Starting my first laser project, A backgammon board. Using Black Walnut Burl, Birdseye Maple, and Curly Walnut. The little dots are where the pieces go when you start. My wife and I can never remember where they go and have to get the directions out. First Panel taped together.
2 Likes
That’s awesome!!
Thanks Eric. Been fun so far!
That looks fantastic! I love the use of Birdseye Maple because it brings out texture, where plain Maple would probably look boring. Everything about this design and materials is awesome.
How think of laminate? I have 22W/40W Creality laser that can cut 3/4” thick hardwood.
I have yet to try inlaying thin veneers with my laser but will get around to it. How much offset did you use?
We love backgammon too. Maybe a future project.
Can’t wait to see the finished product!
Thanks Jaybird. Its 1/42 venneer. I have the 45 watt avid setup. Im running in mode 1 (so half power) and cutting at 50% (11.25 watts) power at 35IPM. For the offset Ive been using “cut inside the line” (using Aspire) with a -0.0095 offset and it is a tight fit. I did a few cuts to get to that number. I guess I could have done cut outside the line and offset the other way but thats how I did it.
1 Like
Thanks for the technical details. I guess it’s always going to be a trial and error thing when it comes to the material thickness of the veneers.
Indeed. But thats the fun part. trial and error
1 Like
This looks fantastic! I’m anxious to start some veneer cutting myself. If I may ask, how are you holding down the veneer, especially the burl? I have a great deal of burl veneers but they are usually quite wavy. I’ve had concerns about pieces popping up and hitting the nozzle or otherwise causing inaccuracies.
Thanks! This is the main reason I purchased a laser for my CNC. Venner tamer and magnets are your best friend. Use the veneer tamer and flat boards like plywood to flatten the burl, then use magnets on the honey comb to hold everything down. I bought a honey comb bed off amazon for this purpose.
Thanks for the information! I have a 2’x2’ Airweights vacuum system that I’ve been going to try as well, but haven’t had the “shop time” to test it. I have a couple of honeycomb grids but may need some stronger magnets. Appreciate the information!
1 Like
I bought these, rare earth for power, black so they wouldnt reflect and the thickness so the laser passes over them without hitting.
This is incredible. EXCELLENT work.
For thin wavy materials, a honeycomb table with vacuum under it works great. It will hold things down flat before and after the cut, and remove the smoke and aid cutting at the same time.
