MSRaynsford

I was recently commissioned to make a large version of my photo frame tree , and this was indeed significantly larger. This tree features 8x 6"x4" photo frames and 1x 12"x8" photo frame The backing tree was 9mm thick and cut on the large laser cutter at Nottingham Hackspace  (I can't wait till my new big laser arrives, currently docking in Felixstowe).  The individual leaves were made from 1.5mm thick walnut. The custom engraving on the trunk features the customers initials and the date they met, the frame was made for their 5th (wooden) wedding anniversary The whole tree measures 900m tall and 1000mm wide, which makes it the largest thing I've ever posted and boy didn't the post office love me that day.

In a departure from our usual maker faires, we're going to be exhibiting along side more arty types at the Coventry Imagineering Festival this weekend. It's all happening at Broadgate , Saturday 9th August from 11-5 and is part of the larger Godiva Awakes project where the giant Godiva puppet is taken around the city for various performances. ( schedule of events ). While I can't wait to see the puppet in action I'm most excited by Matt Dentons giant hexapod  which is apparently being used in the next star wars films. He's certainly moved up in scale from the teeny hexapods he brought to the UK maker faire a few years ago.

It's inevitable when you're working with wood that a few of the sheets are going to end up warped. I thought I would share a few of my tips for working with slightly warped wood while still getting good cuts from the laser.  Magnets. This is it really, magnets are the key to success, plonk them down all over the work piece and that will hold the wood flat while you cut. The magnets cling to the honeycomb underneath and a decent stack of neodymiums can pull 9mm sheets back onto the table. When the wood is bowed, arrange it so that the centre of the wood is lifted off the table. Magnets placed right in the middle of the bow will pull it flat to the honeycomb. When placed the other way up you have to balance the magnets on either side of the work piece and you can get a 'see saw' effect if the bow is too severe. The trick to placing magnets in the middle of the work is figuring out where to put them so that they aren't cut by the laser. My trick for th...