Specifications

pieces will fall through to the If raising the wood, set up
the drawing so that the inner pieces of the drawing are cut first, otherwise pieces may
fall through at the wrong time.
Not all wood finishes are created equal. When ordering wood from a supplier, be sure
specify that it is being used for laser engraving. Some finishes cannot handle the
too deep on soft woods will reduce quality. Every type of wood will
ngrave differently. Experiment with different types of wood and note the results. It is
etter to engrave woods that are finished. If engraving unfinished wood and it is not
asked with r tape, the smoke residue tends to embed in the wood and is
impos sand ll unfinished wood with
rans
INLAYS - VENEERS
reate a drawing with no outlines, only filled areas. Engrave the filled areas almost as
eep as the thickness of the veneer (usually about .003 inches (.1 mm) or less). With
some water a ylon brush, engraved area. When
cutting they are g abs ly flat the drawing, give the
bjects an outline of .001 inches (.1 mm) and remove the fill. Adjust the power so that
This is
alled contouring and is optimal if planning to do this type of work. Usually, a contour
the outside of the vector line of .006 inches provides a tight fit. Remember, if using
more power to cut through the thicker width of the laser cut
y contouring a little further to the outside.
table when cutting is finished.
to
heat from the laser and will bubble, blister, and possibly turn white. For engraving
softer woods such as pine or balsa, reduce the power settings to acquire the best
epth. Engravingd
e
b
m transfe
removesible to without
fer tape.
ing. To prevent this, mask a
t
WOOD
C
d
nd a n remove all residue from the
veneers make sure lyin olute . In
o
there is just enough power to cut completely through the veneer. Overpowering the cut
will cause too much material removal and the fit will not be snug. Some software
programs allow outline offsetting to compensate for the thickness of the beam.
c
to
veneer, compensate for the
b
Another method, which we believe is a better way, is to first create your graphic and fill
it with the color black. Then give it a white outline of .012 inches (.3 mm). If you look at
the graphic when you add the outline, you will see that it appears to shrink. Now raster
engrave the graphic to a depth slightly shallower than the thickness of the veneer.
When the engraving is finished, place the veneer into the laser system. Take the
graphic on screen, remove the black fill and change the outline to the color red. Also
make sure that the red outline thickness is set to .001 inches (.1 mm) so that it will
vector cut. Cut out the veneer with the laser system, add glue to the veneer, apply the
veneer into the engraved area of the other piece of wood, and let dry. After the glue
has thoroughly dried, sand the veneer until it is flush with the base wood. A good
veneer to use are those with an adhesive backing. Once cut, place the veneer into its
proper place on the engraved wood block and with a clothes iron, iron the veneer into
the engraved wood. This melts the glue and causes the veneer to stick to the engraved
area. Finish the wood as you desire and the finished product will look fantastic.
The veneer can now be sanded flush with the surface and a finish coat applied.
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