It occurred to me today that I never posted these wooden ampersands I made over the summer. I used the laser cutter to cut them out, which, because of how thick the wood was, took running the laser through them many times until it finally cut all the way into the wood.
Originally they were just going to be pieces to sell, but they may end up finding their way into a wedding decoration.
Trevor
Mary and I collaborated on a project recently, making some Southwestern-themed wooden coasters. Mary designed them in Illustrator, and then I laser-etched them and cut them out. I only made an initial test-batch so far, but we’ll soon be making more for our Etsy store.
Trevor
I’ve nearly completed my newest project, a Buildings of Detroit Peg Puzzle. The buildings are all laser-etched, so the real challenge was trying to get the design right.
I used Adobe Illustrator and at first just dropped in the color photographs and etched them as they were. What came out was mostly a brown blob that bore some resemblance to a building. Since the key is to have contrast, I went and made each image black and white and increased the contrast so the blacks were really black and the whites were really white.
The image above was one of my final tests. I was starting to get some more detail, but there were still some areas, especially on the Belle Isle Aquarium at the top, where parts looked sort of smeared out. I tinkered with the file a bit more, and finally got it to where I liked it. They’re still imperfect and kind of look like rough sketches, but I think I like it that way.
Now I just need to glue, sand, and attach some pegs.
Trevor
I previously made a post about Tech Shop Detroit and finally had an opportunity to take my first class there, choosing to start with Laser Cutting and Etching.
I was searching around for some ideas of cool things I could make using my newfound skill, and found these great examples what could be made with a Laser Cutter.
U.S. Map Puzzle from PipeDreams2010
Cassette Tape Necklace from haleycue
X-Ray Bear Etching from joellefelyce
Toy Front End Loader from Instructables
Gentleman Necklace from finestimaginary
Trevor
TechShop Detroit recently opened its doors and on Sunday they held a tour and meet-up for Detroit-area crafters and Etsy sellers.
If you haven’t heard of TechShop, it’s a place where you can purchase a membership to gain access to their many tools and machines, as well as lessons in how to use them. Their equipment includes industrial sewing machines, a wood shop, welding equipment, glass cutters, machines for plastics, and a screen printing area. Basically, you could build pretty much anything there.
The TechShop website describes themselves “like a fitness club, but with tools and equipment instead of exercise equipment. It is sort of like a Kinko’s for makers, or a Xerox PARC for the rest of us… TechShop is designed for everyone, regardless of their skill level.”
Here are some of the goodies you can find at TechShop:
Woodshop from TechShop Detroit
Laser Cutter from TechShop Detroit
Milling Machine from TechShop Detroit
Sewing Machine from TechShop Detroit
Welding Area from TechShop Detroit
Trevor
