Fabric on wood

[cheryl.fox67]

Is it possible to paste fabric on MDF and then laser cut it? Would I need to mask the fabric?
Has anyone done this?
Thank you!

[evansd2]

@cheryl.fox67

Is it possible to paste fabric on MDF and then laser cut it?

Yes. Just be sure that the fabric is laser safe (no PVC leathers or fabrics).

I think @shogun may have cut the fabric separately:

A use for old blue jeans

I am currently reading Matt Kenney’s “52 boxes in 52 weeks” (which I highly recommend if you have a box fetish like I do). One of his suggestions for finishing boxes is to line the inner bottom with fabric, it gives a nice bit of color when the box is opened. I immediately thought about ordering some fabric, when it hit me: I have a couple pairs of pants I have outgrown (thank you lockdown) and denim is fun to print on. So after a bit of experimentation… [IMG_5214] The boxes themselves are of…

Aha here you go:

Fabric and wood

Hello everyone! I just got my glowforge and I am so excited to finally make the projects that have been swimming around in my head for so long. I really want to glue fabric onto wood and then cut shapes that I can use to make earrings with. What would be a safe glue to use and what kind of wood would be best suited for this project. I want it to be thin and light weight. I look forward to your answers. Thank you- Lisa

and here:

Mod Podge- is it safe?

If I glue fabric onto MDF with Mod Podge, is it safe to cut? I mean, is this glue laser friendly? I’m talking intricate designs, too detailed to scissor or blade cut and attach the cut fabric after the MDF is cut. Thanks

There are more threads too, I searched the forum for “fabric glue wood”, like this:

https://community.glowforge.com/search?q=fabric%20glue%20wood

[ChristyM]

I haven’t read the search results posted above, but masking is always a personal choice. If you’re going to seal the fabric with mod podge or the like, you probably don’t need to mask as soot will wipe off. If not, I would think it would be very difficult to get soot out of fabric. That said, make sure the masking is well burnished - you don’t want it peeling up while you’re cutting.

[dan84]

Do you have a maker space in your area with a laser? I would want to try laser cutting the material on some kind of laser before buying one for that task. A laser cutter is rarely the type of equipment a commercial company reaches for when it needs to cut fabric. You might not like the burned edges, or some other aspect of the cut-by-fire result.