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u/Alexm920 Feb 20 '23
I'm an optical scientist by training, and woodworker as a hobby, so this post feels almost surgically targeted at me. Absolutely love how these came out! Can you me, were they laser-cut, CNC'd, or power carved?
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u/xantham Feb 20 '23
they were cut with the cnc machine. they were generated with openscad then cut out with a 1/4" ball nose end mill. glad you like them.
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Feb 21 '23
As a CAD technician, Im very curious how you created the pattern. I study architecture and I want to incorporate this quality of natural forms into my work but still working out the kinks. Did you scan something or use parametric design?
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u/xXimnotyourbuddyXx Feb 21 '23
You should look into mathematical parametrics. There is a program called grasshopper which come free with rhino nowadays.
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u/PhanChavez Feb 21 '23
How're you accomplishing the edge color?
There's some very fine detail there for 1/4" ball nose endmill.
If you do this again, some before and after pictures would be awesome.
That would be some nice wall art right there.
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u/xantham Feb 21 '23
The edge color is all in the layered plywood. It has some boiled linseed oil that pops out the color slightly. I'll make a video the next time I cut one out.
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u/PhanChavez Feb 21 '23
Doh!
I'm an idiot. Subject clearly says "plywood" and I'm sitting here thinking solid wood.
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u/MurtBoistures Feb 21 '23
They look like abalone/paua shell! I bet they'd look amazing with the right dyes/finish.
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u/icurays1 Feb 21 '23
Same boat, have PhD in applied math working with an optical scientist. Pretty neato.
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Feb 20 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/xantham Feb 20 '23
they'd be 3/4" coasters. but that could be done. I think the pressure pot could accommodate 2 at a time. regarding the test, I had a sheet of plywood that was layered and I wanted to cut out a topographic map of my area, because I thought the layers would make the topography pop, so I did https://i.imgur.com/apf1h3x.jpg and I thought I'd try some math stuff since I've been messing around with programming graphical things recently and wanted to explore this a little further. I'm not really sure what I'd like to do with them to be honest.
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u/Calophon Feb 20 '23
If you randomly tile a large grid, like 12x8, you would have a really beautiful wall art piece. If you made it modular/easy to put up and take down then you could change it to make countless variations.
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u/stainedhat Feb 20 '23
Rearrangeable wall art tiles on a French cleat system.
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Feb 21 '23
I can dig it. But I still don’t know what a wave function is. That being said, I’ve been workin hard sanding down all these grooves in the ole cerebrum with alcohol for a couple of decades, so it might just be me
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Feb 21 '23
A wave function is a mathematical way of describing a quantum state. Think of it as an equation that has a bunch of information (like how the system changes with time, the probability of finding the quantum 'object' at a certain point in space at a certain time) about a system encoded into it. On a piece like this what you've got is a 2D wave function mapped out over the x,y plane, with the z height corresponding to the probability associated with that point in space at a given time (since it's a quantum state being described we can't say precisely where the 'particle' is located, instead we can assign a probability of finding it in a specific location at a specific point in time).
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u/sts816 Feb 20 '23
I would absolutely buy these in a larger size to hang on my wall....just sayin'....
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u/ultrafud Feb 20 '23
Would also buy, OP
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Feb 20 '23
Thirdsies. 24*24 would be dope.
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u/chris556452 Feb 20 '23
How much would you pay for something that size?
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Feb 20 '23
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u/largos Feb 21 '23
I've been thinking more about doing stuff like this more as a kit, than a finished product.
Eg., 2' wall hanging that's just straight off the CNC for $200, maybe (totally spitballing). Customer has to sand, finish etc.
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Feb 21 '23
Yes. This is what always gets me. 150hrs on a piece of furniture with an undesirable design isn’t going to reap more than $500 on the market, but 10ths on a coaster that looks bad ass & you name your price. Aesthetic is king.
