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geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: Matt3o on Thu, 31 July 2014, 12:46:11

Title: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Thu, 31 July 2014, 12:46:11: I got my CNC router a few weeks ago (thanks mkawa for all the suggestions... and patience) and I spent the last few days trying to understand how this hell machine works. It's really hard to set up and probably I wouldn't have bought it if I knew how much time you need to master it. Well anyway now I'm forced to learn the fine art of CNC machinery :P

This is my first experiment with wooden keycaps, still not perfect but I'm getting there. Of course the wood is still raw, it needs to be sanded and varnished... but I'm pretty happy with the end result

(http://i.imgur.com/RFSfNQg.jpg)

I have to try different kind of woods, not sure poplar is the best option here.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: SpAmRaY on Thu, 31 July 2014, 12:54:19: needs more bottom shots :P :thumb:
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:15:26: yeah sorry I was too excited and made a quick pic just out of the production lane :) I'll post more!

I have to find a way to make the stem more robust though, looks a bit fragile now. Like I said, CNC is a very time consuming activity and I'm learning really slowly.

Probably the keycap has to be done 0.1/0.2mm bigger so you have margin for post-processing (ie: sanding)
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: CPTBadAss on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:16:57: Can you take some pictures of the router in action? Would love to see some machining porn. And your cap looks really good! Thanks for sharing with us
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:19:26: thanks :)

I'll make a full documentary the next time I mill something. This time I was really too busy trying to make everything work :)
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: CPTBadAss on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:23:59: Quote from: Matt3o on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:19:26
I'll make a full documentary the next time I mill something.

Thanks! I can't wait! And I can't blame you, it's exciting to see something you designed and worked on come to life :D.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: FrostyToast on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:28:15: Looks great! Are you planning on selling these in the future?
I would be interested if the price wasn't too crazy.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: CPTBadAss on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:29:13: Also, how did you manage to make the model of a DSA cap? Just modeled it in CAD?
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:49:26: Quote from: FrostyToast on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:28:15
Looks great! Are you planning on selling these in the future?
I would be interested if the price wasn't too crazy.

If I find a way of making them pretty quickly, yes I can sell them. I don't know about pricing, it depends on the wood and time needed to post-process. Fine wood (olive wood, cherry, mahogany, ebony) is quite expensive, but from a small board I can probably do 20-30 keycaps. If I can only make small run it would probably cost in the $5-15 range per keycap. If I find a way to produce them in large quantity it can probably go way lower.

Quote from: CPTBadAss on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:29:13
Also, how did you manage to make the model of a DSA cap? Just modeled it in CAD?

yes, I modeled it in Rhino, but I'd like to give solidworks a shot (if I can find a demo version)
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: CPTBadAss on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:55:22: Quote from: Matt3o on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:49:26
Quote from: CPTBadAss on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:29:13
Also, how did you manage to make the model of a DSA cap? Just modeled it in CAD?

yes, I modeled it in Rhino, but I'd like to give solidworks a shot (if I can find a demo version)

Good choice. If you need some help with CAD, feel free to PM me :D.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: FrostyToast on Thu, 31 July 2014, 14:02:56: Would you be able to model a fatty spacebar? I have never seen one of those for MX (i.e. 1.25u x 6.25u)
I might be willing to pay for the labor of making the CAD file if it's reasonable.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Thu, 31 July 2014, 16:57:36: Quote from: FrostyToast on Thu, 31 July 2014, 14:02:56
Would you be able to model a fatty spacebar? I have never seen one of those for MX (i.e. 1.25u x 6.25u)
I might be willing to pay for the labor of making the CAD file if it's reasonable.

yeah, no problem, actually bigger keys are easier to do. What profile would that be?

Quote from: CPTBadAss on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:55:22
Good choice. If you need some help with CAD, feel free to PM me :D.

thanks! I will surely need help with that :)
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: FrostyToast on Thu, 31 July 2014, 20:18:06: Quote from: Matt3o on Thu, 31 July 2014, 16:57:36
Quote from: FrostyToast on Thu, 31 July 2014, 14:02:56
Would you be able to model a fatty spacebar? I have never seen one of those for MX (i.e. 1.25u x 6.25u)
I might be willing to pay for the labor of making the CAD file if it's reasonable.

yeah, no problem, actually bigger keys are easier to do. What profile would that be?

I want to see what other people want. Whichever profile is the most popular is what I'll get you to do. I guess I could start an IC thread.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Melvang on Thu, 31 July 2014, 20:29:09: Quote from: Matt3o on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:49:26
Quote from: FrostyToast on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:28:15
Looks great! Are you planning on selling these in the future?
I would be interested if the price wasn't too crazy.

