Owl Journal

Not sure what I was thinking, this was my 3rd print ever and I decided I wanted a maple journal with an acrylic owl. Six owls later…before I figured the kerf out. It ended up being .003 but still needed a tiny bit of sanding. Never adjusted kerfs before there is probably an easier way than changing the stroke width 6 times (feel free to share any kerf secrets you may have) I guess everyone gets an owl ornament with their presents this year : )

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Pretty awesome, thanks for sharing

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Stroke thickness is how I do it too. The thinner the material, the smaller the kerf is because there is slightly less burning needed to cut through. .007 is my general measurement for medium plywood.

It’s a process always and different materials can throw you since they get different settings.

Looks nice though.

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I get it…been there done that, myself. Took me a long time to understand AND to make copious notes about kerf…but, after lots of testing, wasted materials (not really wasted when you learn from it) I finally figured it out. I felt immense self-satisfaction, then. You’re already part way there. Your journal looks great!

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Looks nice!

One of the best kerf tips is to remember that a laser cut channel doesn’t have perfectly straight sides. Because of various factors, it’s more V-shaped.
Cross-section-of-a-typical-kerf-produced-during-laser-cutting-of-CFRP-The-laser-was
So when you’re going for a nice snug fit, flipping one material over will make the wall angles align. Your tolerances can be a bit tighter, it will be easier to press together, and you’ll get slightly better results.

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I did not know that thanks for letting me know. I thought it was strange that it wouldn’t go in from the front but went in snuggly from the back.

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This is adorable! Very well done

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Congrats on working through your kerf requirement!

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