Live Edge Memorial Plaque: Engraving Basswood

June 5, 2018 Jon Off CNC Laser, CNCROi.com News, Sayings, Wood Products,

Today we’ll review a live edge memorial plaque done on basswood but CNCROi.com has extensive experience making both custom memorials and plaques using a wide variety of materials, wood though metal, Corian through cement.

For this live edge memorial plaque CNCROi.com used Basswood, it’s a wonderfully light material with very high contrast when our Austrian wide-format industrial laser engraves into it and best of all (for some clients), the lack of knots really provides a clear slate upon which their designs can be permanently marked onto.

What I really like about Basswood when it comes to making a custom live edge memorial plaque is how easy this material is to work with, it sands wonderfully and it weighs very little compared to Walnut or Oak or even Maple when it comes to shipping costs.

If you are curious about what a custom memorial plaque made out of stainless steel looks like, check this link out.

This custom live edge memorial plaque has both an image of a rose being engraved and a long bible verse passage which reads (as it may be hard to see from these compressed images):

A Reading from the Book of Wisdom 3:1-6, 9

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.

They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead, and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace.

For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality.

Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.

As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.

Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love.
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.

Something I really enjoy doing with Basswood especially is giving the edge of the engraving a 3D look by softening the engraving, it has taken lots of practice but I find it so much easier to read and it has a cool effect when you run your fingers across (in this case) the live edge memorial plaque.

CNCROi.com has made lots of wooden branding, one project where the 3D effect really came out great with photos and video was actually a Walnut live edge we did a while back.

There is masking over the entire surface of the live edge memorial plaque just to make clean-up easier as less sanding is required after the laser engraving, as the smoke and resins, of which Basswood doesn’t have much of, tend to stick to sand paper and the surface of the wood.

Performing multiple laser passes on this live edge memorial plaque darkens the contrast and although this adds significantly to the cost of production, I believe the extra time and attention done during this step is well worth the investment.

The rose came out great on this live edge memorial plaque, I was very pleased with the detail achieved there and the font came out nice and sharp with a really cool 3D effect which these photos and videos just don’t do justice to.

Of course, live edge plaques can be great for more than just memorials, have a favorite poem or quote or even bible verse? CNCROi.com can engrave it onto anything using any font at any size with any imagery.

I greatly appreciate the trust my customers give to me to make something special for them that will be passed onto for generations to come so that their love ones will be remembered, any small part I can play to make somebody get over the grief of getting over a loved one makes me feel very good that I’m doing a difference in somebody’s life.

After the masking is removed from the live edge memorial plaque, you can see how clearly the text comes out and the image, this will be cleaned-up regardless to improve on the esthetics of the finished piece.

CNCROi.com can also make a variety of custom products using live edge and just “normal” lumber, from custom phone holders to Christmas ornaments.

It’s pretty impressive just how flexible wood is and how much we use here in the shop for a huge variety of projects for customers across the world.

When it comes to custom memorial plaques, I make sure our customer triple checks the writing and spelling and I do the same, the last thing you want is something that’s got a mistake on it that can’t be erased!

After a light sanding, this live edge memorial plaque is looking very hard to read but that’s just saw dust that has built-up into the engraving, again, CNCROi.com is engraving INTO the live edge board, not coating the surface with a light coating of ink which will fade, crack or peel over time.

There is an endless variety of projects that CNCROi.com can do on behalf of our customers, it all comes to budget range as to what wood species we can use, how many units you need and what customization you want on each one we make for you.

The dust is dry though, this piece of Basswood has been kiln dried, as such, the saw dust is easily removed using compressed air to reveal the wonderful new finish on this live edge memorial plaque with the deep 3D contrast produced by CNCROi.com.

If you are curious as to what types of woods CNCROi.com typically uses here in the shop for our customers wanting wood projects made, here’s a quick listing.