If I find a way of making them pretty quickly, yes I can sell them. I don't know about pricing, it depends on the wood and time needed to post-process. Fine wood (olive wood, cherry, mahogany, ebony) is quite expensive, but from a small board I can probably do 20-30 keycaps. If I can only make small run it would probably cost in the $5-15 range per keycap. If I find a way to produce them in large quantity it can probably go way lower.

Quote from: CPTBadAss on Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:29:13
Also, how did you manage to make the model of a DSA cap? Just modeled it in CAD?

yes, I modeled it in Rhino, but I'd like to give solidworks a shot (if I can find a demo version)

With my experience with solid works you can get the student version (one year licence, no tech support, and no updates) for around $150. If you know a veteran that still has a copy of their DD-214 they can get the same version direct from them for $20. For what its worth, the full version with an unlimited duration on the license, including tech support and updates was around $43,000 as of last spring.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Fri, 01 August 2014, 01:38:55: Quote from: Melvang on Thu, 31 July 2014, 20:29:09
With my experience with solid works you can get the student version (one year licence, no tech support, and no updates) for around $150. If you know a veteran that still has a copy of their DD-214 they can get the same version direct from them for $20. For what its worth, the full version with an unlimited duration on the license, including tech support and updates was around $43,000 as of last spring.

I can safely rule solidworks out :D unless I find a way to get a student licence.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: madhias on Fri, 01 August 2014, 01:42:50: Wondering if you could drill / sculpture some letters out of the wood, kind of braille caps. For example ESC or just the letters of the Alphas.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Fri, 01 August 2014, 02:32:15: Quote from: madhias on Fri, 01 August 2014, 01:42:50
Wondering if you could drill / sculpture some letters out of the wood, kind of braille caps. For example ESC or just the letters of the Alphas.

I can (and will) sculpt/carve anything on the keycap :) not only letters but also logos or any design actually
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: infiniti on Fri, 01 August 2014, 08:13:43: Quote from: Matt3o on Fri, 01 August 2014, 02:32:15
Quote from: madhias on Fri, 01 August 2014, 01:42:50
Wondering if you could drill / sculpture some letters out of the wood, kind of braille caps. For example ESC or just the letters of the Alphas.

I can (and will) sculpt/carve anything on the keycap :) not only letters but also logos or any design actually

That's pretty cool! :cool:

Got anything in mind to tease the imagination?
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Fri, 01 August 2014, 08:16:56: Quote from: infiniti on Fri, 01 August 2014, 08:13:43
Quote from: Matt3o on Fri, 01 August 2014, 02:32:15
Quote from: madhias on Fri, 01 August 2014, 01:42:50
Wondering if you could drill / sculpture some letters out of the wood, kind of braille caps. For example ESC or just the letters of the Alphas.

I can (and will) sculpt/carve anything on the keycap :) not only letters but also logos or any design actually

That's pretty cool! :cool:

Got anything in mind to tease the imagination?

I wanted to carve the 4 games of throne insignia (one per cap)
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: infiniti on Fri, 01 August 2014, 08:54:18: With your setup, are you able to carve on the the sides of the keycap or just the top?
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Fri, 01 August 2014, 08:58:26: Quote from: infiniti on Fri, 01 August 2014, 08:54:18
With your setup, are you able to carve on the the sides of the keycap or just the top?

yes, the sides would be possible too

PS: terribly sorry I edited your message by mistake (I didn't know I could actually...)
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: infiniti on Fri, 01 August 2014, 09:53:16: Quote from: Matt3o on Fri, 01 August 2014, 08:58:26
Quote from: infiniti on Fri, 01 August 2014, 08:54:18
With your setup, are you able to carve on the the sides of the keycap or just the top?

yes, the sides would be possible too

PS: terribly sorry I edited your message by mistake (I didn't know I could actually...)

Lots of possibilities for this. 'looking forward to what you create!

Don't worry about the edit...I've heard robots have special privileges. ;)
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Fri, 01 August 2014, 09:58:12: I'll work on a carved version this week end. I hope to be able to post a video too.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: ephrog on Fri, 01 August 2014, 11:32:20: This is absolutely amazing and exciting. Look forward to that video :D
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: FrostyToast on Sun, 03 August 2014, 00:34:15: What types of wood can we expect you to use for this? And what will prices be like for 1-offs of certain types of wood?
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: bueller on Sun, 03 August 2014, 00:53:59: Quote from: FrostyToast on Sun, 03 August 2014, 00:34:15
What types of wood can we expect you to use for this? And what will prices be like for 1-offs of certain types of wood?
Interested in this too. I'd love an MX Fn key and a 6.25 space but I'm more interested in darker woods like ebony.
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: FrostyToast on Sun, 03 August 2014, 00:54:44: Quote from: bueller on Sun, 03 August 2014, 00:53:59
Quote from: FrostyToast on Sun, 03 August 2014, 00:34:15
What types of wood can we expect you to use for this? And what will prices be like for 1-offs of certain types of wood?
Interested in this too. I'd love an MX Fn key and a 6.25 space but I'm more interested in darker woods like ebony.

