Laser Cutter: Making a Pinhole Camera

For years, I have been wanting to make my own pinhole camera — not one of those taped together on a shoebox, but something more sturdy. I thought that the laser cutter, being a precise machine, could help me create a light-tight box that is necessary to not accidentally overexpose the photo paper to light.

I started off with some sketches of the design. By having thinner edges for the panels, the thicker part would allow block any light that may leak through the joint. I calculated the size of the box based on the smallest photographic paper, which is 3.5in x 5in.

The back panel would hold the photographic paper on an indented surface, again surrounded by a thicker border that would block any light from the edges. Lastly, I wanted to customize my pinhole camera by printing my lovely cat on it. I arrived at the following template for the laser cutter.

In order to get enough depth on the edges, I needed to run the raster etching four times. After printing my initial design, I realized that I did not take into account the measurement for the exact depth of the edges; I needed to recalculate based on the measurements I got with the caliper and cut out the two side panels again with adjusted sizes. Finally, I wood glued the panels together.

The circular wood block can be used as a shutter to expose the film for the desired amount of time and then close up the light hole. I’m looking forward to using this handmade pinhole camera and developing the photos on my own!