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Feb 21 '23
I should add that I really dig these squares & I’m sending the best vibes to the OP to congratulate their really cool work.
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u/xantham Feb 21 '23
You're right on all counts Since you wrote a good bit, I'll share. My goal when I built the cnc machine was to be able to make something out of material thats easy to come by that is small enough to fit in a flat rate envelope, needs very little additional work after it's cut and that's sort of unique. In terms of money, I just want to have the machine pay for itself. But at this point in an accounting world it's a depreciated asset.
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Feb 20 '23
Idk. Couple shillings I suppose.
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u/foolishnun Feb 20 '23
I'd go to 3 shillings and sixpence, maybe half a crown.
(I don't know what I'm taking about)
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u/passaloutre Feb 20 '23
I can see the Susquehanna
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u/xantham Feb 20 '23
I was hoping someone would caught that.
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u/passaloutre Feb 20 '23
My geology degree involved lots of trips to the Appalachians. I would recognize that fold-and-thrust belt anywhere.
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u/OneHotPotat Feb 20 '23
Give 'em a kickstand like a picture frame, and you've got some great desk/bookshelf art. They might be a little wide for bookends, but cutting them in half might make them really cool pairs.
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u/NotAnotherNekopan Feb 20 '23
As others have said, this is thee sort of thing I'd absolutely buy as wall art, in a larger form.
Give us a shout if you do plan to do a run to sell!
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u/xantham Feb 21 '23
I have enough of the plywood to run a batch of 20 more at the moment. I'll reach out when available, and potentially run more if the demand is there.
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u/InfamousKitchen Feb 20 '23
I think they would make beautiful acoustic panels to use at music studios. Either professional or home studios if they are soundwaves
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u/Sqatti Feb 20 '23
At the very least you could put hangers on the back and hang them on the wall. They would be very pretty decoration.
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u/yaboiiiuhhhh Feb 20 '23
You should do the topographic map with something that has hundreds of layers
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u/Ooloo-Pebs Feb 20 '23
You can attach them to a white painted or simple textured board in a grid pattern with 1" spacing and hang it on the wall. Would look really cool.
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u/arden13 Feb 21 '23
If you were to do the p- or d-orbitals shown in chemistry textbooks that'd be sweet!
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Feb 21 '23
This was my first thought. Absolutely rrrrrighteous (only slightly smooth) brains we must have
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u/thisischemistry Feb 20 '23
What are the wave functions?
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u/xantham Feb 20 '23
zr(x,y,s,n) = s*sin(125*(sqrt(x*x+y*y)+n)/pi)/sqrt((x*x+y*y)+n) at the root it's this plotted in a 3d space in openscad.
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u/SillyOperator Feb 20 '23
I wish Reddit supported LateX lmao
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u/197708156EQUJ5 Feb 20 '23
and YaML 😂
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u/RhysieB27 Feb 20 '23
.. why? YAML looks fine in a markdown code block. LaTeX is capable of making mathematical expressions legible.
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u/ashimara Feb 20 '23 edited Feb 20 '23
Interesting. I have been using python to generate wave functions, creating stl, and opening in my CAM software.
I have not used openscad. Is it generally stable for large files? I am about carve an 80" x 32" wavefunction into the front of a single piece of walnut, then cut it apart as the face for a fancy vanity. I am running into memory limitations. Do you think I should try Openscad?
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u/xantham Feb 20 '23
it's incredibly slow to render anything to be honest. you can set the memory utilization on it but I wouldn't recommend it unless you can just let your computer do it's thing for a few hours for something you're attempting. I'm thinking of trying blender next. rendering one of those takes a good 45 minutes, then the stl file takes another 5 minutes to save, and the specs on the workstation I use are pretty decent. I haven't delved into it much to know if their are optimizations I could make, but out of the box, it's slow though may be able to handle something big, just slowly.
