Once you have set the settings, do a material test for your machine to be sure that these settings work for you. Always do a cut/engrave test on the materials that you are using to get the best settings. Adjust as needed. If you are unfamiliar with the tests, Lightburn has a ready made one for you. You can also create your own by making squares and setting them to different power and speed levels. See the attached picture for an example.

Choose your project origin as in the photo. I prefer to start my project from the center but everyone has their own preference. I also like to choose "cut selected graphics" because often pieces are too big to fit the entire project on one piece of wood. See photo. After I have made these selections, I choose a section that will fit on my wood (see photo). After you have the piece selected, hit the preview icon (looks like a computer monitor) on the tool bar and you should see only the items selected in the preview. The red and black photo of the trees is your preview. Once verified go to next step.

I prefer to stain the wood before cutting on the base. If you prefer this too, stain the wood and let dry. I used Unicorn Spit blue. Now you'll want to frame the cut to be sure you capture all of it and don't go outside the boundries of the wood. Since I have my settings to start from the center, I put my laser in the center of the wood. Then hit the "frame" button. This is located above the "user origin" and "cut selected graphics" settings. Frame over and over again until you have the piece well within the boundries of the wood.

Now it's time to cut and engrave. I ran mine in 3 different cuts to fit the wood, and had a bit of wood left over.

Once the pieces are all cut, I like to paint one (the top of the planter box) of the octagon shapes as shown in the lower left of the planter box piece photo. I paint the trim on the others as some of it will show. If you pre-painted the base, no further painting is required. To paint the tree, I hung the pieces on a pant hanger so that I could paint both sides at the same time. Let paint dry completely before moving on to next step.

Now on to assembly...................

First step of assembly is to place the trip with the cut at the bottom on top of the tree with the top cut. Slide down all the way until the trunks are even at the bottom. Next, take the top piece of the planter (the one that you previously painted completely, and slide it on to the tree trunk. This will take some alignment on the first piece but should go smoothly with the following pieces. Once the first piece is in place, grab another piece of he planter and, before sliding on, make sure that the corners are NOT aligned with the first piece. You want the edges to alternate as you assemble. See photos. Continue until all pieces are add to the planter. Once you have done this, you'll put the bottom of the trunk into the tree base. I chose to clue mine in place so that it was steady while decorating.

Now you're ready to decorate. To make the bulbs, I used thin jewelry wire and 4mm colored beads. I placed these on the tree first, following by the garland, and last, the lights. This is a remote control set of lights so rather than have an ugly box under the tree, I wrapped the battery box in christmas paper to look like a present. You can use cardboard to make additional gifts if you choose. I was fine without the added gifts.

And there you have it! You're all done!