5-sided Grill Lantern cnc/laser

thingiverse

A generous donor requested assistance with a decorative tealight holder design. Initially, we explored creating a straightforward square lantern, but I infused it with a CNC twist by shifting towards a five-sided concept. We further developed the idea by incorporating small (40 mm diameter) and large (59 mm) tealights into the design. A prototype featured an interchangeable part, which ultimately led to the creation of an adapter that simplified the entire process. The upper portion can be easily lifted to insert and light up the candle. The side panel design is highly versatile and can accommodate various patterns such as bubble or leaf designs similar to my trivets, stars, hearts, or any other geometrical shapes you prefer. I constructed this design on a desktop CNC machine by Stepcraft using a spiral-toothed 1.2 mm flute. The horizontal components were made from 6 mm Baltic birch plywood, while the panels were crafted from 4 mm pine. Due to the thin nature of the side panels, I employed a chamfer on a disc-sander for added precision. The parts assembled seamlessly without any adhesive. A coat of oil enhanced the wood structure and color. A crucial note regarding fine cutter usage on pine: the wood resin tends to gum up with milling dust, making it a challenging task to clean afterwards. For more designs, please visit https://www.zenziwerken.de/en/. It's essential to note that the STL file is intended for viewing purposes only and should not be printed using a 3D printer. This design can be successfully created on a lasercutter with minor modifications. When designing this tealight holder, I began by sketching the basic concept, which was then beautifully adorned by my daughter's artistic touch featuring numerous candles. Following the initial drawing, I brought the parts to life in Solid Edge and further refined the model in SketchUp for a three-dimensional perspective.