Ninjago Sword of Fire

thingiverse

This is a toy version of the Ninjago Sword of Fire. It was actually cut out on a Shapeoko 3 CNC machine in hard maple. Anyone wanting to try 3D printing should do it in two halves and then glue together with some super glue. Post a picture of the print make if you do print it, I'd love to see how it turned out. I didn't recreate the cartoon model exactly because I wanted to CNC this and make it a sturdy kids' toy. For this reason, I squished the length down so it would fit in my Shapeoko and I didn't make the bevel go to a sharp point because it would be dangerous and also not last very long. The original sword can be seen here: http://ninjago.wikia.com/wiki/Sword_of_Fire How did I cut it out? Well, I used a method called window machining. Basically, you cut one side, then flip the wood and cut the other side. When you cut the final outline of the part, you leave small tabs on the perimeter so the part doesn't go flying, then cut the tabs at the end with a sharp knife or box cutter. Minimal sanding improved the look and it came out nice. I really like working with hard maple on the CNC router - it has a tight grain and does not splinter like oak and pine will when cutting small features.