Laser-Cut Posable Refrigerator Magnets

Oh the refrigerator. Belly Filler. Secret Keeper. Billboard.

Poetry has long been a popular past-time for fridge fronts. The little words holding up your prescriptions are a veritable zen garden. In the spirit of such fridge play, I'd like to introduce my own little addition.

Wooden, Laser-Cut, 2-D, Posable Magnetic Figurines (or WLC2DPMF for short :)

I think a talented artist could make a killing selling prettier versions of these at street fairs.

For two figurines (one of the included svg files) you'll need:

A laser cutter and wood OR Ponoko.com about $20

37 x 1/4" Diameter x 1/16" Thick Magnets

20 x 3/16" Diameter x 1/16" Thick Magnets

Super Glue (preferably "gel" type)

Depending on how much you trust your glue... Keep out of reach of small children. Small magnets if swallowed in separated pairs can cause serious injury or death.

The most critical part about assembling your figurine is assuring that the magnetic fields are all pointing in the same direction. This allows any joint to joint to be interchangable.

The joint's are made by a stack of two magnets. They are each glued to a separate piece of wood (they are not glued to each other). In the pictures, I show a stack of two magnets with a bead of glue on the top. The stack keeps the top magnet firmly in place while you orient the appendage over it to glue.

The magnets are only place on one side of the wood at all the joints. The larger magnets are used for the all the joints except for the wrists and ankles. I recommend wearing gloves and safety glasses when working with the glue in the event of splatter from two magnets being drawn together quickly.

If you order your parts from Ponoko, be aware that they ship with a hard-to-see protective tape on the wood. I learned from sad experience that if you don't peel this off, it will peel off once the magnets are glued to it. Make sure to take of the tape and glue the magnets directly to the wood.

Play around, let your imagination run wild. The design files on Ponoko have sufficient parts to make two figurines. You can always cannibalize your little man to make extra magnets when you need them.

If you take this idea and make better, prettier creations. Please send me a picture. I'd love to know how this idea is used.

For more creations by Wyatt Felt visit wyattfelt.com