Wooden Phone Purse

Vision

I do not currently have a purse as I find fashion bags highly overrated and usually overpriced. However I also like to use things that I feel confident with so I place some importance on the personal fashionability of my wearable belongings; plus I also need a place to keep my phone when I do not have any pockets on me. The participatory culture that has been continuously arising within the 3d printing and laser cutting space is encouraging to novice creators like myself to pursue our own ideas.

In order to combat the constraints of money and personalizable fashion, I am planning on creating a phone purse for less than $15 that satisfies my own personal aesthetic. The money will be spent on materials for securing the purse opening with clasps and creating a black leather strap, while my personal rustic/simplistic aesthetic will be satisfied with the primary use of wood and leather. For my 3d printed design element I am creating a nametag to be secured around the strap of the bag. Due to the fact that the only item I usually ever carry around is a phone, I will only make the bag big enough to fit my phone and the cards that attach to the back of it.

A successful design would mean that I have no hassle putting my phone in and out of the bag, the bag is relatively sturdy, I like the design and comfort of wearing it, and it contains an aura of authenticity and uniqueness.

Process 

I first sketched out my first model of the bag and labeled the dimensions.

I then decided how I wanted to make a closure for the purse. I ended up finding magnetic clasps on Amazon that looked like they would work. This led me to redesign slits in my laser cut wood to allow me to insert the clasps.

I also found some cheap veg-tan leather with next-day delivery. Although it was not the color I intended, I liked how the leather was basically the same color as the wood so I decided not to stain or treat it.

I made my sketches without thinking about what plywood thicknesses were available to me so when I went to laser cut my design on cardboard it was fine (5mm as defined in my sketch) however the plywood we had was either 3mm or 6mm so my tabs were slightly too long or short.

I then laser cut the pieces on a 3mm thick piece of plywood (after I tested my s). 

I created and rendered my design in Fusion360.

I then glued the laser cut pieces together with wood glue, and then added  leather panels and straps for my own personal aesthetic. I deviated slightly from my original design.

[notice I over-cut the slits in the leather to fit the magnetic clasps]

Overall, I liked how my final project turned out and I look forward to trying a new, sturdier, and intricate design--probably with either living hinges or laser cut leather.

I made a mistake cutting slits in the leather to fit the magnetic clasps, so i had to cover the holes I left behind with more leather. I opted to make a criss-cross design on the front. 

I found an old chain lying around in my room that worked with my purse, so I decided to use that instead of creating my own leather strap. I also ran out of leather, so it worked out well in the end.

For my 3d printed piece I created a charm to fit around a leather strap for my purse or on the front strap.  I did not want it printed in grey, but I had forgotten that the nvbots available only were printing in this color. It turned out more ragged than I wanted as well, but I will redo my design on the other printers that are sharper and white, and then spray paint it gold to match the rest of it.

Looking Back

Next time I might make the dimension slightly different as this was a little too boxy for me, and I would definitely like to make it waterproof and sturdier with either sewing or more metal attachments. I would also remember to keep in mind the thickness of the material you are working with prior to sketching any dimensions.