12" diameter out of MDF. Carved and then lasered. The amount of detail is amazing.
19 Likes
Modern Aztec Calendar? 
So are you creating all of the dark area with the laser? That’s a lot of lasering.
Did you create the artwork for this? There are undoubted some super artists here that continually amaze me!
I modified something on things verse that “sandy ego” posted there. I did a lot of cleanup and putting things to correct geometry and trying to improve the carve. I’m glad you like it
Laser work took around 5 hours. I seemed like forever.
How much smoke does lasering MDF make? Do you have an extraction system for the workspace or does using the chip vacuum setup work sufficiently?
1 Like
Not much smoke; comparable to other woods. My smoke extraction system is I open the garage door and the back door and let the wind blow through. It works pretty well.
And no I don’t a hot ember flying into my dust collector. 
3 Likes
I like that method, it’s the best of both worlds.
@wb9tpg, how did you zero the laser to match the v carve?
JTech Laser mounted to spindle using Lightburn.
The spindle mounted laser has the same XY0 as a bit.
That said I made a pattern I drilled a series of 1/4" holes and then lasered a ring around the hole. The laser ring was offset from the holes by small increments. So I could look at them as see at a glance if they were aligned or offset by a given amount.
This is one of the finest examples of an “Aztec/Mayan” calendar I have ever seen! Your skill with a laser is top notch and has convinced me that I desperately need one in my shop. Thanks for posting!
1 Like
I got the Marvel Aztec Calendar SVG and got it all set up to cut out of a 20 inch square MDF blank. I started it earlier and it said in CM it would take 9 hours and 23 minutes. It ran about 2 minutes and I decided to put the power supply on my laptop and knocked the USB plug loose. I should not have started it tonight any way because of the long run time. Since I was only about 2 minutes in I will just start it tomorrow. I watched the video Gary referenced and the author primes with red primer and paints with black paint. He says not to get perfect coverage with the black paint and let the red primer come through. After the primer and paint he uses a silver glazing wax to highlight and then seals the project. I will be trying that. My son in law is a fan boy for Marvel and will give it to him if it comes out alright. There is a Star Wars Aztec calendar and another I can recall right now making a trilogy of scifi wall art. If the Marvel comes out good I will definitely do the Star Wars one.
2 Likes
Just a progress report. So the Marvel calendar looks good. About 3 hours in of 9.5 hours. I am feeling axis motors and all warm but not hot. I also checked my dust collector and that is cool as a cucumber. I am keeping a log of time and per ent in case of stopage.
3 Likes
more than anything try to track the line number of the gcode 
1 Like
I finished the basic cutting of the Marvel Aztec Calendar. Here are the specs of the carve:
Project: 20x20 inch MDF .75" thick
Marvel Image: 19"x19"
CC Tool path estimate: 26 Hours 23 Minutes
CM Tool path estimate: 9 Hours 23 Minutes
Actual Time: 11 hours 45 Minutes
Deepest Cut: .25"
Used dust extraction and not a spec of dust left behind.
CC Version 4.26
CM Version 5.13
Cut with #301 (Really Frued 90 degree 1/2 Vee Bit)
Gcode lines: 278,715
This was a marathon day and the Shapeoko and HDZ worked perfectly.
Finished except for cutout for tomorrow.
Detail on Deadpool
![IMG_20200413_000705722|666x500]
Only issue was a drop of oil from the new HDZ dropped outside the border of the project. This has happened 3 times and I will wipe off the rails for the next few projects before starting. You can see the oil spot on the first picture at the top just to the left.
Tomorrow I will cut out the project and then prime and paint. I ordered some Rub & Buff glazing wax to finish after painting.
4 Likes
I heavily coated with shellac before I carved it. Then I painted it with copper paint. Then I carved it then lasered it. Then a final coat of clear.
1 Like
I was originally going to follow some youtube instructions I found but now that the piece is primed I will use flat black to completely cover the whole front and back. When I get the rub and shine glazing wax I will coat only the flat top surfaces. Hopefully Amazon will ship their prime products faster than they have been. Not sure of the status of workers at Amazon, like how many, but UPS and Fedex are at full strength so it is most likely Amazon slow to ship.
FWIW, the way I did mine is
- spray copper paint over the whole piece, let dry.
- then use a paint brush to apply black paint in a small-ish area, and immediately wipe the surface with a wet sponge. Repeat to do the whole part.
I followed that video at the time.
I love how it came out, and my nephew sure enjoyed his gift
(disclaimer: yes, I know that this Star Wars calendar is infringing on someone’s copyrights, but since I did not sell it and made exactly one piece, for family, I may not go to jail)
13 Likes
This is absolutely awesome.
1 Like