Finally, pictures of laser project!

[Bert Johansen]

1. Bruce Larson with his Epilog laser cutting machine.
2. Close on Sanskrit writing.
3. Complete table top image 16" x 16".
4. Installed in table.

[Don Bullock]

Bert, that looks great. Thanks for sharing your work.

[Charles Jackson III]

Very nice work.

[Jim Becker]

Very interesting looking project!

[Bert Johansen]

The original image (called a Mandala) is embossed on a 6" x 6" thin copper plate. Last Wednesday Bruce scanned it, which produced a really dark and unusable image, even after he did his best to tweak it. "No problem," he casually said. "This will work." Hmm. Didn't look like it to me. He explained that his wife, Packy, was skilled at tracing complicated images. Indeed, he showed me the Mayan calendar, which is amazingly complicated, beautifully laser cut in maple. But he had bad news. He and Packy were headed for Alaska on Monday morning, and they weren't planning to be back for TWO MONTHS. I said I would wait for them to return to complete the process, placed the top back in my van and headed home.

Imagine my surprise when the phone rang about 11AM the next morning. Bruce said Packy had completed the tracing and he could burn it that afternoon. WOW! I took him the top (and brought him a sandwich as my thanks for this amazing turn-around) and watched him burn the image on his Epilog. He calls his business Magic Router, and indeed the finished result was nothing short of a miracle. Needless to say, SWMBO, for whom this project was dedicated, is ecstatic to have such a beautiful piece in her office.

For your information the top is lyptus, 18" x 19" and I had previously finished it with maple aniline dye, shellac and several coats of wipe-on poly. After Bruce burned three passes with the laser machine, I took it home and burnished it with a very well-used 220-grid pad on my ROS, then rubbed in a very dark gel stain to further darken the lines. I immediately rubbed the excess off before allowing it to dry.