My First Laser Cut Wedding Sign for Taylor & Brad
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2024
- With my garage shop conversion in full swing, I don’t have a ton of time to focus on new creative projects right now, so they’re all on the back burner. What’s a boy to do? Look back in his archives for footage of projects from a simpler time that he worked on before starting this channel, of course!
My good friends Taylor and Brad got married a few years ago, back in August of 2017, and I recorded the footage to eventually, just maybe, one day make a video out of. Their wedding name sign was the first one I ever made with the laser cutter and while it may have had a few imperfections, I still loved how it turned out!
Reading more your style? Check out the write-up on my website:
www.farbulouscreations.com/vi...
Some of the tools and materials used in this project (may contain affiliate links):
Picture Hanging Wire: amzn.to/3emLWLM
Picture Hanging D-Ring Hardware: amzn.to/2XugqV9
Minwax Semi-Gloss Spray Polyurethane: amzn.to/3eelP9q
Minwax Walnut Wood Stain: amzn.to/2zuYP7A
Foam Craft Brushes: amzn.to/2XSHxeQ
Tightbond II Wood Glue: amzn.to/2xKA96B
220 Grit Sandpaper: amzn.to/34dRnbS
DeWalt Random Orbital Sander: amzn.to/3c3lvZZ
DeWalt Cordless Drill: amzn.to/2X2IgbX
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:43 - Design Process
1:46 - Material Prep
3:08 - Laser Cutting
6:12 - Assembly
8:07 - Reveal
8:27 - Outro
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I am less than 2 minutes into your video and I already like you. You acknowledged your grammar error and you offered to fix it. Good man.
Haha, of course! We all make mistakes from time to time! Glad you like the video! :)
That turned out nice
Thanks Brian, appreciate the kind words!
You're a blessing, bro.....you inspire as well..........GOD BLESS YOU
Thanks man, I really appreciate that! :)
Love the process. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching, Linda! Glad to share my process. :)
Great job! Turned out great, thank you for sharing
Thanks for the kind words, Derek! You're welcome! :)
I just love watching your videos, clearly I'm brand new here. Your passion shows!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Nadege! Glad you're enjoying my videos - means the world to me to hear that! :)
You're such a joy to watch! I'm making a wedding sign for my nephew and I love the two signs you made. Thank you for the inspiration!
Aww, thanks so much for the kind words, Maggie! Glad you like my signs and that they could inspire you! I'll have a few more sign videos over the next few months too, so stay tuned! :)
Amazing project👍
Thank you! ☺️
Well done!
Thank you! :)
I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the process, very educational. You gave me inspiration for a future project. Just need to figure out how o do it without a laser.
Hey Stephen! Glad you liked it! Totally doable without a laser cutter - a scroll saw will be your friend in cutting out small letters!
If you take 8oz near boiling water, add about 1 tablespoon baking soda to said water, and let cool. Then add enough latex primer to the baking soda water, so that when the solution is painted onto a piece of pine, it gives a very light white wash. This will make your laser burn black rather than gold.
Even just bakimg soda water on pine is amazing. I have engraved photo realistic images onto wood.
Great tip! I've heard similar effects with borax I want to try both now! Thanks!
@@FarbulousCreations no problem. I wish i could send you photos of how well it works haha
Hey great video!
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Hi Ron. Great videos! I would lightly raster the base in the area where the letters I'm gluing on will be placed. That way they "drop" right in so alignment isn't an issue.
Hi James! Thanks for the comment and idea! That would totally work too! Only reason I might not do that is because raster jobs take longer than the vector kiss cut does and it would add to the lasering time. Using just the vector kiss cut works well enough as the individual letters dry in place within the first few seconds after pressing them down that they stop sliding around. They still need the proper amount of time to dry fully, but they stop sliding around pretty quickly.
That said, I think on super tiny letters it might be best to do it how you said - say, if the letters were 1/2" or so. In that case they're so small that tiny imperfections in aligning are more visible than they are on larger letters.
Raised lettering -- great idea
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
If you had placed double sticky back tape on the back side of your material prior to laser cutting, finish the top side sanding staining and covering with transfer tape. The cut out your letters you're done.
Hey Waldo, yes I could definitely utilize more masking in my work. Sometimes I don't think of it though. 🤷♂️ Thanks!
