Mill Table – a CNC furniture design

Hello Everyone,

I’m working on a table project I plan to release as open source. Once done, you will be able to download the files, ready to be brought to fablabs and Cnc artisians to build your own table.  I’ll upload the 2d and 3d project files too, so you will be able to tinker as much as you want with them and modify and implement whatever adaptation you may need.

The aim of this first project is to design a 6 -8 person table ( my prototype will be used in my office in the meeting room) out of standard plywood sheets, one thickness (18mm), and workable by any standard 3 axis cnc machine. The goal is to produce one file everyone could cut his own table with or use it as a base to start his own iteration of the design.

It’s the first of a big list of projects I intend to release as the main focus of my office activity; ideally I’d like to nurture a community around the spirit of open knowledge and sharing of such data.

Let’s start from the current state of the project and a few considerations on what I want to achieve and the current issues I need to solve still.

Ok then, let’s start from the beginning : – wanting to employ exclusively a CNC machine, I had to take into account for the design process the possibilities and the limits offered by such tools. briefly, such as 90 angle degrees for joints keeping the one sheet size (and thickness) .

I opted for a 90×220 size, just enough to sit 6 to 8 persons.

Thus I started experimenting with few leg iterations to explore ergonomics and joints

I’ve lost my head on the proposal A, which was the best for ergonomics but presented a 45° degree joint connecting the legs to the main beam, I managed to solve it, but it was too inelegant a solution.

90°+45° joint

That made me scrap the 45° angle proposal, I went for simplicity and the concept I’m developing now has taken this shape :

This design is much easier to build, leaner, albeit a bit challenging in how slim the connections are. 

Next step will involve working on the joinery, in order to improve the stability and rigidity of the structure with no aggravation to the general assembly.