As a way of building my laser cutting skills and also saving some money on christmas presents, I decided to make some Laser cut presents, for my friends and family. And this also gave me an excuse to get to grips with the laser cutter and aso experiment with different nets.
I made about 12 different presents in total and was pretty happy with the outcome. I designed and made 8 Insence box burners. 2 Candle holders for my parents and a couple of boxes with slot on lids. I found this process very helpful, there were a few errors along the way but I managed to correct the mistakes.
NETS
I wanted to create a box with a lid. In order to do this I drew the sections up
with dove tail joints so it could all clip together easily. I planned on using
3mm MDF as this could be cut quick and easily also it was readily available.
To get the lid I made a box within a box essentially and cut through, The inside
box sits slightly higher inside the outer layer to slot over the rim, for a snug fit.
Incense Box Nets
I used the same principle for the incense boxes, I used
engraved text on the boxes and cut out the holes on the top.
Taking quotes from the great man Bob Marley I left a little message
One Love
CORRECTIONS
After Cutting all the shapes out I realised the ends didn't fit on 1 side as
I had copied and pasted the opposite one. I managed to cut some correct ends.
Incense Box
Box with Lid
Candler Holders
Mum
Dad
Evaluation / Problems Along the Way
I found this project really helpful, i got to grips with the laser cutter and also tried out some new settings that I had not used before like the engrave feature. I made a few mistakes along the way which has lead me to always do test models first rather than going straight to cutting them all out at once! Luckily only one section of the incense boxes didn't fit which was a relief. I had another problem cutting some of the text out. On some of the incense boxes The writing was cut all the way out rather than rastered which was a bit of a shame. As everyone was heading back to there home towns the day I made them I didn't have time to recut 4 of the boxes which was a shame, but they were happy with what they got needless to say.
When making the candle holders I managed to ruin the first one slightly. I had not set up the laser to the right distance and was sat slightly further back, this meant that the wood was not cut all way through on many parts of the design. It slightly burnt the wood also which I think gave it quite a nice quality. After about half an hour with a scalpel I managed to cut out the many stars. I used wood glue to stick the boxes together but leaving the lid un-stuck. I love how they have turned out and my parents were really happy, When in the dark the stars cast shadows around the fire place which looks great. If I were to change anything I would of created a grove in the center of the box, as within 10 minutes of my mum having it she positioned the candle under the wooden lid and it began to set on fire! Maybe wood wasn't the best option for a candle holder.
If I had more time to do the presents I would of been able to correct all the mistakes but unfortunately we had loads of other stuff on at the time, but another problem I had was making the inside layer of the "lid Box' slightly too big, so the outer layer didn't slot together entirely perfect. I should of probably accounted for another mm. Overall the project helped me improve my lasercutting skills and also taught me the importance of testing and trial and error. It has been a both fun and beneficial project and I look forward to playing with the cutter some more and whipping out some crazy cut creations.
