584,854 active members*
4,273 visitors online*
Register for free
Login
IndustryArena Forum > WoodWorking > WoodWorking Topics > Wife wants gift ideas, what can I make her?
Results 1 to 14 of 14
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    61

    Wife wants gift ideas, what can I make her?

    My wife wants to give custom made gifts to her friends/co-workers this xmas using my CNC (ok, that was the reason I got her to allow me to make it in the first place, lol). Can some of you good people share some ideas, and DXF files if you have them?

    She was thinking small, so mostly things that can sit on shelves or hang on walls if they do not take up too much space. I have been turning bumper stickers into wooden signs for her since I complete my CNC router but now she wants something a bit more complicated and I cannot think of any good, relatively simple, projects.

    This might be a good thread to help others with their christmas gift ideas also so perhaps we can keep it going throughout the year?

    I have seen the puzzle threads and the metal art cutting threads but mostly those are things that would appeal to men or children...how about the women in our lives?

  2. #2

    Give Christmas Ornaments

    Engrave snowflakes and other stuff into thin Maple with the persons
    name and the year as Christmas ornaments. You can get some good xmas dxf files and snowflakes here.

    Free Cnc Dxf Vector Art Files: snowflake | Free Cnc Dxf Vector Art Files

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    61
    Excellent idea, I sent the link to my wife with your suggestion. Thank you!

    Any more out there?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    13
    Last year I machined a ton of cast acrylic, took the cutoffs and cut them into 4"x4" squares, swiped some santa images off the net ran them thru the rastor to vector chook in mastercam. Put some text on them as well. Used a 45 deg engraving bit. We have a santa pub crawl in the Oshawa area of Ontario near Christmas to raise money for cancer, these were give out as little prizes. Generally they all had Santa's head and below sayings like I survived the santa crawl 2009, I puked on the santa crawl, Drunkest female santa, Drunkest male santa, Sexiest santa....stuff like that. They were a real hit and easy to make from scrap.
    cheers

  5. #5
    Get some Celtic knot patterns and cut them into Christmas ornaments. That's always a good one. I've been doing lithophanes for all my co-workers and family for this christmas. Mine are about 4"x3" and they are coming out awesome. Takes a little machine time but it's well worth it. I'm framing them in wood from a recycled oak pallet I got from work. The HDPE was also scrap I picked up from work and a local plastic company. They can't sell anything that small so they give most of it to me for projects.
    Check it out: HERE RoboCNC Tutorial : Making a Lithophane using PhotoVCarve - YouTube

    I'm just letting them set them in a window for light instead of making a back lit frame. I will do some LED lighting to my own at some point.
    Be sure to search GOOGLE and YOUTUBE for more CNC Lithophane info. If you need feeds and speeds etc, let me know.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Posts
    38
    I took bars of soap and personalized them.

  7. #7
    I took $1 picture frames and did custom engraving for the wife's family, kids teachers, babysitters, etc. I put in some icons & personalized each frame with names, etc. Made a fixture from MDF with a couple clamps. It takes about 5 minutes to program a new frame and about 10 minutes to engrave it. Brush it off, spray a coat of clear, stick in a picture (that's the wife's job) and put a smile on someone's face!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    0
    Well, it's getting close to Christmas time again. Each year it seems like Christmas sneaks up faster than it did the year before. Although the saying is usually true that "Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year", for many of us it is also the most costly.
    As we all know, this can be an extremely stressful time. If you are one of those scraping by each month just to pay your bills, the added pressure to earn extra money for Christmas can be a little much to handle.
    Making extra money is something a lot of us are worried about this time of year. With a combination of the economy, and job instability... you may be among the many searching for ways to make money this holiday season.
    New Page 1
    christmas gifts for men

  9. #9
    Mfgbydesign, I like the picture frame idea. I'll have to make a couple of those myself. Thanks.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    666
    Quote Originally Posted by PropNut View Post
    (ok, that was the reason I got her to allow me to make it in the first place, lol)

    Now it's time to teach her how to use your CNC machine.:wave::wave:

    Or I suggest some jewels, maybe she will let you have a 4th axis.:cheers::cheers:


    Have a nice day.


    Jeff

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    2134
    I've made wall plaques with 2.5D models and a nice poem or sentiment personalised to the recipient from the people giving the gift. It's amazing how when it's personalised it means so much more. People generally treasure hand made things that are not only nice, but is unique and personal to them.

    Notice I said "things that are nice", I can't tell you how damn loofah pack's we've gotten over the years!

    Another gift that always is appreciated, is along the lines suggested earlier but with a slight difference, we occasionaly buy the cheap 6 x 4 photo frames, toss the frame and keep the glass, and cnc a new (usually rectangular) frame out of mdf with a 2.5D model, and again, a poem or relevant sentiment, along with a cutout for the glass, so it becomes a personalised photo frame. It's not only practical, but a very thoughtful gift.

    cheers,
    Ian
    It's rumoured that everytime someone buys a TB6560 based board, an engineer cries!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    292
    Here is a link to a thread about the 'pill-box' I made for my wife's Valentines Day present. Valentine's Day present for wife

    Maybe a little complicated for what you want to do but believe me, she LIKED it a lot.

    Don
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails PillBox Complete No Finish.jpg  

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    2134
    Not wanting to hijack the thread, but I've gotta say that's a beautiful job you did Don! Walnut's quite a hard timber to machine but gives a good cutting finish that comes up terrific as you have shown. Nice work on the inlay as well!

    cheers,
    Ian
    It's rumoured that everytime someone buys a TB6560 based board, an engineer cries!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    292
    Thanks Ian The inlay was the clincher.... ;-)

    There are instructions in the link I posted on how I did the inlay, actually pretty simple. the hard part was the oval curved top.

    Don

Similar Threads

  1. ideas to make some money/fund hobby
    By zerodegreec in forum Benchtop Machines
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 10-13-2010, 01:33 AM
  2. My Wife Asks...
    By LessPaul in forum DIY CNC Router Table Machines
    Replies: 26
    Last Post: 03-20-2010, 04:21 PM
  3. my wife set me up
    By uptoolateman in forum BobCad-Cam
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 10-06-2009, 07:10 PM
  4. Ideas on how to make this?
    By cnczoner in forum MetalWork Discussion
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 06-14-2008, 02:58 AM
  5. Can't hide this from the wife
    By trubleshtr in forum Benchtop Machines
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 04-25-2005, 05:45 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •