3.5" Wooden Ornament w/Name
Instruction
This is a quick project that involves no painting or staining, and results in a beautiful ornament to display on your tree or give as a gift. The name is on a separate layer, allowing you to easily modify it.
If you have not done so already, download the project and open in XCS.
There are 2 canvases for this project, one for the black walnut MDF and the other for the basswood backer. You may choose other materials if you wish, that's just what I used.
There are 3 layers in this project. We will only be using the red and blue layers, the black layer is there list the material used, in the event you are using the same material I am.
Both the red and blue layers are for cutting. I made them separate to allow you to easily change the name. Just highlight the layer and change it. Depending on the length, you may need to resize and adjust it. It is very important to make sure that the name overlaps the bottom of the top snowflake, and the top of the bottom snowflake, as shown in one of the images above.
Once you have adjusted the name, highlight the red and blue layers, and then click the Unite button. This will weld the layers together resulting in one piece.
Next, add your material, focus the laser, and mark the area. Move the image within the cut area and then process it, then hit the button to start cutting. It will take about 4 minutes or so using the settings I used. Note that my settings may not line up with yours for cutting, make adjustments to those as needed.
Select the Backer layer in the canvas. Then as in the step above, load the material of your choice, focus the laser, and mark the area. Move the image within the cut area and then process it, then hit the button to start cutting. It will take about 1 minute or so using the settings I used. Once again, my settings may not line up with yours for cutting, make adjustments as needed.
Apply glue to the back of the name layer, and then carefully place it on the backer. If you use Starbond Think, and you put a thin layer of glue, you have about 2 seconds to line it up. A thicker layer of Starbond will give you a few more seconds to align it, but will result in glue squeeze out between the layers. A wood glue will give you more time, but may not adhere well to the black walnut veneer on the MDF.
That's it, you're done! I bet it looks great! Good work, hang it up on your tree or gift it away as a gift.