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View Full Version : Unique products you have made with your laser?



Harry Radaza
08-20-2006, 7:31 AM
just wondering what unique or odd products you have made for your laser for you or your customers ?

Guy Hilliard
08-20-2006, 10:06 AM
I have one customer that has me cut holes in either end of tounge depressors to make part of an educational construction kit. And for another I have made StratoCaster shaped business cards from acrylic.

Mike Null
08-20-2006, 11:49 AM
I made rosettes for dulcimer sound boards.

Michael McDuffie
08-20-2006, 2:33 PM
I mark Power Links (connecting links for racing shells) for Mr Muser, altho a google doesn't find him right now.

I cut leather for Beads and Billiards Pocket Chalkers, much stinky.

I cut and mark parts for Cryptex.org and am doing so as I type.

I've put the Ten Commandments on limestone.

I cut little mirrors out for clip on mirrors that fir hard hats.

Michael

Dave Fifield
08-23-2006, 6:27 AM
I do laser marquetry. Here's one I finished recently:

http://www.ubersprang.com/Macaws_s.jpg (http://www.ubersprang.com/Macaws.jpg)

:Dave F.

Harry Radaza
08-23-2006, 6:41 AM
dave, how did you get the colors in ?

as for me I've done necklaces and earrings for the fashion industry, architectural home scale models, bracelets, keychains... not so unique stuff tho.

Mike Null
08-23-2006, 6:59 AM
Dave:

My compliments. I'd like to know your color secret as well.

Joe Pelonio
08-23-2006, 9:31 AM
Here's one that was my worst nightmare job, did 250 of them. The box was provided, 1/4" walnut, I "just" cut the logos front and top.

Steve McKee
08-23-2006, 9:35 AM
Just curious Joe, what made this your worst nightmare job?

Joe Pelonio
08-23-2006, 10:36 AM
Just curious Joe, what made this your worst nightmare job?
First you had to place a sacraficial piece of wood inside to keep the stray beam from hitting the inside of the box (painted orange). Then apply transfer tape to the front and top, inside and out, to prevent scorch marks. Then this was real solid walnut, so the grain and density varied between all of them. Some would cut right through beautifully with one pass, but on the same settings another might not go through at all or only on parts of the logo. If you made a second pass at the same power/speed it would burn through some of the areas between letters which were very close together. In some cases a cut out letter would fall through then catch fire from the stray beam and scorch the inside of the box.

I told the customer that if they want more of these I will have to get the box sides to cut before they are glued together.

Lee DeRaud
08-23-2006, 10:42 AM
First you had to place a sacraficial piece of wood inside to keep the stray beam from hitting the inside of the box (painted orange). Then apply transfer tape to the front and top, inside and out, to prevent scorch marks. Then this was real solid walnut, so the grain and density varied between all of them. Some would cut right through beautifully with one pass, but on the same settings another might not go through at all or only on parts of the logo. If you made a second pass at the same power/speed it would burn through some of the areas between letters which were very close together. In some cases a cut out letter would fall through then catch fire from the stray beam and scorch the inside of the box.

I told the customer that if they want more of these I will have to get the box sides to cut before they are glued together.Coulda been worse: at least it had an open side on it. :eek: :D :p

Lee DeRaud
08-23-2006, 10:51 AM
My "customers" consist mostly of people on my Christmas list, but here's some stuff from last year:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=25568
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=25789
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=27772
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=28221
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=30425

I also use the laser to cut the finger-jointed sides for the boxes I make.

Dave Fifield
08-24-2006, 12:50 AM
Harry/Mike, I used colored veneers. I won a small stack of them in a prize draw at our local marquetry group meeting recently, plus I had some from B & B Rare Woods already. I think they are dyed with Rit Dye - something anyone could do at home I believe. I may have a go at it myself someday. I like the idea of coloring some of the more figured veneers - I have some ideas for some larger, more spectacular, pictures with those.

Cheers,
:Dave F.

Mike Hood
08-24-2006, 3:41 PM
Looks pretty thick. What Wattage would you think it would require to cut that?

Joe Pelonio
08-24-2006, 4:34 PM
OK, I have one for you that I may be doing. If anyone else has done it tell me how.

This guy owns a bed & breakfast, and wants me to make key chains out of acrylic. The problem is he wants 2 colors, one on each side (laminated). So if I use opaque colors just engrave and cement together. If he decides on translucent or clear. I'd have to paint the backs, engrave the fronts, and maybe use clear thin DS tape to put them together. Unfortunately
though he was talking about translucent colors, so something has to be in between to block seeing the other side. Maybe 3 layers of 1/8", or two of 1/8" and a 1/16" blocking layer in the center?

John Esberg
08-24-2006, 5:08 PM
Some of my favorite oddities were merging rastered images with "One Stroke Folk Art". The rastered objects look like a ghost with the painted objects.

My favorite is making tags for a local drinking club. Certainly not PC by any means, but always funny. You can probably find some of my pieces somewhere on the pictures of www.hmhhh.com.

Something I don't see too many laser people talking about is laser cutting things for model railroading. It's the most exact work I've ever done.

The most time consuming work I've ever done still has to be floor inlays. I've been working on a 24" diameter piece that has over 1600 pieces in it. I promise it will rank highly as unique when it is eventually done.

Till later,

DAK

Dave Fifield
08-25-2006, 4:18 AM
Looks pretty thick. What Wattage would you think it would require to cut that?

Was this question aimed at me Mike? I use a normal 45W Epilog Mini 24, not even on full power, since I'm using veneer, which is usually between 1/32nd and 1/40th of an inch thick. I cut the shapes out of the backer (waster) veneer (in this case, I think it's a piece of cherry) and then cut the piece to drop into the hole I just cut, but make it about 3/1000th of an inch bigger all round (to allow for the laser beam "kerf"), so it fits into the hole snugly. I tape the picture together, piece by piece until it's done (including the veneer border) and then I glue it down to a piece of 3/8" finish birch ply. I use the same veneer on the back and sides of the finish birch ply as I used for the border, so it looks like one piece of wood (if you ignore the mitered corners!). This is the quick and simple explaination - in reality, it's a very fiddly, exacting, and time consuming process. Drawing the picture and setting it up properly in Corel Draw isn't easy either.....

Cheers,
:Dave F.

Dave Fifield
08-25-2006, 4:23 AM
The most time consuming work I've ever done still has to be floor inlays. I've been working on a 24" diameter piece that has over 1600 pieces in it.

I'm looking forward to seeing this one DAK! When do you think it will be ready?

:Dave F.