Laser Engraved Table Top #1: Fine Laser Engraving With Color Fill

Those are some impressive tables!

-- Steve - Impatience is Expensive

A very impressive table top! Are you saying that after a coat of polymer you run it through the laser a second time, or you recoat the polymer as many times as neeede? Is this laser part of your shop? Are you doing the art work for the laser?

Ron

-- Ron, Eugene, OR, "Curiosity is a terrible thing to waste."

Hi Ron,

After the laser machines the graphic, I run the program with with different power settings/focal settings I have developed to melt the polymer. If the melted polymer does not cover the graphic the way I prefer, I will refill the void again, and run the laser a second or third time until the artwork is perfect. After I complete one color on the artwork, I do the next color that is needed in the design in a similar fashion. I do not melt all the different colors at one time.

The laser is a part of my shop, and you can see it on my “shop page”. Right next to the laser is a computer system that is linked to a few different pieces of equipment I use. I design the graphics, and do the artwork myself. I utilize CAD based software, and Corel X13 Graphics Suite to design the art.

The cool thing is we are still creating beautiful pieces of art with fine wood craftsmanship…........ technology…..............................

-- Dave

Fantastic Work Dave… The technology is way beyond me, but I can still imagine the endless possibilities…
Thanks very much for sharing it!!

-- Mike in Concord, NH---Unpleasant tasks are simply worthy challenges to improve skills.

Hi Dave, thanks for the explanation it makes your proceses clearer. Thes table tops are just beautiful. You are a very creative guy. I look forward to seeing your future projects on Lumberjocks. Thanks for sharing it has my imagination going -

Ron
In Oregon

-- Ron, Eugene, OR, "Curiosity is a terrible thing to waste."

You’re definitely moving in the right direction. Fantastic work! Your work is beautiful and, as you said, reproducible with minimum effort. I have a plan to do a similar technique with my clock designs in the near future. I took the last 6 months to redesign my clock buidling approach to enable rapid reproduction without the loss of one-off artistic novelty. I’m almost there. At some point in the future I’d love to come and visit your shop in Connecticut to share ideas. I’m in Rochester, NY so, it’s an easy jog! Keep chargin! PS”: There is a shop near you called Patriot Mills. Here’s the link: http://www.cog-works.com/dartmouth-blanket-chest They do many engraved designs but, it’s the business model that might be useful to you….an exclusive deal with Dartmouth College….Thanks for posting. Max

-- Max the "night janitor" at www.hardwoodclocks.com

Charles…...I would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with you on future projects. I am currently working with other wood workers on their projects, and we come up with some pretty unique ideas that are incorporated in their work….......

-- Dave

Where can you buy the colored polymers, is this like the powder coating dust? Thanks.

This is absolutely outstanding. It’s one of the best laser jobs that I’ve seen.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

-- If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau

Thanks for the kind words. The media can be any type of powder coating material except pvc. There are a lot of tricks to learning the proper technique.

-- Dave