What’s next with my project?

I think the next step with my project would be to finish the exterior of my nightstand with some sort of urethane clear coat. This will protect it from any liquids I will have on the nightstand. Another improvement would be to add standard furniture feet. This will prevent it from scratching wood floors, rocking on carpet, and will allow me to balance the furniture itself.

Original project intent vs what you ended up with.

Originally, I wanted to make a laser etched, adjustable desk. I quickly realized this was way out of scope from a time, tool, and cost standpoint. This meant I needed to make something smaller and cheaper. I stuck with the furniture theme and the laser etching and expanded to laser cutting as well. The desk transformed into a nightstand instead.  I ended up with a nice piece of furniture that I will actually use.

How did the public react?

Although my project wasn’t as exciting as some, I got a lot of positive feedback from the public. Many people commented on how much they liked the design. People were also very surprised that the drawer worked and that it worked so smoothly. I was told I should definitely put some sort of finish on my project and that I should possibly add some sort of second drawer or a cutout near the bottom of the stand.

What do I wish I had done differently?

I wish I had used a countersink in order to drive my screws in more cleanly. I also wish I had cut my wood earlier in order to give myself more time to assemble the actual project.

What did I learn from the project?

I learned that I need to focus more on finding higher quality materials. Having warped wood really made my life harder than it should have been while I was working through my project. I also learned how easily screws snap in half. Taking more time to plan would have helped as well.

What did I learn from this class?

I learned that time management is very important. I learned how to document my ideas and processes.

What’s next for me?

I have accepted an offer letter from RMD Kwikform based out of Thornton, CO. I will be a Formwork Designer which means I will be creating plans for formwork (concrete molds) using programs like AutoCAD.