![[Laser cut and engrave] Christmas in July Tic-Tac-Toe Board](https://image-res.xtool.com/resource/xtool/community/attachment/xtool-community/f3ae5020-1afa-4893-9699-48dcbcff9169?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_1200,h_900,limit_0/interlace,1/format,webp/auto-orient,1)
Christmas in July Tic-Tac-Toe Board
Instruction
Information
It is just too long to wait until December to celebrate Christmas! With this project, celebrate Christmas on those road trips to the family vacation spot in July. In this How-to, I'll walk you through the steps to design and create this tic-tac-toe board and show how you can customize it to give your own personal touch.
Instruction
Step1: Size and Create the board shape
To begin this project, let's first consider the size and shape of the playing board. I have found that a 3.5x4.5 inch board works well. and I have selected the rectangle with rounded corners shape. You may want to play around with different shapes and sizes, but this one seems like a good balance between portability and a size that is easy to handle.
Step2: Build the Playing space
The next task is to build the playing space. this is usually a 3x3 grid, but you can adapt however you like. To build the grid, simply add in a rectangle shape and make the height about .08 inches. You can deselect the lock icon to adjust the width and height independently to get the line boldness you desire.
Next, simply copy this line and paste it on the canvas to build the second horizontal dividing line.
Step3: Create vertical lines
To create the vertical dividers, simply paste in a new line and rotate using either the rotation handle at the top of the shape, or enter 90 degrees in the property box. (tip: use negative numbers to rotate in the opposite direction.)
Once you have two vertical lines and have them spaced as you like, now select all the lines and use the combine tool to unite both vertical and horizontal lines. This step will prevent the doubling up on engraving over the inter section of the lines.
Step4: Decorate
Next, add in some SVG's of Christmas themed designs. I used the Christmas tree and ornamental ball that is included in the XCS software shapes library, but you can put anything on the board. (tip: I usually make these follow the score processing path so that it doesn't wipe out the lines you created for the playing space.)
Step5: Create playing Pieces
Next, we need to create the playing pieces. I make these some sort of icon that goes along with the theme. In this project we are doing Christmas in July, so I added in the Christmas tree and ornamental ball.
An important note here is that we need to add an outline to each shape. This outline will be used to cut out the playing piece. I go ahead and draw the outline, not worrying about the overall dimensions. We can resize it later. I do, however, pay close attention to the padding of the outline. Just adjust the outline slider after clicking the tool to set the padding. I usually just adjust until I think it looks good.
With the outline set on both of the playing pieces, select both the outline and the design to resize them together. Adjust so that they are appropriate for the playing board. The design file included has this already set, but if you have made customization, you may need to adjust.
Step6: Duplicate the parts
Next, let's use the array tool to duplicate the playing pieces. (tip: I like to go ahead and set the engrave settings and cut settings before using the array to duplicate. This saves time going through and setting up each piece individually)
With the size and engrave settings configured, select both playing pieces. Be sure to get both the engraved design and the outline. Select the array tool and add 5 rows to duplicate the parts.
Step7: Settings
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.
