Project 1: Tool Tote by Aidan Asal

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been making a Tool Tote for my first project in the "How To Make" class. In this blog post, I will go over the process and result, as well as reflect overall.

Process

 I started this project in Fusion 360, a cloud-based CAD/CAM tool for collaborative product development that combines industrial design, mechanical engineering, and machine tool programming into one software solution. I followed tutorials on how to use it and how to design a small project like the tool tote I made. I ended up with a piece of paper that laid out all my tool tote from different perspectives and all the measurements I would need. In class, I got a huge plank of wood to work with. I started by organizing the cuts I would have to make on my cut list paper. I then traced the measurements of these cuts onto the plank of wood. This made the actual cutting much easier since I was able to organize similar cuts together.

After the setup phase, I was ready to start cutting. I began by cutting the bigger pieces of wood with the miter saw. I messed up a few times because I wasn't taking into account the thickness of the saw, so a couple of my pieces ended up slightly short. The miter saw left with a series of smaller pieces that I needed to cut further. The band saw is a good tool for those smaller cuts. I messed up at first by not locking the fence of the band saw all the way. This left a few of my pieces not straight and very unequal. I learned a lesson here about being careful and had to restart those pieces. Once all the main cuts had been made, I moved onto cutting the handle out. I drilled two big holes on opposite ends of my handle piece. I then connected those holes by cutting across. I also used a sander to curve two of the internal pieces that go on either side of the handle. This was tricky because the sander works very fast and you can't get the wood back!





Now it was time to see how everything combined. There were several pieces that needed adjusting because they were either slightly unequal with their counterpart or didn't fit right with others. I used screws to combine all the pieces. I did this by clamping pieces together and then drilling guide holes, slightly smaller than the screw, to protect the wood from splitting. I started with the frame and then moved internally. I was about all the way done with combining when I decided I wanted to laser engrave the sides of my tool tote. I had to unscrew the sides and then put them in the GlowForge. On the computer, I found a text generator and chose a cool "Rio Grande" font. It took 3 1/2 minutes for each engraving. I then reattached each side and began to sand the rest of the project and put on the finishing touches.



Result


 I am happy with the result of my tool tote. It displays the lessons I learned and the mistakes I made along the way, but also the care and effort I expended to correct those mistakes while making it the best it could be. I believe it is functional and will do its job to carry things. I learned a lot from this project and will outline those reflections below.

 Reflection

 Upon reviewing my process and result, I thought of a number of things I learned and wish to do better. I will break this down into the different phases of the process.

Setup and organization wise, I wish I had put more measurements during the Fusion 360 phase. This would have made my life easier later. Another thing would be to be more careful when I am tracing all my cuts onto my wood plank. Some of my lines weren't straight and led to mistakes and many questions for Kristen and Ryan (seen to the left). I also could have conserved more wood, but I wanted to be careful.

During the cutting, the first thing I encountered was that I did not account for the thickness of the miter saw and lining the red line up. Some of my pieces were cut short because of this oversight. Also, during the cutting of my handle, I lost focus and cut too far and left a mistake I couldn't fix. In the future, I just need to take my time more and set myself up for success, instead of failure.

After cutting, I learned to use the drill more effectively. I know how to change speeds, insert different bits, and that I need to press down harder. This was important to learn because I was stripping my screws. I also want to learn how to do finishing touches more effectively such as sanding, painting, and my own creativity.

Overall, this was a great introduction to this class and I look forward to future projects.

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