At DV Design Studios, we love a good challenge, especially when it involves blending old-school charm with modern tech. Recently, we had the pleasure of working on a project that perfectly captured this vibe: converting a double decker london bus paper scroll saw pattern into a sleek laser-cut masterpiece. Here's how we did it!
Getting the Picture
So, picture this: our client rolls in with this paper scroll patterns showing a cool old london double deckers bus design. They want to make six up for their client and thought it would be easier for us to cut it on laser for them! Of course we say not a problem!
Making It Digital
First up, we had to get that in the computer, unfortunately we only have a A4 scanner! So quick thinking lets take a photo. Now the paper plan has folds and creases that distort the lines. Need something the flatten it out, We had the genius idea of using the extraction on the laser, When we laser cut anything the fumes have to be extracted way from the machine. We have a powerfull fan on our machine if you cover the bed it sucks the material flat.
Turning Squiggles into Smooth Lines
Next came the fun part—turning those old-school squiggles into slick digital lines. We fired up inkscape software and got to tracing. It was like connecting the dots, but with way more pixels involved. Now to the scale just measure the original and set the size. Create the layout for cutting and job done.
Test Runs and Tweaks
Of course, we couldn't just hit "start" and call it a day. We did a bunch of test cuts using cardboard, fine-tuning the vectors until we got it just right. It was a bit trial and error, but hey, that's how the magic happens.
The Big Reveal
After all the, tracing, tweaking, and testing, it was finally time for to cut the wood on the laser And let me tell you, seeing the look in our clients eyes when they came to collect was brilliant. I have asked them to send some pictures of the finished buses.
Here at DV Design Studios, that's what its all about—turning ideas into reality, one laser cut at a time.
