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Tic Tac Toe

It is preferable to learn using laser engraver with small project, to avoid being frustated from failure, and avoid using wood for nothing. Tic tac toe is a good starting candidate.


Table of Content

Setups

For cutting the wood:

Params Value
Model Sculpfun S30 10W
Mode Cut
Plywood 3mm
Cut Speed 4mm/sec
Power 100%
Air Pump Yes

For engraving:

Params Value
Model Sculpfun S30 10W
Mode Engraving
Plywood 3mm
Cut Speed 200mm/sec
Power 100%
Air Pump No

The Sculpfun S30

Like many other laser engraving machines, 2 axis.

The honeycomb under became quickly dirty

Cutting

I used a dictionary to maintain the 40x80cm plywood

Almost done.

When we have the good setup, the piece must fall by applying a small pressure. If the laser power is too high / speed too low, the risk is that the pieces drop prematurely. In that situation, the laser would not cut the other pieces insides correctly (incorrect focal).

Just have to separate them

Engraving

I wanted to engrave two things:

  • The cover (to know what the box contain)
  • The rules (in case of an alien takes the box and wants to play with)

Even with the pump, sometimes there are dark cloud around the shapes. A little sanding steps makes everything clean.

Varnishing

Putting Varnish for better color.

You can see the color difference with unvarnished wood (small rectangle under):

To protect the table, I used a cooking sheet, which is much better than journal paper, as the wood won’t stick to it.

Gluing Pieces Together

I first started with the top cover (right, almost invisible on this image). The thin border must be adjusted to the big square.

Next, I made the board. The difficulty here is to put the drilled layer in the correct position, so when you close the box, all edges are aligned.

At the end of this step, I needed to sand the borders: some glue move on the border closing, making impossible to properly close the box.

Final Result

Rules on the cover:

Closed box

Now the game is ready to play !


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