Structure #2 - CNC machining

The process of machining the bench was a complicated one.

Because the stock material was 20' long and the machine bed only 10' we had to think of the simplest way to order the cutting phases.  That is, the fewest moves of the stock material while on the machine.  Prior to cutting, the piece of LVL making up the sitting span of the ONE6 weighed over 600lbs.

First cut was the top sitting surface, we cut out a shallow dish across the length of the bench, it's very subtle, but when you sit on the bench you can feel it.

next we flipped the block on edge and used skill saws to remove as much material as possible before using the machine.  Cutting the waste material in this way not only saves machine time and wear, but it made for some leftovers that could be used in other projects.

once the saw roughing was complete, we placed the bench on the machine. Running a roughing pass using the machine to remove another layer of waste material.  This ensured that the final remaining waste material was an even thickness, allowing us to run the finishing pass at a faster speed because the tool engages the same amount of material per pass along the the whole length of the bench.

Finally the "step" for the leg joint and the slot for the LED lighting.

Here is some content we captured throughout the process. We will be assembling a "Making of" video once the bench is complete so check back.