Creating the base

(Initial stage of creating the base model)

To create the base, I started of by drawing 2 chamfer boxes. I did this by selecting 'Geometry' then choosing 'Extended Primitives'. Within the object type, I then chose 'ChamferBox' and drew a rough box. The chamfer box option is shown below:

Then, using the parameters section, I could then scale the boxes to the correct size. The first box that I created measured 60.96cm in length and 10.95cm in width. The height was 14.99cm. I could also set the fillet level to 0.51cm so that the edges became rounded rather than completely square. Placing this object in the correct position as per my reference photograph, I then used the clone tool to create an exact copy and placed the second object where it needed to go. The clone tool setting that I used for this is shown below:
Now that both side boxes were complete, I then created the middle chamfer box, as shown in the image above. Doing this in the same way, I selected the same depth for this object, and made sure that it was wide enough to fit between the first two boxes without a gap between. I then made sure that the fillet level was the same as per the other two boxes that I created.


(Boolean tool used to join the base of the machine)

Having finished the main base structure, I then decided to continue to build the model by starting on the base of the machine itself. Firstly, I created a chamfer box, similar to the way I created the main base, and made this large enough to cover the area that was required. This chamferBox only needed to be approximately 4 cm tall. I then created a smaller box for the front of the base. Selecting the larger base box, I then used the boolean tool and clicked 'Pick operand B'. This then allowed me to select the small box at the front to make a 'cut away' from the main box, leaving me at the stage where the image above shows. I then placed the small box into the larger box so that they fit closely together.

The last stage was to create the section of the base of the machine that connects it to the main wooden base. To do this, I used the line tool within the top view to draw the shape that I wanted when looking from above. I then selected the sides and used the extrude tool, making sure that it was the same height as the main base of the machine. I then used the smooth modifier to make it look smoother, and connected it to the main base of the machine. Finally, I created a square on top, which I will alter at a later stage to make it chamferred around the edges.

(Bolt that connects the wooden base to the machine base)