I would love to know more about your laser! Which laser did you decide to purchase? What are the limits to your laser? I’m a sign maker myself and I use the Cricut machine. The laser has intrigued me based on the quickness of producing your product. I just searched on UA-cam the types of lasers and what all they can do. I’m interested also into cutting molds, engraving and stain glass art. Any and all info you can provide would be helpful and even a video explaining some of this! I loved your sign and enjoyed the video!
Hey there! Glad you liked the sign and video! Unfortunately I don't have my own laser - the one I use in my videos belongs to a local maker space that I attend. If you live in or near a moderately large city they likely have a maker space you can use, and many of them have lasers these days. That said, the Glowforge is probably the most affordable consumer model laser cutter. You can get one cheaper from China on Ebay or the like, but they'll often have a much steeper learning curve and require tinkering - something you may or may not be looking for. I'm probably going to be getting my own laser in time, and I'll be torn for that reason when I do. Got some thinking to do. Hope that helps and good luck!
Hi, love your videos. Hope you dont mind me asking, what software do you use? Thank you L
Hi Lynda! Glad you like my videos, that means a lot! 😊 I use Adobe Illustrator to do my designs, as I’ve used it forever and am really comfortable with it. It’s not a free software though, so if you want to dabble in a similar software that is free, check out Inkscape. It does almost all of the same things, and I know that people who use it tend to like it, but I’ve discovered it’s not really for me. Hope that helps! 😊
Great project! Keep em coming. Just subbed. Question ,how thick was the board? Which laser do you have? Thanks again.
Thanks so much! I've got a couple more wedding sign projects in the works! 😉 The board here was 3/4" pine I believe, which the laser cuts like butter. When I made this one I used an older laser at my local maker space (not sure of its specs) but I now own my own Thunder Laser Nova 35.
@@FarbulousCreations thank you for your reply, I really enjoyed the video.
excellent work, very good. What program are you using to make the design? (sorry for the bad english)
Your English is perfect! I use Adobe Illustrator to make my designs, as it's what I'm most comfortable with, but free alternatives like Inkscape can do similar things! Good luck! :)
Can i ask what you use to design the outline shape of the sign,it looks fantastic btw
Hey of course! I use Adobe Illustrator for all of my design work. It's a paid app, and there are cheaper/free options out there, but I've been using it since high school so it's what I'm most familiar with. Cheers!
Hi Ron. Thank you for video, really excellent work. Is that CO2 laser ?
Hi Igor! Yep, it's a CO2 laser cutter! I believe 80 watts - it's the laser at the local maker space I attend. Thank you for the kind words; I'm glad you liked the video! :)
Hi. Could you explain in more detail about the alt click on the curves in Illustrator? Thanks!
Sure thing! If you have an object selected and then switch to the Direct Select Tool (the white arrow tool), you will see little blue circles/dots appear inside your shape near the points on your shape. If you hover over these, you'll see a little "rounded corner" icon, and sure enough, if you click and pull these towards the center of your shape, you'll round over the corner. But if you alt click first before pulling you'll get an inset rounded corner, and if you alt click once more, you'll get a chamfered 45 degree "corner." If you pull in the point with either of those alternate options activated, you'll get the same corner type.
It's worth noting that you can do this to all points on a shape all at once, or if you click a single point with the Direct Select Tool, you can do it one at a time. Hope that helps! :)
awesome video, are you able to show a video showing how to use the pass through?
Hey Mima! Thanks, glad you like the video! This sign was produced on the machine at the maker space before I got my Thunder Laser, but I'll try to do a video on the pass through feature soon! :)
@@FarbulousCreations thank u!!
Nice work! You said in comments, you used a laser at local maker space, But what kind of laser? CO2? if so what size? Like a K40? Thanks for the vids
Hey there! It was a large, older CO2 laser, so not a K40. I don't know the model or anything, but it was a Full Spectrum laser and had a decent bed size, probably about 3 feet wide. I have my own Thunder Laser Nova 35-80 nowadays. 😊
What Laser Engraver are you using? It must be pretty powerful to cut 3/4" pine. I want to cut letters to add to a sign what Laser wattage is needed?
Hey Jeff! The laser cutter is an old Full Spectrum laser that I have access to at my local maker space here in Minneapolis. I believe it's an 80W machine. For the letters you want to cut, it depends on the material and thickness, but something as low as a 40W machine should be able to cut 1/4" plywood, for example. Hope that helps!
