Just before Christmas, I received the xTool P2 laser for review. Now that the review is over, I’m free to let my creativity run wild. This laser cutter and engraver is so great that I’m constantly looking around my home for items to use with it. Recently, I found a wooden TV dinner tray that I decided to use with the machine. With my new Steampunk TV Tray, I can now enjoy my dinner on the couch without having to balance it on my lap.

As a big steampunk fan, it was obvious that my first choice would be a steampunk-themed project. If you’re making a deep tray like mine, you’ll need a base riser.

How to engrave a wooden TV tray using the xTool P2 CO2 laser engraver and cutter

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Create your design in XCS Creative Space

To begin, launch the xTool software XCS and create a new project. I apologize for the poor photo quality on some images. The skylights in my roof cause glare on my screen which reflect in my photos.

First, select the image you wish to add to your design and place it where you want it to appear.

This image of a steampunk lady is one of my favourites. She looks so hot she is a perfect fit for my slogan.

Next, click on the text option on the left-hand side of your screen and it will automatically appear on your design with the word “HELLO.” On the right-hand column, you can customize the font and size of your text. Additionally, you can download any custom fonts you want to use into XCS creative space.

You can make more accurate adjustments to the design once you are in the live view screen.

Set up your project in the xTool P2

If you are using a deep tray, you need to adjust the base riser to fit the size of your project. The base riser has 9 levels that enable you to lower the base plate for larger items.

Additionally, the base riser comes with a tape measure that allows you to measure your project depth accurately and helps you position the base plate correctly.

This is how the tray look inside my machine.

Next, click on the open plane setting then click the refresh button located in the top right-hand corner. This feature is amazing as it provides you with a real-time view of your work area, enabling you to visualize your design with precision.

It is here you can make any final adjustment to the layout of your design.

Choice your engraving settings.

The shape of this tray made it challenging for me to measure the thickness of its inside surface. However, there is no need to worry as this fantastic machine comes with an auto-measure feature. You can simply click on the inside of the tray and then click the auto-measure button, and the machine will measure the thickness for you.

In the creative space of XCS, you can now customize your settings. I wanted my engraving to appear very dark, but unfortunately, I didn’t have a test piece of wood to work on. So, I started with 50% power and 150 speed. If the colour is not satisfactory, you can always the ‘process again’ button to apply a second pass.

Select your image, then click the engrave button. You will immediately notice the difference. If you are cutting or scoring the image, it will look like the example image below.

To know if you have chosen engraving, look for a dark image similar to the example below. When working with a combination of text and image, XCS won’t let you group and engrave them simultaneously. You need to process them separately.

In the image below, I have chosen the lady and clicked on the output button in the right-hand column. Next, select the text and choose the ignore button. Once the lady has finished engraving, do the opposite. Select the text for output and the lady to ignore.

“You can now sit back and watch the magic happen. Engraving can be a slow process, and this particular project took 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete. One possible improvement that could be made to this machine is to display with estimated processing time. You can see the xTOOL laser in action using this link.

It is important to note that you cannot leave the machine unattended while it’s in use, which may be inconvenient if you have other tasks to attend to. Fortunately, you do have the option to pause the machine if you need to step away.

Seal the surface

I was unsure whether the tray engraving would work due to excessive dust, but I let it run. Fortunately, it was only surface dust, and I was able to remove it with a blast from my compressor. To finish, I applied two coats of spray polyurethane to seal the surface and prevent water damage during cleaning.

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