New type of 3D sculpture using Laser.

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I recently saw a technique where a laser was used to ‘erode’ a wooden board to effectively make a 3D sculpture.   Naturally I had to try it so after a bit of experimenting and a lot of support from the Lightburn forum, I was able to make this sculpture.  I used hard maple and it took about 7 to 8 hours to ‘erode’ on my 40W CO2 laser.  It came out nice enough that I framed it in Wenge and gave it to one of our daughters for her new office.  It’s about 9×9 inches overall.  The maximum depth of the 3D element is a little over 1/4″.

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Laser ‘eroded’ 3D Image on Maple with Wenge Frame.

Fun new way to use Laser!

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I have seen a number of posts with people experimenting with etching stones with lasers and had to try it.  As it turns out, Slate is ideal for engraving!  The material blasts away leaving a white powdery well that has excellent contrast with the surrounding gray stone.

I made a variety of exposures and left them around our yard for our granddaughter to discover!

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Laser Etched Slate

Trying something new with my new CNC Router

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With the addition of my new router and VCarve Pro software, I decided it was time to try some 3D carving.  I had heard that Corian carves well and got an assorted selection of cutoffs from ebay.  I had some 3D images already to try on my Laser so, using one of them for a trial, I came up with this:

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First attempt at 3D Carving Corian.

Needless to say, I was very pleased with the result and have begun to think about new project opportunities!!!

New CNC Router

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I’ve been frustrated with certain limits of my current CNC Router.  The area it can route is only effectively 16×13 inches.  The Z gantry is not as rigid as it should be to do fine work and the movement speed is very limited.  So, after a bunch of shopping around, and not willing to pay the high prices for a turn-key system, I decided to get a kit and build my own.  I ended up getting a Lead1010 kit from OpenBuilds, which gives me about 28×32 inch cutting area and a much more rigid gantry.

I ordered the kit in January, but with shipping delays and the other parts I needed, it really wasn’t ready for ‘prime time’ until just recently.

Here’s the new system.  I’m sure I’ll have more updates as I add new features…

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New CNC Router top view

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New CNC Router electronics drawer.

 

Gift for a good friend.

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Inspired by a gift I made about a year ago at the request of a good friend and, having recently learned of a method to laser engrave images onto ceramic tiles, I decided that I just needed to make a few of these:

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Coaster engraved on to ceramic tile.

He liked it so much he ordered a bunch for his friends and certain employees of the National Park Service.  I consider that success!

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