Tuesday, April 14, 2009

SketchUp/Ponoko Deer

In preparation for the Alaska market, I wanted to make a wooden moose. Anyway, I thought I'd make a deer with antlers before upgrading to a moose. I've been thinking a lot about how to make the things I sell less labor intensive, and when a good pal of mine told me about Ponoko.com, I thought it was about time I had something laser cut! Ponoko is a laser cutting company who is marketed to appeal to people who like designing, making, and selling things (me!). Unfortunately they are located in New Zealand, so they won't be a cost-effective option for me for the long term. But, I've got two of these deer being made right now! They will be about 12" tall and made of (duh) plywood.

I forgot to mention that I made this deer using Google SketchUp (my BFF)! SketchUp is my favorite CAD program besides Solidworks, and since it is free, I lean towards SketchUp. I use it exclusively at work (I mean, instead of any other CAD program) and have really adapted it to suit my every need. There are add-ons that you can download, also for free, that allow it to be customized. Hooray for SketchUp!

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