A laser cut water wheel for a pond fountain

Authors	nthiery ethiery
Sources	model.svg
Machine	laser_cutter
Date	2016/09/16
Material	heavy cardboard

We built this water-wheel with my daugther Élise for the miniature pond in our garden. The fountain is powerered by a solar panel (Kit Palermo-S d’Esotec).

She did the first hand drawing and built a cardboard prototype. We then designed the svg model together in two steps, using inkscape. The current version is laser cut in 3mm thick heavy cardboard. I was expecting it to tear appart quickly, but it’s been holding on for two months now.

Tip: for the pieces to hold tight, we used 2.8mm wide cuts for 3mm cardboard. Your milleage may vary depending on the hardness of the material. The model is designed to adjust easily this parameter: all cuts are drawn using clones of a single rectangle.