Machinist Swiss Cube!

A machinist swiss cube as its commonly called is an old machinist shop teaching project. This cube that's full of holes was used to teach planning, setup, precision and most of all patience. The swiss in the name comes from swiss cheese and while almost 90% of the material has been removed what's left behind is an incredibly strong structure. 

3" 6061 Aluminum raw material cube. End mills, drills and chamfer cutters

First I created the 3d model using Fusion 360. I wanted to have a cube that was about 3". This makes a nice size for an art display.

Used an Elegoo Mars2 Pro to 3d print a small scale resin model as a visual aid for planning out how to machine the cube

Setting up the vise in the machine is the most important step. The vise has to be perfectly parallel with the machin axis to achieve a precision part for all the multiple setups. I machine the cube from all sides to achieve a perfect bur free part. There is a total of 8 setups I use to machine this cube. Although it takes more than 2 hours to make this, it is totally worth it. The beauty and complexity of all the surfaces when you rotate it is amazing!

The wood boxes are laser cut and glued together. They are great for storing and protecting the cube and can be a useful storage box for other things!

Thanks for checking out my first instructable!

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