The Republican from Illinois.

One of our members recently decided to spruce up his law office with something handmade, beautiful, and marginally subversive.

Using the Lab’s CNC plasma torch, the member cut plate steel silhouettes of five notable – and revolutionary – attorneys: Cicero, Abraham Lincoln, Mohandas Gandhi, Franz Kafka and Nelson Mandela.

The final product, when finished, will consist of a diffused light box to display the likeness of one of the lawyers, as well as a storage rack (pictured below) to hold the four pieces not on display. The box will be designed so that the pieces can be swapped out depending on the viewer’s particular inspirational needs.

Materials used:

- 3/16″ plate steel (from Triple S Steel)
- Bloodwood (not pictured – from Clark’s Hardwood in the Heights)
- Bubinga (also from Clark’s)
- Wood screws (from rtvak3 – shhhhh… he doesn’t know!)
- Light socket, CFL bulb, and power cord (Southland Hardware on Westheimer)

First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you make cupcakes.

Tools used:

- CNC plasma torch
- CNC routing table
- Chop saw
- Manual routing table
- Wood chisels

To learn more about the techniques involved, leave a comment below or email rexbaker4@gmail.com.

Update (24OCT2011): This project has been completed!