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ALISHA HILSENDAGER
08-06-2015, 10:20 AM
Hi there,
I have a job I am really nervous about starting, as I only have a one time shot at it. I have a large (50" x 20"ish) live edge slab of wood I am engraving for a customer. I am not sure the best way to align it since the bottom of the slab is offset from the top by a good 5" in some places.
Any tips on setting up large awkward jobs would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!



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Ross Moshinsky
08-06-2015, 10:21 AM
I think you should post some pics or diagrams and specs on your machines, specifically the table size.

ALISHA HILSENDAGER
08-06-2015, 10:39 AM
My table is large- 52" x 100". It is a 400W Kern HSE

Joe Hillmann
08-06-2015, 10:45 AM
You could cover the bed of your laser with tape. Engrave into that. Then use the marks on the tape to place the slab in the right place.

You could cover the slab in blue painters tape then engrave at a very low power to so you can see where the engraving will be without touching the wood. Keep adjusting till you get it right.

On my laser I can turn on the red dot marker and move the head around and the display will give me x & Y coordinates of where the red dot is shining on the bed. You could run the red dot around the perimeter of the piece and take the coordinates ever inch or so then transfer the coordinates into CorelDRAW. I would probably do this then use the blue tape and low power to be able to see exactly where the engraving will be, then remove the tape and do the engraving.

ALISHA HILSENDAGER
08-06-2015, 10:58 AM
Thanks Joe,
I think covering the wood with painters tape might be my best option. My laser does not have a red dot marker, unfortunately.

Joe Hillmann
08-06-2015, 11:04 AM
To at least get your alignment kind of close you can just measure with a tape measure from the top and side of the laser bed to the edge of you piece every couple inches around the outside edge of you part than transfer those measurements to corelDraw it won't be nearly as accurate as using the pointer but it will get you in the ballpark then you can use the painters tape to fine tune it.

Mike Null
08-06-2015, 11:45 AM
I think I would ask the customer how they see the piece hanging or displayed. That should guide you as to placement.

John Bion
08-06-2015, 2:47 PM
If in any doubt, what you ought to do is put that tiddly little machine of yours in a shipping crate, together with the wood, send it to the address I will PM you, and I will engrave it for you, free of charge. If it helps, I will pay the return shipping on the engraved wood. :)

Right, back to the real world:

On top of all the other excellent advice, something I sometimes do on this type of job is take a photo, quick trace the edge, cut that onto brown paper/ newspaper taped onto your bed and then you know the engraving is good to go.

Hope it goes well, Kind Regards, John

ALISHA HILSENDAGER
08-06-2015, 3:38 PM
UPDATE:
Thanks everyone for your great advice. I love this forum for its quick, knowledgeable (and far more experienced than I) members! I tried a few different things, but this is what I came up with that seems to be working well.

I cut the profile of my piece onto cardboard and (blindly) lined it up as best I could. I then set guides on coral marking the perimeter of my artwork. I then measured from the edge of my table and marked off with painters tape where my artwork perimeters where. It looks fairly centered, but just to be sure, I found an old scratched up piece of old acrylic in the shop, layed it on the wood where I had marked off, and am now in the process of etching a trial on the acrylic piece. Not the most time or cost efficient but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

Thanks again for all your help!

Bill George
08-06-2015, 7:54 PM
Alisha that's more or less the way I do it. Cut either a plywood with a saw or cardboard with the laser the exact shape. Lay it out on the laser bed and then do a trial run at low power. When I am happy, I mark the position with masking tape or some other way and put the real piece in place.

Beautiful area of the country where you are at. Drove through Alberta and BC on our way to Alaska 2013, towing our little Casita camper.