BACKGROUND
The store-bought organizer stopped working.
I had grown tired of my store-bought silverware organizer. It allowed some customization, but over the years it became harder to keep the drawer arranged the way I wanted. A fitted organizer seemed like a good project for the CNC.
The precision should have made the drawer quick to build. Laying out the contents was easy; reproducing that layout cleanly in VCarve was where the project stalled. The vectors were not especially difficult, but getting every corner right on the first try mattered when the stock was walnut.
GENERATING VECTORS
Turn the layout into a reusable tool.
I decided to write a generator instead. That played to my software engineering experience and gave me a way to test the intersections before using good material.
The generator accepts the drawer dimensions and material thickness, then lets you draw boxes for the spaces that should remain open. It can output both 2D vectors and an assembled 3D model, making the result easier to verify before CAM.
VCARVE SETUP
Prepare the details for a round bit.
The generated vectors include dog bones and extended dado slots so the router bit can clear the inside corners. In CAM, each pocket, dado, and cutout still needs the right tool and depth for the material.
CLEANUP AND ASSEMBLY
The first cut left room to improve.
The parts needed more cleanup than expected. Sanding the fuzzy edges worked, but it also made the value of better stock, sharper tooling, and dialed-in feeds immediately clear. After cleanup, the parts were ready for a straightforward glue-up.
NEXT TIME
A cleaner finish directly from the CNC.
The layout and assembly worked well. The next version will focus on improving the cut quality so less time is spent sanding before glue-up.