I could have saved myself 1 1/2hours and made these nicer with a glowforge

I made these gift card holders yesterdayand half the time was thinking I could make them better with a Glowforge. I couldn’t resaw the wood (I could just purchase scrollsaw wood), but the rest could easily be done with a laser. I would also have been able to shape the pullout around the snowman or put a nice cutout on the top layer. The slot for the card could also easily be done with engrave… Ah well, I still love them. I got the idea from this site. I used coconut oil on them but next time I’d use some peppermint oil.

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They are beautiful.

I like that a lot, and the peppermint oil would be a perfect finish for a holiday present :slight_smile: Have you ever finished with an essential oil? I haven’t, just curious as to wether it would have the same properties of the other oils or not, maybe a combination of peppermint and linseed would be both fragrant and more durable?

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Thanks. Yes you’d have to mix the peppermint with linseed or another base/carrier oil. That was the first time trying coconut oil and I thought I’d rather it smell like Xmas than the tropics…:grinning:

I would like to ask a couple of questions about your project. My wife wants this to cut out small shape designs out of 1/4 plywood using this instead of using her a scroll saw. Some designs are under 1/2"X 3/8" and she usually draws multiples on sheet size pieces then cuts out and she has very little waste. So how close to each design or pattern can it cut without any problem from the lasers effect on the material and does it leave a dark burned edge?

She’ll be able to cut each design as close or closer than she currently can with the scroll saw so if anything her waste will be going down. Yes it will leave a dark burned edge which can be sanded off on the outside cuts. It will be more difficult to sand on the inside cuts especially if they are detailed with the small tolerances you typically see in scroll saw work. I’ve seen a few people use vinegar and pumice liquid soap to remove the marks but I’ve never tried it myself.

Cool! Love the look!

Do you need to sand the burnt stuff off a surface that is going to be glued? As in to burnt edges, edge to edge?

It would depend on the type of glue you’re using and how strong you need the joint to be. I most cases gluing edge to edge with no sanding is fine.

Those are gorgeous! And I love the idea of the peppermint oil. Quick question on that topic- I’ve made some wood coasters with my firm’s logo engraved on the center for my office’s white elephant gift exchange this Friday. I want to seal them for durability- any recommendations on which base oils work best?

I would actually stay away from oils for coasters. They look great, and are easy, but don’t seal the wood particularly well. I would grab a can of polyurethane and spray a quick coat or two on. If you don’t have an area where you can deal with the fumes then I’d use a wax. Here’s a quick article on wax and oil.

Nice office gift by the way!

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Thanks for the tips! Reading the article now…think I’m leaning more towards a wax finish.

And thanks! I went full-on fabrication- lasercut coasters and a 3D printed gear cube in our firm’s signature color :sunglasses:

I can’t personally vouch for this finish, walnut oil, but do know a lot of people who swear by it. I will be picking some up soon though, as it is highly recommended as one of the best food safe finishes.

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Thanks for the suggestion!! I’m definitely going to look into it.