Watercolor Easel¶

Watercolor Easel

What will it do ?¶

I wanted to build a portable easel for a while, and I found a model online that suited my needs for outside painting. I thought it would be a great FreeCAD exercise, and here is the result.

3D Modeling¶

You can watch the full process on x4 speed below.

I learned how to export a FreeCAD model directly into Sketchfab, which is really a great way to share 3D models. I will look for an open source alternative if I can find one.

Watercolor_Easel by ejoz on Sketchfab

Laser cutting preparation¶

Now that we have our model on FreeCAD, it's time to transfer our project into the real world. I have some Okoume planks at home and can use the laser cutter machine of the fablab to execute my files.

We need to flatten all of our 3D pieces.

I think it is possible in FreeCAD directly, thanks to the Laser Cut Interlocking addon:

Select all bodies in your model
Export
Hide the 3D view

Fail

I tried to export the files to .svg but I keep having an error message (Export of this object type is not supported by drawing module)

So I'm using the TechDraw Module to export my 3d model in a compatible file (.svg):
It worked! I then import my .svg file in Inkscape and check that all dimensions are respected. It's now ready for the machine

Files¶

Laser cutting¶

I managed to finally book the laser cutting machine for myself an all afternoon to test my material and cut my design. I started with some cutting tests, and I choose to cut with theses parameters: Speed: 20 % Power: 100% Frequency: 100%