Thanks for all the nice comments. I am excited about the Glowforge as I have lots of intricate work lined up that I think it will be perfect for the glowforge.
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I wonder if the detail camera on the head could at least for proof grade be used to pick a minor uptick in power for darker sections to try and compensate as you cross the rings.
I don’t think it could do it on-the-fly, but I imagine it could pre-scan, etch, re-scan, etch, repeat.
Is that a diy vacuum pump I see?
Nice! I thought that’s where it was from.
It works flawlessly. I am very impressed with Joe and the press.
Just thinking about your kayak. How’s it coming along? Any update pics?
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Wow, that’s really beautiful! 
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I then glued the top half to the bottom half and this is where I ran into some problems. The veneer is pretty thin to start. .028" at the most. After veneering to the 1/4" plywood, some glue oozed up through the pores of the veneer. I thought it would be best to sand this off in the flat state. This worked fine, but reduced the thickness of the veneer to probably .015" in spots. In order to glue the seems together you use epoxy thickened with wood dust… I might have went overboard and you can see what it looks like here. It has to be sanded back down and that is where I experienced some sand through. I tired to use some wood filler, that that looks horrible and I am going to sand that back off tonight. I am scratching my head about this. I might just leave the sand through areas alone and go for an antique type of look. I am trying to convince myself that it would go well with this type of kayak.
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When I get tried of this, I take one of my other boats out. This is my peddle Kayak from Hobie Cat. It is kind of fun.
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Looks great! I wish I had some good advice for you about sanding through. I suspect though that it’s not as bad as you think and once you put a finish on the canoe you’ll be the only one who really notices it. Maybe just tie a cedar color stain on the plywood showing through at the stern end? I have the exact same respirator and mask setup that I use for turning, they definitely do the job. I went and dug out my kayak building books because of you… once of these days I’ll actually build one. 
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Do you ever worry about tipping over? I don’t think I could even sit still without flipping over, much less trying to paddle. 
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Thanks, here is a fun project. I built one of these about 25 years ago. The only downside was that they were so light that the wind tended to blow them like a leaf across the water.
http://gaboats.com/
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Kayaks are way more stable than canoes. The sit on top ones like that Hobie in the picture are inherently more unstable because you are sitting higher but still pretty stable. I am an excellent swimmer but always wear a life vest.
I have the same problem as you on a stand up paddleboard. I try and try, but am very shaky and get no enjoyment out of it.
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Like autobody work, when you get close, put the power tools down, and finish by hand. Much more control over material removal, mainly because it is so much slower - you can ‘sneak up on it’.
OK so you blew past perfection, but as noted, it sticks out to you much more than anyone else. You still have a work of art there, and if anyone points out anything just slap 'em.
As a general rule, if you can’t conceal it, accentuate it. If it’s that noticable, paint an eagle on it, or a nice vinyl decoration from @jbv!
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Problem spots are perfect for a logo or a signature. I did vinyl decals for a wooden canoe a few years ago, they were applied after the first round of finishing had dried, and then covered in whatever clearcoat product the guy was using to seal the whole thing up (many layers of it, iirc). He never brought us finished pictures though, which was annoying.
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Thats amazing! so many cool ideas that spring from that
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