Monday, January 1, 2024
Jan 1 – Project Update
Laser Engraver
I last mentioned a laser engraver on the 27th, stating that our newest laser engraver was .
”Kyle has duct-taped the engraver to the plastic table top so it won’t slide around. But the duct tape is a poor solution.” Can something be done about that?
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Sure. Kim carefully slid the plastic table out from its corner of the craft room, avoiding doggos as she worked. I rummaged around our on-site lumber yard (next to the downstairs furnace), selected our last big piece of 3/4” MDF, and got to work..
I carefully carried the engraver from the craft shop to the wood shop and set it out of the way on a folding table on the floor. Lydia checked my work and I’m pleased to report she found everything satisfactory..
While I worked on the engraver, Kim would right-size the engraver cover. It’s a one-size-fits-all type of deal and it’s just way too big. Note the laser-safe viewing window..
I cut the board to size then decided to add a Roman Ogee profile to the two edges that will face the craft room because why not?.
How to stop the engraver from sliding around? A bracket on each corner should do the trick. The brackets had to be strong enough, thin enough to let the enclosure rest fairly close to the wood, and most importantly be to the outside of the engraver’s perimeter frame so as not to get in the way of the workpiece.
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I wandered around the basement looking for suitable scrap metal from which to make brackets. I found four metal legs that came with a plastic utility sink kit I installed seven years ago but never used the legs. I knew they’d come in handy someday. I cut four brackets, rounded the corners, and deburred the edges..
The engraver’s perimeter frame has three identical aluminum ‘legs’, the fourth corner is propped up by the control panel. I removed the three legs, drilled and tapped a hole in each, then drilled a corresponding hole in three of my brackets. I then fastened a bracket to each leg with one quadda-inch bolt and a lock washah..
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I then attached each bracket to the MDF. After checking how robust the three brackets were, Kyle and I agreed that it’d be unnecessary work to secure the fourth corner. Bracket numbah foor is ready if needed, though..
So. The project came out nice. The engraver can’t move with respect to the workpiece so the whole shebang is quicker and more fun to use. However, there’s at least two doggos that couldn’t care less.