Incense Stick Holder
Instruction
I had some scraps laying around and decided to make an incense holder for fun. I am using the XTool D1 Pro 10W.
I cut off the end of some walnut stock and now have a 3x3x1 inch block. (3 inch by 3 inch square thats 1 inch thick).
Using the xTool Creative Space, I decided to find a simple pattern to engrave fairly deep into the block for aesthetic, in addition to adding a hole with a pilot drill that will hold the incense stick safely.
This will work with any off cut that you decide to use, I just used Walnut since I had a generous amount to work with. If you are using a softer wood like pine or even poplar, use the power setting at 80% with the speed at 60.
Take your wooden block and make the block square with your xTool engraver. Your block of wood does not have to be the same dimension as mine, as long as you have a good eye to square it up before processing the engraving. my block i ended up using was 3x3 with a 1 inch thickness.
Using the xTool Creative Space, on the left hand side of the screen there is an icon that says “shapes”. Click and pick the menu for patterns, then choose and image you are most partial too. I used one that wouldn't take much time to engrave in addition to leaving enough room in the center for your incense stick hole.
Select the pattern you just imported and while its highlighted, switch the output to “Engrave”. From there, set your power to 90, speed to 60 with 2 passes.
Be sure to play around with the size of the image and test fit the position with the “Framing” button on the bottom right of the creative space. Once you have the image centered and to your liking, put on your protective eye ware and process the project! This took me about 25 minutes with two passes and I am pleased with the depth/contrast. Roughly 1mm to 1.5mm deep. Once the process is complete, use a fine grit sandpaper to buff out any burn marks if any.
Grab a pilot drill and a small drill bit. Using a 1/16th bit should allow you to fit the stem of your incense stick tightly. Eyeball the center of the block and try to keep your hole as straight and steady as possible. Be careful not to drill through the other side of the block. After your hole is drilled, touch sand your block and put whatever finish you want to on it! Enjoy your smells.