Make Stage Props With A  CNC Router Table

My kids are very involved in the Theater Programs at school. Each year, I get asked to help make Stage Props with a CNC Router Table. Using my 3 axis  CNC Router Table to make props is a fast way to create an intricate design  fast. It also allows us to make slightly more elaborate decorations than we usually do.

This year’s project involved making some Wild Geese for a painting which hung over a Giant Overstuffed couch. The Geese were simple silhouettes but when painted looked fabulous. I created the silhouette vectors using Vectric Aspire 3D Cam software.

I created the silhouette vectors using Vectric Aspire 3D Cam software. I

I selected an image of some Geese in flight from Google images, then traced the image  to create the vector file.  I only sketched one Goose and simply manipulated the vector nodes to create two new Geese in slightly different poses. Tracing the image instead of letting the program trace it automatically gave me better results because the downloaded image was low quality and would have given a  jagged outline.

Add Some Embellishment

Knowing when to use a CNC Routed part take a bit of careful thought. Adding an embellishment to an otherwise drab piece can make it really stand out on stage. In a previous set, we made an Armour  from plywood. I added a Baroque style embellishment to the top that I made from MDF. Adding the embellishment to a rectangular box of plywood really changed the look  of the scene.

I use Vectric Aspire for most of my CNC work but sometimes I design props using Alibre Design. I then take the designs  and export them to Vectric Aspire. After I created the tool paths I loaded the G-Code into Mach3. I often use 1/8″ Luan, plywood or MDF and cut the parts out on my 3 axis CNC Router table.  Instant prop with little expense.

 Previous Props

This is not the first time I have used CNC to make stage props for the local school plays. Last year I made a few props for my Daughter’s Production of “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”. The project I made with my CNC Router Table was a Coffee machine out of 4′x8′x1/8″ Luan ply. I used a 1/8″ up spiral bit to make the cutouts. If I did it again, I would use a down spiral bit because the luan splinters so badly. The coffee machine flat was mounted to 1/2″x 2″ boards and then hung from a French Cleat. There are several “Scenery flats” made this way because they allow quick scene changes. The flat also had plexiglass behind it.

Reuse

Because our budget for these plays is almost nonexistent we reuse a lot of pieces, sometime in several plays. We have used these railings in 4 plays so far, simply by repainting them and adding decorations like these Logos which I made on the CNC Router table. With just some minor changes these parts can go from a Pagoda garden fence in “The Nightengale”to the grand entrance to the Harmonia Gardens in “Hello Dolly”.

Building Stage props is a bunch of fun and a lot of work. However the real payoff comes when you see the look on the kids faces when they see the sets assembled for the first time.