Dear Maker Abby –
I have a couple of divided drawers lined with velvet that I’d like to use for jewelry.
Unfortunately, the dividers are too big – everything is getting jumbled together.
I’m wondering if we could use the laser cutter to cut dividers that better suit the drawers and pieces of jewelry?
Thanks!
Dear Jumbled Jewelry–
At the Art & Innovation Center, we have a laser cutter available for use by the public. There is a class at the AIC for anyone over 16 years old to get certified to use the machine, after which they will have several guided sessions as they learn to safely operate the laser cutter.
Since you are already certified, you can schedule an appointment with Maker Abby here: 1 on 1 Maker Appointment
Bring in your drawer so that we can measure it and create some custom dividers.
Looking forward to working on this project!
Abby, Art & Innovation Center Makerspace Technologist
Resolved:
JJ and I (Abby) worked together to fabricate custom dividers for the jewelry drawer.
The drawer before organization
I recommended “boxes.py”, a website with an open-source file generator that works great with laser cutters.
Screenshot of the generator for drawer inserts
JJ took careful measurements of her drawers and planned out how she wanted the different compartments to look. She decided she wanted long and narrow slots for necklaces, and small square slots for rings and earrings. With each section planned out, she plugged in all the values to boxes.py and the website generated a digital file that was ready for laser cutting.
The generated file
After getting the file set up for laser cutting, JJ and I had our first prototype.
The first prototype for the drawer dividers
JJ and I saw where some tweaks needed to be made. JJ also decided that instead of wood, she would like the dividers to be cut out of clear acrylic.
Using the information that we’d learned from the prototype, she continued generating custom drawer divider files for each compartment and cut them out on the laser cutter.
The drawer dividers installed for the first time
The drawer dividers installed for the first time
The results were exactly what JJ had been hoping for! She brought the drawer back home and loaded all of the loose jewelry into their new spots.
Anyone interested in becoming certified to operate the laser cutter can sign up for a class here! Certifications – Weston Art & Innovation Center (westonaic.org)