, were easier in design software. Text elements were also easier in design software. In CAD, converting text to vectors was a complex workaround, but in the design software, it wasn’t necessary.
My training on the laser engravers was not long but my history of drafting, therefore vector editing, sped up the process. Balancing the laser intensity and speed was the hardest part so some scrap wood was lost.
The most notable mistake was cutting the text to the same depth as the edges. On letters with no internal shapes, this wasn’t a problem but letters like “O” created a hole. Two unusable pieces were scrapped, and two were good enough. The surfaces were lightly sanded to remove soot. The finished product was successful and an excellent introduction to laser engraving.
Vector file for KittyKittyNoGo
More COMPLETED posts have been arranged by date.
First time here?
Completed projects from year 1.
Completed projects from year 2.
Completed projects from year 3.
Completed projects from year 4.
Disclaimer for http://24hourengineer.blogspot.com/ and http://24hourengineer.com/
This disclaimer must be intact and whole. This disclaimer must be included if a project is distributed.
All information in this blog, or linked by this blog, is not to be taken as advice or solicitation. Anyone attempting to replicate, in whole or in part, is responsible for the outcome and procedure. Any loss of functionality, money, property or similar, is the responsibility of those involved in the replication.
All digital communication regarding the email address 24hourengineer@gmail.com becomes the intellectual property of Brian McEvoy. Any information contained within these messages may be distributed or retained at the discretion of Brian McEvoy. Any email sent to this address, or any email account owned by Brian McEvoy, cannot be used to claim property or assets.
Comments to the blog may be utilized or erased at the discretion of the owner. No one posting may claim property or assets based on their post.
This blog, including pictures and text, is copyright to Brian McEvoy.
2018-01-19 (F)
I needed to do something to keep my little monster out of the living room now that her accomplice was letting her roam freely.
A little troublemaker
I took measurements from the door handle. It may have been easier to take the measurements with a ruler and a caliper, but I happened to have a fiberglass measuring tape handy. The dimensions I was after were the distance between the handles and the diameter of the handle stems. Measuring the circumference of a single stem and wrapping the measuring tape around both handles would let me calculate those distances easily.
Measurements from door handles
I sketched the door handles and a crude outline of the device as I saw it. It was designed to loop over each handle so they cannot separate. It was also given angles so it could hang freely by one handle, the left in this case, so it could hang off that side without falling on the ground.
Sketch of design
CAD Software was used to create the design for the door hooks. Exact measurements were second-nature in drafting software as opposed to design software such as Inkscape. Fluid lines, like the ones used for the two narrow hooks at the ends, were easier in design software. Text elements were also easier in design software. In CAD, converting text to vectors was a complex workaround, but in the design software, it wasn’t necessary.
CAD screenshot of the KittyKittyNoGo
My training on the laser engravers was not long but my history of drafting, therefore vector editing, sped up the process. Balancing the laser intensity and speed was the hardest part so some scrap wood was lost.
Laser engraver in action
The most notable mistake was cutting the text to the same depth as the edges. On letters with no internal shapes, this wasn’t a problem but letters like “O” created a hole. Two unusable pieces were scrapped, and two were good enough. The surfaces were lightly sanded to remove soot. The finished product was successful and an excellent introduction to laser engraving.
Finished KittyKittyNoGo and KittyCatKeeperOuter
Foiling the clever beast
Vector file for KittyKittyNoGo
More COMPLETED posts have been arranged by date.
First time here?
Completed projects from year 1.
Completed projects from year 2.
Completed projects from year 3.
Completed projects from year 4.
Disclaimer for http://24hourengineer.blogspot.com/ and http://24hourengineer.com/
This disclaimer must be intact and whole. This disclaimer must be included if a project is distributed.
All information in this blog, or linked by this blog, is not to be taken as advice or solicitation. Anyone attempting to replicate, in whole or in part, is responsible for the outcome and procedure. Any loss of functionality, money, property or similar, is the responsibility of those involved in the replication.
All digital communication regarding the email address 24hourengineer@gmail.com becomes the intellectual property of Brian McEvoy. Any information contained within these messages may be distributed or retained at the discretion of Brian McEvoy. Any email sent to this address, or any email account owned by Brian McEvoy, cannot be used to claim property or assets.
Comments to the blog may be utilized or erased at the discretion of the owner. No one posting may claim property or assets based on their post.
This blog, including pictures and text, is copyright to Brian McEvoy.
2018-01-19 (F)
Comments
Post a Comment