Cherry would also be very topical :p
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Sun, 03 August 2014, 01:49:44: Quote from: FrostyToast on Sun, 03 August 2014, 00:34:15
What types of wood can we expect you to use for this? And what will prices be like for 1-offs of certain types of wood?

well, any kind of wood actually.

poplar is a very light wood and can be stained to any color (or left natural). Cherry is very nice, a bit pricey, but it's a reddish wood. Olive wood is nice too. Anyway I'll take samples of many wood types and make some tests.

I have no clue about pricing. There's a lot of post processing involved (sanding, sealing, varnishing). The idea is to make 10-20 caps per batch but I still have to find the right setup to produce them quickly.

Hopefully today I'll post more pictures and a video
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Sun, 03 August 2014, 10:50:22: I made a second test with documentary video

This is the RAW top, still not finished!

(http://i.imgur.com/sfWlhPZ.jpg)

I believe that is the kanji for "wood".

Unfortunately I made an error in the bottom set up and it came out pretty rough. Final version will be polished

(http://i.imgur.com/b4epI9l.jpg)
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Sifo on Sun, 03 August 2014, 12:48:45: lol because of the angle and the little black dot to the left of the vertical stroke I thought you wrote water. but yes that is wood

(http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/userpix/5857_Yep_its_wood_1.jpg)
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: FrostyToast on Sun, 03 August 2014, 14:40:17: Quote from: Matt3o on Sun, 03 August 2014, 10:50:22
This is the RAW top, still not finished!

Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/sfWlhPZ.jpg)

I believe that is the kanji for "wood".

Unfortunately I made an error in the bottom set up and it came out pretty rough. Final version will be polished

Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/b4epI9l.jpg)

:eek: I wonder if I could get my profile pic engraved on that cap... oh wait, you already have with your first cap :))
(http://i.imgur.com/RFSfNQg.jpg)
How thoughtful of you :p
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Tindron on Sun, 03 August 2014, 18:34:23: Nice! I know a guy who's working on wooden keycaps and he's making me a set as well. These are from a test run:
[attach=1]

With the eventual goal being a wooden ergodox:
[attach=2][attach=3][attach=4]
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: FrostyToast on Sun, 03 August 2014, 20:27:31: Quote from: Tindron on Sun, 03 August 2014, 18:34:23
Nice! I know a guy who's working on wooden keycaps and he's making me a set as well. These are from a test run:
(Attachment Link)

With the eventual goal being a wooden ergodox:
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)

I wonder how the sound of blues would resonate through a completely wooden setup.
That would be baller
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: bueller on Sun, 03 August 2014, 20:34:05: Looking good Matt3o, very excited to throw some cash in your general direction :)
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: sakai4eva on Sun, 03 August 2014, 22:02:01: Dayum!
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Mon, 04 August 2014, 04:09:22: I love my new wooden cap :D

(http://i.imgur.com/aGinAiX.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/KTcShdx.jpg)

Sanded and finished
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: bueller on Mon, 04 August 2014, 04:24:13: Quote from: Matt3o on Mon, 04 August 2014, 04:09:22
I love my new wooden cap :D

Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/aGinAiX.jpg)

Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/KTcShdx.jpg)

Sanded and finished

Freakin' beautiful work man.

Next step, mother of pearl inlays :P
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: Matt3o on Mon, 04 August 2014, 05:00:00: thanks!

what about jade? :D
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: bueller on Mon, 04 August 2014, 05:06:30: Quote from: Matt3o on Mon, 04 August 2014, 05:00:00
thanks!

what about jade? :D

Very fitting considering the kanji!
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: swill on Mon, 04 August 2014, 09:59:39: Wow matt, that is pretty fricken awesome... Well done...
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: infiniti on Fri, 08 August 2014, 05:57:59: Quote from: Matt3o on Mon, 04 August 2014, 04:09:22
I love my new wooden cap :D

Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/aGinAiX.jpg)

Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/KTcShdx.jpg)

Sanded and finished

Very nice sir! :thumb:
Title: Re: CNC wooden keycap
Post by: romevi on Thu, 17 September 2015, 22:06:59: Sorry, but I'm on a Matt30 dead-thread roll. (I'll try not to keep doing this--much.)

Whatever became of this? Seeing as I'm taking this hobby seriously this year, I'm going back to all the Matt3o and Ivan sets I've missed, so I want to know if this ever materialized into more than just the Pumpkin.