Laser Marquetry

[Dave Fifield]

I have the process of laser cutting marquetry all worked out and mastered now. I made this piece to show at The Woodworking Show in Santa Clara this past weekend. It's derived from a pattern by Dave Peck, called "Spalted Sky". It's supposed to use a piece of spalted maple veneer for the sky, but I didn't have any, so I used an ordinary figured piece instead. It seems to work.

http://www.daveswoodenwonders.com/SpaltedSkyFront_s.jpg

http://www.daveswoodenwonders.com/SpaltedSkyBack_s.jpg

Hi-res photos are here (front) (http://www.daveswoodenwonders.com/SpaltedSkyFront.jpg) and here (rear) (http://www.daveswoodenwonders.com/SpaltedSkyBack.jpg).

Cheers,
Dave Fifield

[Joe Pelonio]

Beautiful piece Dave, how big is it? Your choice of wood for the water is perfect.

[Dave Fifield]

Thanks Joe. It's 13" x 11.5".

Dave F.

[Aaron Koehl]

Dave, Nice job!

[Tom Radachi]

Wow, that's really sharp! Care to write a brief tutorial on your process? I've had my laser all but a month and bought it for mostly hobby purposes (I do a lot of woodworking).
I'd love to see your methods!
Thanks for sharing,
Tom

[Dave Fifield]

Thanks Aaron, Joe.

Joe, I will be writing up the method with photos and putting it up on my website soon. I'll post here when it's done (maybe this coming weekend?). It's really just a case of substituting the laser for the fret saw using the double bevel method.

Cheers for now,
Dave F.

[Frank Chaffee]

Dave,
Your laser marquetry is wonderful. The way you orient the grain of maple wood to communicate water’s surface and dramatic sky is breathtaking and captivating.

While I am eager for us to develop our nerdy side enuf to be able to exist indefinitely in space-time travel, I also regret losing the skills of a neander to the laser blazer vision.

Is it perhaps too early for us (YOU, specifically?), to shift the application of our Paleolithic intelligence from a grounded relationship with our familiar earthly materials, to use of nerd tools? After all (before all?) our too early efforts in that direction may well preclude fulfillment of the very dream we have to sally forth into the stars.

Jes my silly thots,
Frank

[Lee DeRaud]

While I am eager for us to develop our nerdy side enuf to be able to exist indefinitely in space-time travel, I also regret losing the skills of a neander to the laser blazer vision.

Is it perhaps too early for us (YOU, specifically?), to shift the application of our Paleolithic intelligence from a grounded relationship with our familiar earthly materials, to use of nerd tools? After all (before all?) our too early efforts in that direction may well preclude fulfillment of the very dream we have to sally forth into the stars.Dude, I think the stress of waiting for Bret Favre to make his decision is starting to take its toll on the mental state of the Cheesehead Contingent.:eek: :cool: :p :D

[Jeff Chumbley]

Bretts back and we picked up Woodson for a ridiculous amount of money