Life Size Lego Lightsaber
Overview
Completed Fall 2021
The goal of this project was to bring the iconic Lego lightsaber piece up to human scale. First I modeled the part in Solidworks, then 3D printed the model in one piece to test out the scale. Once I had the scale right I decided I wanted to make it out of metal. I had to redesign the model to improve machinability. The final assembly ended up in 4 parts: one for the majority of the body, two for the rectangular details on the pommel, and one more for the end cap. All of the pieces are held together with one bolt through the bottom of the lightsaber. All parts were made out of 6061 Aluminum on a manual mill and lathe.
Machining
The main body of the lightsaber was machined from a single piece of aluminum round stock. The outer profile and details were turned on a lathe, and the mounting slots for the detail pieces were machined on a mill.
The pommel inserts were machined on the mill. I trammed the head of the machine to get the angled details on each piece, then used a boring head to make sure they mated flush to the handle. The two inserts are held in place by two slots cut into the end cap.
