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Michael James
01-15-2011, 11:25 PM
I hang over in the turner's rabbithole, and have a question for the laser engravers.

I want to turn a platter and have it engraved. Does the platter have to be flat for the engraving to look right? Or can I turn the platter with a concave shape you would ordinarily see in a platter?
Any / all suggestions are apprectiated. Have wood, tools and electricity. Ready to turn!
Thanks all,
mj

Mike Null
01-16-2011, 6:09 AM
The laser engraver requires a flat surface as it must remain in focus throughout the engraving. Deviation by as much as +/- 1/16" will probably be ok but still a risk.

Many platters have a flange around the perimeter which could be an engraving area.

Chuck Stone
01-16-2011, 8:42 AM
Depending on what you want to engrave, you might be able to set up
separate layers to engrave at different focus levels. A flat bottom might
be one layer in your software, then the outside edge might be another
layer.. but you'd re-focus after running the inside (bottom) image.

If the image is a continuous pattern, you might still see the difference
in focus, though.

just an idea..

Dan Hintz
01-16-2011, 11:48 AM
In a nutshell, doing things other than flatware are possible, but we need to see it to be sure and device a possible plan.