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Burning Bush Stained Glass Wall Art
Instruction
Information
I just got my first laser a few weeks ago - the M1 Ultra. I decided to try cutting acrylic and wanted to find a design that would take advantage of the acrylic colors the 20W diode laser can cut. Red, orange, and yellow seemed perfect for flames. But I also wanted an image that was meaningful, which is why I decided to create this stained glass style wall art depicting the Biblical "Burning Bush."
This was part of Moses's prophetic vision when God appointed him as His messenger to rescue the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. The related verse, in the original Hebrew, from Exodus 3:2 is included at the top of the image:
וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל
"And there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed."
The bush that burns without being consumed has various meanings and traditions attached to it. For me, it symbolizes faith and the ability to overcome adversity. It is a symbol of hope, resilience, and redemption. May its light shine for us all.
The vector image of the bush and mountain was created using AI Make's 2D graphics generator, with the prompt "stained glass burning bush on a mountain top that is in flames but not consumed." I edited the graphic to add sides and a bottom to the mountain for cutting, and added the text above it. The original SVG and the text are included as separate files here as well - feel free to swap the Hebrew text with the translation of your choice.
The flames and text are in opaque acrylic. If you have a CO2 laser, feel free to use transparent acrylic for a truer stained glass effect. The backing and frame are in MDF.
Enjoy!
Instruction
Step1: Prepare the frame and backing.
Cut the rectangular frame and backing for the entire piece from Rosewood MDF or a dark wood of your choice.
Step2: Prepare the background piece.
Cut and score Maple MDF (or a light wood to contrast with the frame and “stained glass” image outlines) to serve as the background for the "stained glass" imagery.
The rectangle is cut, while the image and text are scored to create guides for glueing the pieces together later.
Center the Maple piece on the larger Rosewood rectangle and glue in place with CA or wood glue.
Step3: Cut the mountain and bush outline.
Cut the “stained glass” outline for the bush and the mountain from Rosewood MDF (or the same material you used for the frame and backing).
You can glue the mountain onto the background at this point, but wait to glue the bush outline until you've done a dry fit with all of the acrylic pieces first.
Step4: Cut the text.
Cut the letters from black acrylic (or dark wood). When removing the cut pieces from the machine, be very careful not to lose the smaller sections. In particular, the “yud” and the smaller lines of the “hey” are easily misplaced and can fall in between the honeycomb plate or triangular prisms.
Arrange the letters on the background piece using the scored outlines as a guide. Glue in place with clear CA or craft glue. (There will likely be some excess glue around the thin letters, so be sure to choose a glue that dries clear.) Use jewelry pliers or tweezers to help position the thinner/smaller letters.
Step5: Cut the flames.
Cut the flame pieces for each color acrylic - they are arranged on separate canvases for convenience. There is also a canvas containing the entire flame in the event you want to adjust the color arrangement.
Step6: Assemble the piece.
Position the bush outline that you cut from Rosewood MDF using the scored guide on the Maple MDF background. Press the acrylic flame pieces in place using the photo as a guide. (There is a canvas that includes the entire piece to guide you as well.) The acrylic pieces should fit snugly into the appropriate sections. Gently sand any overhanging edges if needed.
Once you have ensured that all the flame and bush pieces fit together properly, use clear CA or craft glue to glue everything in place.
Step7: Enjoy your finished piece!