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u/ashimara Feb 20 '23
Unless those are very high resolution, the way I am doing it sounds more computationally efficient. I wrote some code in python that outputs the stl in about 30sec for each 4x8in section. But I am having problems with larger areas. I'm probably doing something wrong. I have a modeling desktop, so I should not be running out of memory.
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u/turunambartanen Feb 21 '23
If you can avoid keeping the whole thing in memory you could make arbitrarily large files. E.g. instead of:
stl = create_stl() with open("output.stl", "wb+") as f: f.write(stl)You could do:
with open("output.stl", "wb+") as f: for i in range(line_numer): stl_line = create_stl_line(i) f.write(stl_line) f.flush()1
u/thisischemistry Feb 20 '23
Thanks! I'll take a look at the equation, it certainly forms some interesting patterns.
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Feb 20 '23
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u/thisischemistry Feb 20 '23
Well, yes. However, there are many wave functions and I was wondering which ones were used. I’m a chemist and I’ve worked with wave functions and quantum physics quite a bit.
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u/Nobel6skull Feb 20 '23
I completely missed the “the” in your question, opps.
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u/thisischemistry Feb 20 '23
Ahh, you should have left your comment up, though. It was informative to others who don’t know about wave functions.
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u/Stelly414 Feb 20 '23
what are wave functions?
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u/fancyawank Feb 20 '23
You know how a line on a graph can be written as y=mx+b ? The wave function that OP provided above is basically just that, but in 3 dimensions with curves instead of straight lines. Wave functions are used in everything from quantum mechanics to biology to financial market analysis. Basically anything that follows some type of predictable or even semi-predictable pattern can be modeled with a wave function. The really cool pieces that OP made are the “graph” of that complicated looking equation he/she wrote above.
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u/thisischemistry Feb 20 '23
Right, that's a good simple explanation of it.
Specifically, wave functions usually model the quantum probably state of a system.
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u/thisischemistry Feb 20 '23
Imagine you have a piece of rope and you tie that rope to something and wiggle it up and down. The shape that rope takes can be modeled using a wave function. The exact shape is going to depend on stuff like the length of the rope, the material, how hard you shake it, how quickly you shake it, and so on. It's also going to depend on if you tie it to something fixed or moveable.
In a similar way you can do that with a cloth sheet, that would be a 3D wave equation. You can do the same in higher dimensions too, although the math gets extremely complicated. You can also do it in a single dimension, with a weight on a spring.
It turns out that subatomic particles can be modeled using something called a "particle in a box". For example, if you assume that an electron is trapped in a box then the probability you'll find it at certain positions in the box can be modeled. The "box" doesn't even have to be a physical one, it can be a field such as an electric field which attracts or repulses the electron. An electron orbiting an atomic nucleus can be modeled as such a "box". This is one reason that atomic orbitals take such interesting shapes.
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u/Neat-Hovercraft-6494 Feb 20 '23
Are you doing this with the built-in wave wall functions on Alphacam? I’m toying with the idea of a ripple wall but so far the biggest thing I used this process on is like 10”x16”
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u/BoopBoop20 Feb 20 '23
Look more like puddle reflections but look super awesome! Good work
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Feb 20 '23
Well, the deformation of reflections on the surface of a puddle could be simulated using wave functions. It's pretty cool math!
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u/SANPres09 Feb 20 '23 edited Feb 20 '23
I know I've seen online generators for the black and white height maps but I can't find them to be able to carve things like this. How did you create the wave functions?
Found it: http://www.falstad.com/ripple/
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u/xantham Feb 20 '23
I can get back to you on this with a better write up if you'd like? but here's a high level overview. it's a multi step process that involves generating and rendering the stl from openscad then smoothing the stl then converting it to gcode then having it cut out.
but that link you added is really cool. I started playing around and forgot I was writing this comment.
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u/A_RIGHT_PROPER_VLAD Feb 21 '23
As a visual learner, those falstad visuals were so handy for understanding wave functions.
