Hey Forgers
New guy here and this my first in-depth real laser cut project. Learned a lot and definitely learned some areas of improvement! Looks a little funny because I redacted engraved street a names for the privacy of the recipient.
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Nice job. Care to say what materials you used? Also what’s the overall scale of the piece?
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Basswood ply rim, “honey” stained Baltic Birch Ply foreground, and bare Baltic background. About 10" SQ.
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Nice first post, can’t wait to see what’s next from you.
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Great map. I like the living hinge border.
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Welcome. Nice project.
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Thanks guys!
On the living hinge border, can anyone direct me to some knowledge on sheet metal parameters (using Fusion 360) in the “Beyond the Manual Section”? Had my K-Factor set to “1”, but my border came out nearly a 1/4" too long and had to do some nerve racking post laser cuts to get the puzzle piece on top to fit.
@secret_sauce is pretty deep on f360.
So is the other Evans (@markevans36301)…
Maybe they’ve got the scoop.
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Okay, I have not gotten to play with the sheet metal tool all that much, but I do have a better than average understanding of K factor.
Yes, one is WAY too much. There are no charts for living hinges, so it is a guessing game at this point.
I’ve posted on K factor before so feel free to search using me as a filter.
Here is the napkin version. K factor is a number between 0 and one that is your multiplier for where your material is bending with 0.5 being right in the middle, 0 is all stretch and no compression, and 1 being all compression and no stretch.
I’d start experimenting around 0.4- 0.5
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Nice Map Box! 
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There is no real comparison between me and @Secret_Sauce for Fusion 360 knowledge. He is an employee with both deep and wide understanding as well as being literally surrounded by “assets”, I’m just, well, enthusiastic.
Thank you though.
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@markevans36301 is just being humble. He’s a total badass!
His explanation of K factor is quite good. Here’s my take added perspective:
Like most options, k factor can be tweaked for each material and thickness until it is perfectly accurate.
In some respects, it’s like setting the kerf for each material and also thickness.
That being said, you don’t have to go crazy with the k factor setting to get it to work for you instead of against you.
Anything within the range of 0.4 and 0.6 will likely be close enough for your needs.
Fusion 360 uses a default k factor of 0.44 if my memory serves me right.
I have never bothered to run any tests to tweak it. Therefore, the k factor for all of my sheet metal rules should be 0.44
I would recommend starting with that number and adjust it if you are not happy with the results.
Pew pew pew!
Jason
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I think you’re a natural at this lasering gig. Your map box looks really professional!
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You are going to amaze someone and make them very happy.
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Quite a nice job. Well done, and welcome to the asylum! 
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What a beautiful project … Love the overall shape. Your frame is very nice!
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