I use my Shaper Origin for engraving – but have always been faced with a problem – the engraving isn’t very high contrast because all I’m doing is cutting into the wood. Sometimes I don’t do anything about it, but other times I try and paint the engraving and sand off the top.
But in this project, I wanted to try wood burning as an option. I’ve never done it before, so I picked a simple project of burning in a leaf.
First I found a public domain SVG of a leaf, and then engraved it in some scrap 1/4″ plywood with the Shaper. I quite like using the Shaper Plate because it makes a nice solid repeatable surface. Though I do believe I screwed something up with the leveling because my cut was deeper than expected. Oh well!
Burning in the leaf took a bit of practice. I found that constant downwards pressure and constant speed are important. The outer perimeter of the leaf was very splotchy the first pass, so I gave it a second pass to make it more consistent. I actually found that (at the temperature I was burning at) that right when I start to see smoke, I’ve got a decent exposure and speed. If I loose the smoke, I’m probably going too fast.
I wanted it to somewhat look like it was branded – and I think I somewhat achieved that effect.
I thought it looked nice hung up next to our sauna door!
