LASER BIERDECKEL
Personal Favorites:
OK…I thought the German word “Bierdeckel” sounded cooler than “beer coasters”.
My new JTech 7W Pro spindle-mounted laser arrived a few days before this contest was announced, so a great opportunity for me to learn Lightburn. I’m loving the laser – highly recommended if you’re looking to branch out. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but lots of great video tutorials out there.
I for one did not know about the Carbide3D “Elements” Library prior to this contest, so thanks for making the community aware.
BUILD PROCESS
I bought these thin bamboo cutting boards: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016OP6N3M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I was able to squeeze ten 4-inch blanks out of them.
In the Carbide3D Design Elements, I selected ten images from the “US Armed Forces” category that would look good in a circular format.
I spent a lot of time learning how to tweak the vectors in Lightburn to redraw and close paths that I needed to “fill” (for example, the flag and cannonballs in the United States Army seal).
Example - Cannonballs before editing:
Example - Cannonballs after editing to close the paths:
On a scrap, I made a test grid of varying speeds (20/40/60/80 ipm) and laser power levels (20%/40%/60%/80%/100%), then selected speeds/power levels for the project and tested again before doing the final burn.
For lines, I settled on 50 ipm/80% power. For filled letters, I settled on 80 ipm/80% power. I bolted a fixture to my wasteboard for repeatability, and lightly clamped each blank to ensure it didn’t move during rapid movements.
LESSONS LEARNED
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Bamboo machines beautifully (with sharp endmills), but it lasers a bit unevenly in terms of color. Many threads confirm that this is just part of bamboo’s charm. Burning at a higher power and making multiple passes doesn’t help – there will always be variations due to the inconsistent nature of the laminated strips of bamboo.
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Every type of wood seems to have a different sweet spot for laser settings. Bamboo, maple and basswood are all light-colored, but testing showed they each need unique speed/power settings.
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Smoke extraction is mandatory – lasers create a LOT of smoke when etching wood. I bought a Stinger vacuum:
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and a sheet of carbon filter:
I cut it up, removed the cheapo Stinger filter, and zip-tied the carbon filter material in place. It removes 99% of the smoke, but not the smell of burning wood.
Carbon filter for Stinger vacuum. Note the smoke residue:
FILES & CUTROCKET
Bamboo Coasters.c2d (20.3 KB)
Example Lightburn File: Army.lbrn2.zip (215.0 KB)
Cutrocket Link: Laser Bierdeckel by ScottsdaleSteve