New Toy: Laser Cutter

This is my first encounter with the laser cutter. I wanted to create something simple and beautiful. I also wanted to create something that I need. I made a mistake in the past of creating something that I don’t need, and now it just sits there in the corner doing nothing. After considering everything, I’ve decided to create a key bowl. My idea is to create an increasingly larger set of rings using the laser cutter, and then glue them together to create the bowl.

I started my first prototype using cardboard. Mainly because it is free and it is very forgiving. Since the cardboard is pretty thick, for my first prototype I am using only three rings.

The first prototype was a success! It looks exactly like how I wanted it. It gave me the confidence in moving forward with the material I want for the final product – wood.

Since the wood that was available to me was not as thick as the cardboard, I tripled the number of rings from 3 to 9. I also enlarged the bowl a bit because the prototype was too small.

After cutting the wood on the laser cutter, I glued them all together using wood glue applied with a paintbrush. After letting it try for 12 hours, I have to say I am very happy with the final result. I decided not to paint or finish the wood because I really like the gradient that the laser cutter left on the wood. I am definitely going to use this bowl every day.