Halloween Solar Lantern Boxes

This was the first thing I carved on the CNC, and it is the project that made buying the machine make sense. The idea was simple: carve Halloween faces into cedar box panels, build them into outdoor lanterns, and use solar garden lights as stems so the faces would glow after dusk.

Clip-art style Halloween images became the carved faces, Fusion 360 handled the CAM setup, and cedar fence pickets kept the boxes practical for porch use. It still has the charm of an early CNC project, but the glow payoff works.

First CNC Carves

The first test brought the whole idea together: a carved face, a cedar box, and a solar-light stem that could turn the box into a lantern after dark.

Cedar Boxes Coming Together

Once the faces were carved, the project became a small batch of cedar Halloween boxes. The finishing pass used several colors of spray paint and left the tops ready for the solar lights.

Solar Stems and Glow

The solar lights did two jobs at once: they read as pumpkin-style stems in daylight, then lit the carved faces after dusk without any wiring.

The finished set turned a first CNC experiment into seasonal porch decor. It is a good reminder that a practical material, a simple carve, and one clever lighting choice can carry the whole build.