Cubby Buddies Week 4

Week 4 was all about building the cubby and Cubby Buddy.  Materials we used for the cubby and Cubby Buddy were:

• Wood (11/16 in)
• Drawer Slides (2 pieces)
• Nails (2 in, 1/4 in)
• L shaped support (2 pieces)

Once we got the wood, Magnolia, Vivian and I immediately started cutting wood and drilling and screwing pieces together.

However, our first problem was the sizing of the wood.  The cut pieces of wood we received from Home Depot was smaller than our actual measurements.  Because of this, we had to rescale our cubby and Cubby Buddy based on the sizes of wood we were provided with.  Below are measurements of the new cubby and Cubby Buddy sizes.

In order to cut our wood planks into smaller pieces for the Cubby Buddy, we used a table saw in the wood shop.  With different sized and shaped pieces of wood, there were many different ways of cutting the wood: standard sliding wood past the blade, using a metal guider for pieces longer than wide, and using another object to push the piece past the blade.

The first task we did after cutting was attaching the drawer slides.  With just Magnolia and I, we were both just beginning to learn how to use the a drill.  Connecting the drawer slides was extremely difficult as we had to use 1/4 in nails and drill them through specific holes.  Once we attached the drawer slides to both the cubby itself and the side of the Cubby Buddy, we began connecting all sides of the cubby together.  With two inch nails, this task proved much easier.  The one thing we had to keep in mind while drilling was not to splint the wood.

The next day, Magnolia, Vivian and I met to finish installing the L supports for the insides of the Cubby Buddy and the tops and bottom of the cubby and Cubby Buddy.  Using a scrap piece of wood, Vivian drilled a handle onto the Cubby Buddy.  The handle stretches the length of the Cubby Buddy and is about an inch long, small but large enough for a child's hand or foot to reach under and hook onto.

Here is our finished product of a cubby and installed Cubby Buddy.  Next to the wooden model is our cardboard model.

We have not yet included the LED lights reminding kids to push the Cubby Buddy back in, or the button determining whether the Cubby Buddy is pushed in or pulled out.

On Friday, all CSC groups met with Becky.  While presenting our idea, we noticed when the Cubby Buddy is pulled out, it is 11/16 of an inch off the ground.  With the weight of a children on it, the drawer slides could easily bend and weaken.  Amy suggested attaching a sheet of delrin onto the bottom of the Cubby Buddy that would act as feet.  While in the CSC, we also noticed the cubbies on a carpet surface, and understood that delrin, rather than wood, would slide better on carpet.

Our second issue was the button placement.  Our original idea was to place the button on the side near the end of the cubby.  When the cubby was pulled out, the button would un-press, and when pushed back in, would press again.  However, we realized that once the button was unpressed, the Cubby Buddy would only hit the side of the button and would not push back in.

Our last issue was the possibility of items stuck in the back of the Cubby Buddy.  The depth of our Cubby Buddy is about an inch shorter than the depth of the cubby.  This increases the chances of items in the back blocking the cubby from going all the way in.  We will put wooden pieces in the back on the cubby to decrease the likelihood of that.

The next step for our Cubby Buddy is to install lights and the button.  We will drill holes in the cubby for wires and tape them along the corner.  The breadboard and power source will be placed on the top of the cubby.