The concept for a collaborative project is not new, and I have personally participated in a few. I used to be into Kite Aerial Photography, and there is an online forum dedicated to this unique hobby involving users from around the world. We did a banner that was sent from person to person as a group project, and that was inspiration to do something with the Glowforge community. When I bought my Glowforge over 2 years ago, I never in my wildest dreams knew how much it would fuel my creativity. I wanted to make something as a thank you gift, but thought it would be more meaningful if it came from a group of us. I posted a thread to see if there as any interest, and got over 30 users to participate. The forum group was involved in picking out the shape, the guidelines, and how he project would play out. After months of work, we completed and sent the first Glowforge community forums collaborative project.
Glowforge has brought us together in an amazing community that encourages us all to make something magical. We all have different backgrounds and skillsets – creators, makers, artists, hobbyists, professionals, and more. Each of us has a special connection with this community that goes well beyond the machine that can cut and engrave. We encourage each other to learn, appreciate everyone’s creative drive, and cooperate to help those with questions. The Glowforge community feels like family to many of us. We forum regulars are grateful for the opportunity to participate in your roadmap and help guide Glowforge’s continued success. It is with deep gratitude that we present the first Glowforge community forum collaborative project in appreciation of everything that you do for us.
This Pentagonal Hexecontahedron has 60 tiles designed and created by 36 forum regulars. Some participants submitted one, while others made a few. The concept was to let each contributor design something that represents their style. A face tile could be a simple thank you, while others represent an homage to projects they have made with their Glowforge. The companion book showcases each tile and who made it, along with build pictures and a peek at the back of some of the tiles. We hope that you enjoy this unique piece as much as we enjoyed conspiring to make it for you. We cannot thank you enough for bringing us all together, and fueling the inspiration and magic in all of us. We look forward to discovering what is in store for Glowforge and our future together. Thank you.
This polyhedral was delivered to Dan as a gift to Glowforge on April 21st, 2020.
We chose the Pentagonal Hexecontahedron because it had 60 sides, giving more than enough tiles for everyone who wanted to participate. I have created other polyhedrals, but this would be the biggest. A template was posted for each user to customize.
Using 3D printed connectors for the internals, each tile face has 2 layers. The bottom layer is many times a blank draftboard version of the pentagonal face used to secure itself to the connector with small #6-32 screws. Most of the top layers are glued in place on top of the bottom layer to hide the screws. Even though they will never be seen again, many contributors put a message on the back of the their tile. A gallery of these images can be found here.
The internal connectors were designed by me in Fusion360 and printed on a Lulzbot TAZ Pro 6.
Project Contributors:
timjedwards ∞ Xabbess ∞ cynd11 ∞ pubultrastar ∞ shop ∞ jeanneleigh ∞ GaryZ ∞ geek2nurse ∞ arh2 ∞ eflyguy ∞ ElsieH ∞ dwardio ∞ primal_healer ∞ Pearl ∞ evansd2 ∞ tjleasa ∞ evermorian ∞ todd.hassell ∞ aanden ∞ hansepe ∞ markevans36301 ∞ deirdrebeth ∞ chris1 ∞ crkjelstrom ∞ MakerMatthew ∞ UrJac ∞ marthajackson1970 ∞ jefish ∞ polarbrainfreeze ∞ Jules ∞ dklgood ∞ jamesdhatch ∞ mrinken ∞ ChristyM ∞ marmak3261 ∞ ptodd
Each face was documented to appear the a companion book, and can viewed here. You can also preview the companion book to see which tiles were created by each forum participant. You can visit the online gallery to view the back sides of some of the tiles, which contain secret messages.
We didn’t have enough participants to fill all 60 tiles, so a few of us had to make multiple submissions. As the creator of the project, I took it upon myself to fill the vacant slots with tiles that represent some of the previous projects I’ve completed using the Glowforge. Here are my 5 tiles, with the Glowforegopoly bring my personal favorite. The QR Code was also my idea, originally only going to be on the back of the book, but worked well using 2 color acrylic. I also designed and 3D printed the internal connectors used in the project using Fusion360. This is my second Pentagonal Hexecontahedron, as the first one was printed using acrylic and became a lamp.
I designed and created a companion book to go along with the Pentagonal Hexecontahedron to document and visualize each tile. There are also pictures of the build process and images of the back of each tile. The companion book is available on Blurb in 2 different sizes. The book is quite pricey, but there is no mark up. The extra pages and customizations are just expensive through blurb. You can find coupon codes if your patient enough to wait until they come around.
Project Option: Small Square, 7×7 in, 18×18 cm
# of Pages: 74
Project Option: Large Square, 12×12 in, 30×30 cm
# of Pages: 74
Dan at Glowforge recorded the unboxing to the staff and posted the reveal on YouTube. Their reaction was worth the effort!
You can also see the reactions and feedback on the forum thread.
3D Print your own connectors using this STL digital download.
Save $500 off a Pro, $250 off a Plus, or $100 off a Basic using my referral code. I’m happy to answer any of your questions too! Of course, I get a kick back from Glowforge if you use my code, so we both benefit.
https://glowforge.us/f/TBPLHPFL