Let Freedom Ring 4th of July / Independence Day Decorations
Instruction
Celebrate independence day with this project. This design could complement your decorations throughout the house or among the decorations at your 4th of July cookout.
The first task on this project was to layout the design. I choose to do three layers. The first layer will be a stained backing board, which is a plain circle. The second layer is the cutout of the liberty bell, which will be unfinished. The third layer is the text “let freedom ring”
I suggest using three separate canvases as I have in XCS to keep the three layers separate on the work piece.
Using the trace tool, I created a vector along the edges of the design. This will be used as the cutout path for the design.
since the text will be on top of the rest of the design, I decided to use the outline feature to cut out each word. This technique also helps to connect the letters so that you don't have to position each letter.
I also used the curve tool to bend the words along the shape of the design since it was circular.
The settings are for the D1 5W laser. You may need to adjust the settings for your laser configuration.
Be sure to follow all the safety guidelines for your laser and always wear personal protective equipment when the laser is in operation.
To add contrast, I chose to stain the first layer of the piece. I like to lay out the parts and use gloves to reduce the mess. With the basswood plywood, one coat of stain absorbs a lot and is enough to cover the wood.
Lastly, I used wood glue to adhere the parts together. Take your time and align the parts by eye.