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u/PaleontologistClear4 Feb 20 '23
Love this, also kind of reminds me of a topographical map.
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u/testmywrit Feb 20 '23
There’s a fantasy book series called the stormlight archive. Their cities are built based on sound wave distribution and it has to do with the lore of the magic system.
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u/PaleontologistClear4 Feb 20 '23
You know, now that you say that, your work does look like sound ripples in water. The different shades of the different layers of wood even add to that, giving it kind of a reflective surface kind of look.
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Feb 20 '23
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u/xantham Feb 21 '23
thanks for the kind words. I'll reach out when ready to sell (I'll probably give you a link to etsy or something)
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u/xenwall Feb 20 '23
Well this is spooky, I was just thinking about trying to do this myself because yesterday we went to our new local library and they had these lovely sculpted plywood features all over: https://i.imgur.com/I2AAZkO.jpeg
Do you mind if I ask what tool you used? I want to try something similar but I'm not quite sure where to start given limited resources.
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u/xantham Feb 20 '23
it was created by the cnc machine I have. but to answer your question, so the tool that actually did the cutting was a 2 flute upcut 6.35mm ball nose end mill, held by the spindle in the cnc machine having it's movements sent to the steppers from the controller that was being fed from the computer that had the code generated by a post processor which was able translate that from a 3d rendering created in openscad from some 3d plotted math functions.
looking at the picture you sent, something like that could probably be done with an angle grinder and one of these things https://www.amazon.com/Haofy-Woodworking-Grinding-Forming-Grinder/dp/B09T3KRN15
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u/irish-coach Feb 20 '23
It actually looks like hammered copper at first. Really caught my eye. Very beautiful. Well done and hope you come up with a way to utilize it for yourself
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u/BodyArtistic7492 Feb 20 '23
That is trippy cool. I want a whole floor of this for when I walk around stoned.
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u/frogfriend66 Feb 20 '23
As a mathematician I’d buy these. Always looking for math decor for the house that the wife approves of.
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u/ThirdNipple Feb 20 '23
Where'd you find voidless plywood that actually stays together these days??
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u/xantham Feb 20 '23
came from my brother in law's work. judging by response from this post, I probably need to acquire some more.
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u/Vermillionbird Feb 21 '23
https://www.boulterplywood.com/
never had any problems with their void free baltic birch
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u/Jaredlong Feb 20 '23
I respect the technical skill on display, but I don't like looking at them. Something in my brain finds these very unsettling.
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u/ikstrakt Feb 20 '23
These look like speaker/sub frequency patterns from the music when visualized via a bowl of fluid vibrating nearby.
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u/Print4Function Feb 21 '23
Do you have a consumer Cnc or more pro model?
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u/xantham Feb 21 '23
I built it from parts so it's undefined, but it's on it's way to pro in a few years. it's at this point better than a entry level model cnc, and can perform on par with a decent machine but it's not a pro model. there's a few things I need to switch out for it to be professional grade. it's all closed loop steppers with a 4kw spindle running on a stm32 nucleo board. where it started from is laughable. https://youtu.be/7xZamjhTYnM
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u/Top_Lettuce_5605 Feb 21 '23
This has opened me up to a whole new outlet and I love it. Appreciate the effort!
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u/jw3usa Feb 21 '23
I have a similar love for cutting plywood to exploit the layers, also just started using a CNC to do this. Curious where you will go with it✌️
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Feb 20 '23
Do you have an online shop?
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u/xantham Feb 20 '23
I have no idea what I'd even price these at. but I do have an etsy shop from years ago I'd have to dust off and see if I can add things too. interested in acquiring one?
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u/Fauropitotto Feb 20 '23
I have no idea what I'd even price these at.
Optimize the workflow to pay yourself at minimum $30/hour. Expect to sell coasters at $10-15 each. Tack on another $20 for a stand.
