By Natalie Pellette
Although I’m satisfied with the outcome of my introduction to laser cutting, the process was a test of my patience!
I began the project by testing a piece of wood to measure the kerf. I drew the grid design in illustrator and then cut it into a piece of wood using some recommended settings.
Kerf Measurement
I used calipers to measure the cut away material as ~0.11 in, which I then divided to 0.011 in. I inputted these measurements, as well as the following box dimensions, into makeabox.io:
Width(Internal): 3.6”
Height(Internal): 3.6”
Depth(Internal): 3.6”
Thickness: 0.2”
Tab Width: 0.5”
After adding the Hanszen crest, my name, and some decorative engravings, I sent the design to the printer. I had placed tape over the front of my wood piece to protect from charring, but then realized that this would hinder the engraving, so I stopped the job and reset the machine.
Engraving onto Tape…oops
I flipped the wood piece over and restarted the print. This time, everything went smoothly aside from some charring, but when I removed the pieces from the cutter, they would not fit together.
Charring on my first print
Poorly Fitting Tabs
I decided I must have overestimated the kerf, which would have made the tolerances tighter for the box dimensions. I adjusted the kerf settings to 0.09”, downloaded the new box file, and added my original engraving designs. Before sending the design to print, I ran a few test cuts and nailed down my printer settings:
Vector: 100% power 13% speed 10% frequency
Engrave: 60% power 100% speed 600 resolution
All my test cuts!
I finally printed my design, but unfortunately it didn’t come out as cleanly as I envisioned from the test pieces because it was a different sheet of wood.
Frayed Edges of the tabs
Not a perfect fit!
After realizing that the pieces still didn’t fit perfectly together, I got pretty frustrated and decided to come back another day to reprint. :,)
I showed my pieces to one of my friends and they recommended that I try sanding down the tabs to remove the char and create a cleaner fit. I decided to use a small square file to sand down the tab indents and 320 grit sandpaper to remove the charring marks.
Before Sanding
After Sanding
Finally, I assembled the piece. yay!
Final Assembly of my box
After using the wood oil/wax on my crate, I decided to also finish my box with the same product because I liked the result. If I were to redo this project, I would have experimented with the settings even more to improve the fit of the box because the joints are pretty tight. I also would consider trying to print a photo onto one of the sides or getting more creative with my engraving choices.
Finished Product still Drying
Cost Analysis
Work Time = 4.5 hours
Labor Cost = 4.5 hrs • $15/hr = $67.5
Materials Cost (4’ x 4’ 5mm plywood) ~ $10 (Lowe’s)
Total Cost = $77.5
This cost estimate does not include the cost of the laser cutter because it was already available in the OEDK, but it would add significant cost if considered($22,500–$50,000).
