These two pine coasters were engraved with exactly the same settings, the same design and the same material. One of them pops and the other one doesn't.
If you engrave on wood a lot and your designs often come out a bit washed out, especially on pine, bamboo and other woods that can be inconsistent, this trick will help. It works on any laser engraver, not just the xTool machines I use, and it's an easy one to follow.
Jump to: Set up the job · The normal engraving · The trick: add a score pass · The result
Set up the job
- Put your item in place. I put my pine log slice straight into my self-centering jig, so I know exactly where it is every time.
- Import your design. I'm using an SVG vector, which is a great place to start because you can scale it up or down as much as you like and it keeps its quality.
- Position it on the item.
Then choose your material. The xTool material library is great for this, and the Pine Coaster settings work out of the box. I've refined mine because I like a darker engraving.
Here are the engrave settings I used on the xTool F1 Ultra:
| Engrave | Value |
|---|---|
| Laser | Blue (diode) |
| Power | 100% |
| Speed | 400 mm/s |
| Passes | 1 |
| Lines per cm | 100 |
Frame the item to make sure the design is exactly where you want it. It always needs to be central, or it just looks a bit odd.
The normal engraving
Click Process and start the job. On mine, the estimated time was 3 minutes 59 seconds.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with this. If that's what your engravings look like, it's fine. But the design blends into the grain a bit and loses some definition. We can make it better.
The trick: add a score pass on top
For the comparison I loaded a second log, a slightly different shape and tone, put it in the jig, repositioned the design and engraved it with exactly the same settings. Then comes the secret ingredient.
Do not touch the design and do not touch the item. Leave everything exactly where it is, so the second pass lines up perfectly with the first.
- Select the design.
- Switch it from Engrave to Score. The software now traces lines around the outside of every shape. It's the equivalent of coloring in and then outlining it.
- Set your score settings (mine are below, or use the material library settings).
- Click Process and run it.
| Score | Value |
|---|---|
| Laser | Blue (diode) |
| Power | 80% |
| Speed | 50 mm/s |
| Passes | 1 |
| Kerf offset | Off |
Then sit back and watch. It's very satisfying seeing the outlines go round every edge of the design.
The result
That's the finished piece. The outlines give every shape a crisp dark edge, so the design stands out from the wood grain instead of fading into it. It's the same idea whatever you're using. I did it in xTool's software (back then it was xTool Creative Space; the same Score, Engrave and Cut options are in xTool Studio today), but it works in LightBurn and on any laser, because the concept is the same.
Woods vary a lot, so run a quick test on an offcut before you do a real piece. For more tested settings, have a look at my free Laser Settings Library and the xTool F1 Ultra settings page. If you'd like a jig that holds round blanks in the middle every time, my self-centering jigs are in the F1 Ultra and F2 Ultra jigs.
Give it a try
Whether you make things for fun or to sell, it's a quick way to make your designs pop. Let me know how you get on in the comments on the video. I always love hearing from you.
