Aluminum Plate Issue

Could not figure out why my focus distance was changing when cutting. Finally realized the aluminum plate under the honeycomb was warping and lifting the honeycomb. Ordered a replacement 15 in x 15 in x 1/4 aluminum plate from amazon. Problem solved.

Wow 1/4in ali plate is not going to warp anytime soon, I use .4mm ali and have no warping problem with a 20w diode, how powerful is you laser ?

I have a dual 24/48 watt laser diode. I was cutting at 48 watt setting and 80% power on 1/8 inch basswood in one pass. I may have had the power setting too high for what I was cutting. But still think the 1/4 aluminum plate is a nice upgrade. Then I don’t have to worry if i have the power setting too high. Plus its easier to clean the cutting residue of the thicker plate. A cute little project for my first grandson due in Feb. Although it might be a while before he can use it. :slight_smile:

Wooden Math Puzzle.lbrn2 (85.8 KB)

Puzzle

Nice, you could be right, might be a while before he uses it, I had birth notices ready to go with details as soon as I knew them for first visit to hospital for my grandkids then the growth chart then the… Oh did mention it never ends :slight_smile:

I forgot the file for the backing plate.

Wooden Math Puzzle Backing.lbrn2 (4.3 KB)

I have a 3 year old granddaughter that is going to love hers when I make it for her birthday!

I noticed the 6 & 9 were not identical, but close enough to be frustrating. I made a bit of adjustment on each. I also lowered the top edge toward the numbers so I could get the entire thing to fit on a 12"x12" Baltic ply. Loren, thanks for doing all the hard work on this!

Wooden Math Puzzle - Rev2.lbrn2 (102.4 KB)

Also, I am very impressed on how you got the sequence of cuts to be exactly right, inside ones before outside ones, all in one layer. Someday, you are going to have to tell us how you made that happen.

I just set everything to Line and cut it all at once and it came out fine. It doesn’t matter which ones cut first. Nothing moved and I didn’t need tabs or anything. Going to use Rust-Oleum acrylic spray paint for the colors and clear coat with a spray sealer. Did some research and supposedly its safe for kids once it cures. There is special paint you can buy for kids toys called Milk Paint but its very pricey and don’t know that it is required. I would still not use these without adult supervision because it does have small parts and i wouldn’t want a child putting the parts in their mouth no matter what anyone says about how safe it is.

Rust-Oleum® paints are unleaded and safe for use on toys and furniture. Once the paint is fully cured, the solvents have evaporated and are no longer in the coating, making it non-hazardous.

Kids Numbers

Here’s another one with the alphabet.

Wooden Alphabet Puzzle.lbrn2 (85.8 KB)

Wooden Alphabet Puzzle Backing.lbrn2 (3.1 KB)

I am never that lucky!

Thanks for sharing the alphabet too.

Guess the laser cut line is so narrow there’s no room for the numbers to move even if the outline is cut first. It is a pretty tight fit. I used 1/8 basswood for my first try. I have some 1/4 inch ordered to try for the next one. Might make one with a child’s name using the same letters using the 1/4 inch basswood.

Not true for my work. I had some parts fall down and get marked by a final pass of the laser. Prompted me to buy a honeycomb .Life got better then.

That would be cool. With the alphabet you provided, I will be able to do the same. I am itching to get back home (3 more weeks here) and do stuff!

I do have a homey comb with the aluminum plate underneath

Here’s some more design elements for making Kids Puzzles. Right click on the images, then select Save As. Hard to see but theres 5 here. Right click and select save as

Animal Layout 4 Animals

Animal Layout 8 Animals Larger with Extra Design Elements

Animal Layout 8 Animals with Names

Animals 8

Letters with Tabs

Here’s the rest of the design files. Their hard to see but theres 4 more here

Letters without Tabs

Numbers with Tabs

Shapes & Letters Design Layout with Tabs

Shapes & Letters without Tabs

Apparently getting those is not going to work. If you stick them all in a Lightburn file, that should do it.

UPDATE: I was messing around with the “images” and discovered “Save image as” would actually save the SVG file properly. I was expecting the “file save as” message for these. Anyhoo, I did get them downloaded and opened with Lightburn.

Again, thanks for sharing!!!

Here is one of my projects, earrings. I got into making several pairs for my 9-year old granddaughter. The hardware for the hooks, rings, and clip-ons are dirt cheap.

FlipFlop - Grogu Earrings.lbrn2 (221.0 KB)

I appreciate the well filled-out project file :slight_smile: Layer names and note-on-open to boot!

Your welcome. Have fun.

Thanks! My Passes are what I settled on for a guaranteed clean cut, but I am going to experiment with fewer passes and more power. I may call it the Sooty Test. :smiley:

I ended up with 1 Pass, 80% Power on a 48 watt laser (Which may be too high), and 600 mm/min. Cutting 1/8 Basswood.