TUTORIAL
Laser-cut cable rack
f your shop or workspace is like ours, you
probably have a snarl of assorted cables
on hand: audio patch leads, proprietary
camera cables, various vintages of USB
and FireWire, ¼” guitar leads, HDMI, MIDI,
AC power cords... and what is that odd,
mystery cord from?! Here’s a simple design for
cable storage to organise such a mess. It’s made
from a single piece of laser-cut acrylic,
thermoformed into shape. When the rack is
mounted on the wall, the cords hang down for easy
identification of plug types and cord lengths. It also
has a shelf to hold other little bits and bobs.
You could cut out this acrylic rack using hand or
power tools, but the comb shape means laboriously
scoring, drilling, and scraping – and fearing cracks
and chipping at each operation. Laser cutting makes
for easy and worry-free fabrication. Unlike laser-cut
wood and fibreboard, with its burnt smell and uglyI
Laser-cut
cable rack
Cut and thermoform a one-piece cable organiser
charred edges, acrylic melts like butter, and the laser
leaves a perfectly smooth edge, similar to the
flame-polished display cases seen in museums. You
may even come to like the ‘sweet’ smell of melted
acrylic (but of course, always use proper ventilation
when laser cutting).Bob Knetzger is
a professional toy
designer/inventor and
has created dozens of
products for Mattel,
Hasbro, Spin Master,
and many others. He
is the author of Make:
Fun! Create Your
Own Toys, Games,
and Amusements.
Makerfunbook.comBob Knetzger