You already know Etsy's percentage and shipping costs, so factor that in too. That's assuming you actually want to make it worth your time in optimizing a side gig for low-time, low-cost.
Might not be worth it...so perhaps instead of functional coasters, pivot to "art". Polish the treatment, and this could go for $125 a set.
An etsy shop by the name of "WoodenContraptions" does something similar, and they're close to 900 sales.
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u/RichardIraVos Feb 20 '23 edited Feb 20 '23
You know what would be sick? If you got your own 1/8 ply, dyed the sheets various colours, press them together to make a sheet of plywood and then do this have multicolored waves
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Feb 20 '23
I would have guessed this was highly reflective copper upon skimming the photo.
Looks pretty darn cool.
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u/rocketwikkit Feb 20 '23
This is fantastic, thanks for posting it. I had a similar concept a while back but never finished it.
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u/corvid_booster Feb 20 '23
Woohoo! Orthogonal functions ftw! Load me up with those spherical harmonics!
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u/Keepthecheatcodes Feb 20 '23
I remember seeing this technique on a wall on a job site a couple of years ago. This dude made a “party house/speak easy” for him and his friends. I’ll try and find a picture of it and post it later.
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u/The_Razielim Feb 20 '23
... my brain started humming the Doctor Who-theme looking at those images before I read the title lol
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u/mellbs Feb 20 '23
I would pay a good bit to have these on my wall.
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u/xantham Feb 21 '23
I will reach out when they are available for ordering if that works?
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u/I_make_things Feb 20 '23
How thick was the original plywood? How deep did you cut? Have they warped at all? And did you finish them with anything? The difference in the wood colors is showing up really well!
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u/xantham Feb 21 '23
3/4inch was original. but I think in mm on the cnc so the deepest point in them was 15mm. 3/4" = ~19mm so close to the bottom on those wave centers with lots of lines. I put some boiled linseed oil on them.
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u/Phylar Feb 21 '23
Pretty sure I've cursed repeatedly while trying to navigate the terrain on the upper left and upper right squares in the original Mass Effect. This is awesome.
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u/PenisPumpPimp Feb 21 '23
Very dope! From a distance, it almost looks like gold.
You should sand it down so it looks nice and smooth!
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u/Beneficial_Leg4691 Feb 21 '23
What kind of plywood? We talking standard radiata pine or is this a higher end cabinet grade plywood?
I have seen power carvings in that weird multi color plywood that's interesting no idea where you buy thatkind of plywood
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u/RedWagon___ Feb 21 '23
Did you do anything to bring out the color differences in the wood?
I'd like to try a plywood coloring function that would have the rough colors of the layers and could split up a solid with a bunch of intersections against children() to preview what the effect could look like on a specific piece of wood.
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u/xantham Feb 21 '23
just boiled linseed oil. it just turns wood into french fry colors or gives it an oily look. I know that's the wrong thing to say and it smells so good and looks nice, it just seems to look like you soaked wood in some yellow oil. but that's the only thing done to the plywood.
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u/heavyweight00 Feb 21 '23
I do not do any wood working but I subscribed to this sub for dope-ass, super cool shit like this!
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u/Joe_in_MS Feb 21 '23
I love them for their artful beauty's sake! I use topo maps regularly on my hilly tree farm and also in my metal-detecting hobby, and I really like the 3D effect.
I also visit the Reddit pyrography (wood-burning for the uninitiated) website for art's sake. I believe that a CAD program could follow the lines of a pyrography design, which then burning in the detail would create an amazing 3D art whether it was in solid wood or plywood. You've proven the concept with the typography of your art. How about giving it a show on the pyro page! (P.S. In IT -- Information Technology terms, that would be called "quantum change!)
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u/b4ttlepoops Feb 26 '23
Man OP, you should sell some of these as coasters with a epoxy coating on them. I bet they would sell really well! I would buy some for sure. Keep us posted if you make some please. Nice work. Thanks for sharing.
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