It’s two-sided, which was a challenge. I couldn’t figure out how to get my AutoCad image into Glowforge, so I printed both sides on paper then used the trace function to get them in. Once in, I lined up one image on top of the other. For some reason they came in at slightly different sizes, so I stretched one to match the other. Then I printed the front with Engrave, and Cut enabled, and the back on Ignore. After the front was engraved and cut, I popped it out and flipped it over, set the front to Ignore, and the back to Engrave(no cut necessary!).
I taped the wood down, to make sure it didn’t move, using blue painter’s tape. It also seemed necessary to put a weight on on the wood, since it was slightly warped, and I wasn’t sure if the difference in height would make a difference to the laser. It came out great, although I have a stack of them that did not. I practiced on plywood, before I put solid maple in. Here’s the back
I also printed both sides without the protective paper. That way I did not have to pick all of the tiny little pieces off. The burn marks cleaned up nicely with some alcohol. The resolution is amazing! Final pic:
I bring my Autocad files into Inkscape and resave as a Svg file. Works well if you make sure the CAD file is bear 0,0 and have the import settings in Inkscape set to get the size info from the CAD file. Use R14 Dxf files.
I use Inkscape almost exclusively. It does a great job and the resulting SVGs always work as intended, with a few cautions about text and filled vector gradients.
I have not been happy with dxf files into Inkscape. It really takes some time to get the workflow correct. I have no idea how AutoCAD does text, but that is a really challenge since text is treated different in Inkscape until it gets turned into paths.
Part of why I focused early on in Inkscape to learn how to do 2D in a native program and not deal with conversions. There are a few tutorials in the Tips and Tricks, but not sure about AutoCAD.
Do you want to try it from the start with Inkscape? I’ll assist if you want.
A very generous offer! Thank you! Yes, I think I will try to create the original in Inkscape. A couple of questions right off the bat: Will Inkscape do the arc-aligned text? Are there any beginners tutorials, that you know of?
Here are some tutorials put together by forum members. It’s not comprehensive, as to every element of the particular software packages, but it covers a lot.
