🎉 Introducing Carve Days – Follow Along & Carve With Us

[StephenCampbell]

Welcome to Carve Days!

Here at Sienci Labs, we’ve started setting aside dedicated Carve Days where team members step away from their regular work, fire up a machine, and build a project from start to finish. Sometimes it’s a practical shop accessory, sometimes it’s a decorative piece, and sometimes it’s simply an excuse to learn a new technique or experiment with a different toolpath.

Carve Days aren’t about making perfect projects—they’re about making time to create, try new ideas, and continue learning. Every project teaches us something, whether it’s a new CAM strategy, a better workholding method, or simply a reminder to double-check where we set our zero.

That’s exactly why we’re sharing these with the community.

Rather than only showing the finished result, we want to share the entire experience. Along with photos of the completed project, we’ll include the design files whenever possible, and anything we learned along the way.

What you’ll find

Each Carve Day is a little different, but we’ll share as much as we can, including:

• Project files (VCarve Pro, SVG, STL, and other source files when available)
• Photos from the build
• Tools and materials used
• Tips, tricks, or lessons we learned along the way

If you’re using VCarve Pro, you can open many of these files to see exactly how the project was designed. Carve them as-is, customize them to suit your machine or style, or simply use them as inspiration for your next project.

Carve Day Project Library

All of our Carve Day files can be found here:

Carve Day Project Library

We’ll continue adding new projects as we complete them, so be sure to check back from time to time.

Show us what you make!

If you decide to carve one of these projects, we’d love to see your version. Post some photos, tell us what you changed, or share what you learned along the way. Whether your project comes out exactly as planned—or takes a few unexpected detours—you’re in good company.

Happy carving!

[StephenCampbell]

Project #1 – Wildernest Sign

Created by: Rebekkah (Packaging)
Experience Level: Beginner

For our first Carve Day, Rebekkah created this rustic cottage sign for Wildernest. As someone with very little CNC experience, this project was a great introduction to designing, toolpathing, machining, and finishing a project from start to finish.

If you’d like to make your own version, all of the project files, tool information, and supporting resources are included in the Carve Day Project Library.

Download the Project Files
Project Files:

[StephenCampbell]

Project #2 – Charlotte Nursery Sign

Created by: Liz (Engineering)
Experience Level: Beginner

Liz created this personalized nursery sign as a gift for her daughter. One of the best things about projects like this is how easy they are to customize—change the name, font, colours, or wood species to create something completely unique.

As always, the complete project files, recommended tooling, and additional information can all be found in the Carve Day Project Library.

Download the Project Files
Project Files:

[StephenCampbell]

Project #3 – Xander’s Rocket Ship

Created by: John “JR” (Packaging)
Experience Level: Beginner

JR’s first Carve Day project was this personalized rocket ship sign for his young son. It was a fun opportunity to learn the complete CNC workflow while creating something that can easily be adapted with different names, colours, or themes.

Everything needed to recreate or customize this project—including the design files and project notes—is available in the Carve Day Project Library.

Download the Project Files
Project Files:

[Spamming_Eddie]

Rebekkah, Liz and John,

Congratulations on your first projects made on one of these beasts. I remember my first steps after finishing building my longmill. All was fun and play until having to taking that dive. Pressing start for the first time on that massive powertool had me sweating at places I did not know I could sweat. I opted for a simple two stepped pocket carve of the sienci sheep in some isolation foam. I took the save route. I dipped a toe for a second and said “whiiii!”.

You guylls went head first into the deep and with amazing results. I salut your courage, your creativity and your new found itch to make more, dive deeper and maybe even get one of those amazing machines for yourselves.

A special kudo for the one(s) who came up with this awesome special assignment day. I now wish I was Canadian and work at sienci even more!

Happy carveday to all of you good people at Sienci.

