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Laser Cut Ginger Men Ornaments

Astrida Valigorsky

Project by

Astrida Valigorsky

General Information

Aren’t these cute?
Made of 1/8" thick baltic birch plywood, these can be made from many types of woods. The edges are finished with embroidery floss for a little color, along with sequins & beads. Made with a laser cutter, but this file will also work with a Shapeoko. A perfect holiday project!

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Material Description Price
Baltic Birch Plywood

Baltic Birch Plywood

8" × 12" × 1/8" Baltic Birch Plywood

Bamboo Plywood

Bamboo Plywood

Thickness: 1/8 in, Plies: 5, Dimensions: 8 in × 12 in

$7.49

This project's Bill of Materials is not complete.

$7.49
from Inventables

File Description Unit Price

Astrida_Gingermen.dxf

DXF File

$0

Astrida_Gingermen.pdf

PDF File

$0

Astrida_Gingermen.eps

EPS File

$0

Download Zip

$0
from Inventables

1

1. Download the file appropriate for your equipment

If working with a laser cutter, the eps file will work best, or the pdf.

2

2. Prepare your material

I used a lasercutter to make my gingermen. In order to avoid unncessary char from the laser, you’re going to want to tape both sides of the wood with masking tape.

Tape is not necessary if using Shapeoko to cut these.

3

3. Send your cut to the laser

A 30 watt or better laser should cut through 1/8" thick wood fairly easily.

4

4. Seal and Decorate

I sealed my cut pieces with a clear coat of polyurethane wood finish. It helps the wood grain be more visible. You can decorate these with beads, or embroidery floss, or paint depending on your taste. I liked using the embroidery floss on the edges so the gingermen looked more distinctive against the tree.

Samantha Alaimo
I love the way yarn looks weave through the wood! How did you get the holes so evenly spaced in the file? Did you offset a curve?
Samantha Alaimo
Astrida Valigorsky
I offset the path in Illustrator, and then experimented with dashed strokes to make a perfectly dotted path, which I then outlined to create the holes for sewing. It took maybe 10 minutes of fiddling with the stroke length and weight to get the holes round,
Astrida Valigorsky
Malinda @MakeItUrz
These are adorable! I might have to make them for the kids in my family. I might include the yard unwoven and a yarn needle to make it an fun craft project for them. Thank you for sharing!
Malinda @MakeItUrz
Malinda @MakeItUrz
Flawless design! I made 15 (engraved w/ names). If you are pressed for time, hot glue embellishments. Stitching is cuter, but time consuming. You need approx 4’ of thread to complete the outside stitching. Looks like too much at first, then ½ way you think you’ll be short, you won't be.
Malinda @MakeItUrz
Astrida Valigorsky
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the insights. Glue guns are a blessing!
Astrida Valigorsky