Custom Inlaid Mother's Day Plaque

Note: We recommend testing speed and power settings before completing this project. Due to variances in wood grain, machine wattage and other nuances, it may take a little practice to ensure the inlay engraving is deep enough for the wooden cut outs.

Please consult your owner's manual for speed/power recommendations on your machine. For this project we used a 50-watt Helix with the following settings:

• Inlay engraving: 10% speed, 100% power
• Vector cutting: 30% speed, 60% power, 500 frequency
• Paper engraving: 90% speed, 20% power
• Paper Cutting: 50% speed, 20% power, 5000 frequency
  

Start by cutting out the pieces that will be inserted into the plaque. Insert your first type of wood into the machine and send that job to the laser. Complete the same step for each type of wood you're using.

Now it's time to mask the wooden plaque. Covering the plaque with a thin masking tape will help eliminate charring and reduce residue left behind after the engraving. After you've masked the plaque, insert it into the laser and send the job over.

Once all of your pieces are complete you can insert the wooden cut outs. Remove the tape and remove any remaining residue. The inlay portion of this project is complete!

Now it's time to move on to the card stock. We used an 8.5" x 11" piece of white-core card stock for the message on the plaque. Insert the paper into the machine and send the job over. You'll notice we left a significant amount of space around the text we engraved. That's because we ripped the edges to create a more authentic, rustic appearance for the message. We dipped the edges in coffee to make them appear the same color as the engraving and add a little more texture and depth. Adhere the paper to the plaque and you're all done!