[Karver_One]

Awesome work! And I agree with @Spamming_Eddie that whoever came up with this idea should get a bonus. I have always kind of thought that Sienci staff might be getting a little out of touch since they were not actually “playing” with the machine enough. When you actually use the machine for projects then you can see the little problems that the customer runs into on a regular basis. Maybe also try unpacking and building a machine from scratch and then you can find out how outdated the videos are or how the instructions do not always reflect what your getting in the box etc. (Don’t go to the inhouse staff if you have a problems! Go figure it out like the customer has to do: Youtube, Forums, Ai, etc.)

I also liked Charlotte’s project a lot. Very nice =)

[StephenCampbell]

Project #4 – Lake of Bays Sign

Created by: Carson (Marketing)
Experience Level: Beginner

For his first Carve Day, Carson created a custom Lake of Bays sign for his cottage. It was a great introduction to the complete CNC workflow, from designing the project in VCarve to watching it come to life on the AltMill w ATC. The finished sign will make a great addition to the cottage and a lasting reminder of his first CNC project.

Everything needed to recreate or customize this project—including the design files and project notes—is available in the Carve Day Project Library.

Download the Project Files
Project Files

[Karver_One]

The project looks great! Good job! Just don’t go cutting metal in those shorts. Unless your going for the burnt thigh look.

[Spamming_Eddie]

Allthough unrelated, I would like to add to always put on your glasses (if you need them) when slipping into your cosy morning slippers when your Maine Coon likes to sleep on them.

[StephenCampbell]

Project #5 – Two Flags, One Project

Created by: Gilberto (Customer Support – gControl Panel Team Lead) & Camila (Packaging)
Experience Level: Advanced

With the excitement of the FIFA World Cup in the air, Gilberto and Camila teamed up to create a project that celebrates both Brazil and Canada. This custom sign combines both flags into a single layered design.

Don’t let the finished result fool you—this is one of our more advanced Carve Day projects. With multiple toolpaths, several different bits, layered machining, and careful finishing, there’s plenty to keep even experienced CNC users busy. I didn’t name the toolpaths very well (ok, at all) so take a moment to explore the preview and see what we were up to!

Enter at your own risk!

If you’re looking to challenge yourself and take on a more involved project, you’ll find everything you need in the project folder, including the design files and supporting resources.

Download Project Files

Build Photos

[StephenCampbell]

Project #6 – Hassan’s Batarang

Created by: Hassan (Packaging)
Experience Level: Beginner

To the Bat-Shop!

For this Carve Day, Hassan embraced his inner superhero and created a wooden Batarang inspired by the Dark Knight. This quick and fun project is a great introduction to 3D carving, featuring a roughing pass, finishing pass, profile toolpath, and tabs before being cut free with a Dremel and finished with a coat of paint.

Whether you’re a Batman fan or just looking for a unique afternoon project, this design is easy to customize into your own favorite boomerang or themed throwing prop.

Download Project Files

Build Photos

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Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee this Batarang will return when thrown… but it will definitely look cool hanging on the wall.

[Karver_One]

Very nice Batman!

P.S. Love the toilet paper roll on your project desk. Someone is in the back is saying “oh BATARANG!”

[StephenCampbell]

Project #7 – Adam’s Barbie Sign​

Created by: Adam (Packaging)
Experience Level: Beginner

A Sign Made With Love

For this Carve Day, Adam created a personalized sign for his teenage daughter using a fun Barbie-themed font and a simple daisy design. The project was carved on the CNC and finished with a coat of paint to bring the design to life.

A simple project with a personal touch, and a great example of how you can take a basic sign and make it your own with the right font and a few creative details.

He finished it up with some paint, and I think it turned out great!

Nice work, Adam!

Download Project Files

Build Photos

[gwilki]

Well done, Adam. I’m sure that your daughter loves it.

[StephenCampbell]

Project #8 – 1A: Everyone Is Welcome!

Created by: David (Packaging)
Experience Level: Beginner

For his Carve Day, David decided to make something for his own apartment—a simple “1A – Welcome!” sign.

This was a fun, straightforward project that shows how even a simple design can make a great personalized piece. A perfect little sign for the front door, hallway, or anywhere you want to let people know they’re welcome.

Download Project Files:

Everyone is welcome… especially if you bring snacks.

Build Photos