How did you know what software to use and how to use it? Do you take your own computer and connect it to the printer at the maker space you go to?
Hi Cindy! Great question! There’s a very brief laser training class you have to take when joining the maker space I go to, where they teach you the differences between vector (cutting) and raster (engraving) workflows. Any software that generates vector files can be used to design you work - Inkscape being the popular free option. I do all of my vector designing on my own computer using Adobe Illustrator (not free) because I’m the most comfortable with it and I’ve used it for years. You can’t connect your own computer directly to the laser at the maker space I go to, but you can transfer your file via a jump drive or USB stick. The laser computer doesn’t have Illustrator installed, so what I do is export my file as a vector PDF from Illustrator on my computer and then the laser computer can open it in Adobe Acrobat. Then it’s a simple matter of “File > Print” to send it to the laser control software and then to the laser from there after dialing in my cut settings. Hope that helps!! 😊
Chef John 🤣🤣
Hahah, yes!! Thank you for understanding the obscure reference! Didn’t know how much the maker video world and cooking video world overlapped!
@@FarbulousCreations I'm a huge fan of Chef John 😁 Love your stuff and subscribed today.
@@UmBungo I love Chef John too; one of my favorite UA-cam personalities! Thanks for the sub! Glad to have ya following along!
@@FarbulousCreations thanks, man, and thanks for showing your errors. I'm just starting out, and such videos are the most valuable. 👍🏻
What kind of wood are you using? Wood is pretty thick to laser cut.
Hi Christopher! The backing board is pine, which the 80W laser at the maker space can cut through like butter, even at nearly an inch thick. Hardwoods like maple or walnut wouldn't fair nearly as well, though! Hope that helps! :)
What watt is your laser cutter? I have a 50 watt laser and I wanted to make a wedding sign for someone and would like to cut pine wood if I can with a 50 watt cutter.
Hey Shawn! The laser I used in this video is 80 watts, so I imagine 50 watts should be able to handle it, perhaps just a bit slower or with a double pass. Hope that helps! :)
Can you tell me what kind of pine wood it is . I went to Home Depot and they only had radiata pine . Please let me know what kind to get . Thank you
I believe radiata pine typically refers to pine plywood, though I may be wrong. Any solid "pine" wood like fur, spruce, etc will work. I think the solid boards are usually "Ponderosa pine." Hope that helps!
@@FarbulousCreations i have called a few places in my area but nobody sells pine . So any recommendations
What kind of laser are you using?
Hey Steve! In this video I'm using an old 80W Full Spectrum laser at my local maker space, here in the Twin Cities. But I'll be getting my own laser within a few weeks that I'm excited to share details about. Stay tuned! Hope that helps!
what laser machine do you use....how many watts..........can you tell me the pine wood cutting metrics.......thanks.....watching you from INDIA...
Hey Freddy, it's an older Full Spectrum brand machine. I believe it's an 80W machine. It's not mine, I use the laser at a maker space near me so I'm just guessing from memory.
For the pine, I used 80% power, 20% speed, focused at the center of the board! Hope that helps!
@@FarbulousCreations Can please elaborate on the power and speed percentages? I’m looking to purchase an 80W laser soon and your videos have helped a lot!
what is the thickness of material?
This sign was 3/4" solid pine, which cuts like butter on the laser! Hope that helps! :)
Now if you can only cadence your voice like Chef John does you’ll be all set
Haha, right? Maybe after years of doing narration like him my voice will fall into that cadence naturally! 🤣
punctuation not grammar. other than that- great video and project. I got a CNC last year to I can make these easier.
A CNC is on my list to do more ornate 3D-type signs at some point! Glad you liked the project! :)
DAMN, YOU HAD ME EVEN MENTALLY SCREWING THEIR NAME UP... MY GRAMMAR IS FRICKIN GREAT.. FIX THAT SIGN!
Haha, I will never make that apostrophe mistake on a name sign ever again! 🙈
WHY are you talking SSSOOOO fast, I found it so hard to understand what you were saying,, So sad
Hey Steve! Thanks for the feedback. I occasionally have a problem enunciating when I'm speaking for extended periods of time, but I definitely try to slow down and enunciate clearly for my videos. Is there a particular part of the video you felt I was talking too fast? I don't hear it myself.