Tonight, I completed my first proof of concept project for my Etsy shop. It didn’t turn out perfect, but it was definitely a learning experience. I can’t wait to take what I’ve learned and hopefully create my first product to launch my Etsy shop with.
How It’s Made
This incense holder was made from reclaimed wood. It began its life as a heat treated pallet that I broke down and cleaned up. The boards are not prefect, which lead to the slight defects in the final product.
I then used a Japanese pull saw to cut the board down to size and proceeded to sand it by hand with 80 grit and then 180 grit to a smooth finish. Finally, I marked out and drilled the hole at a 45-degree angle and took the board to my laser engraver for the design to be etched in.
The Defects and Moving Forward
As I mentioned earlier, the wood is not perfect, and it did have a slight bow in it, which caused the etching to turn out uneven. I also didn’t get the image perfectly lined up and centered on the board. For these reasons, this will not make it to my Etsy shop but instead be proudly displayed and used on my mantle.
Moving forward, I will likely wait to drill the hole until after the etching to give myself more leeway to orient the design. I will also take more time to get the placement just right before starting the engraving.
In Conclusion…
I’m looking forward to my next attempt at making a shop worthy product! I’ve definitely learned a few things from this project and plan to use this experience to improve my next project. But for now, it’s back to my day job.
Until next time, remember this;
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
Bonus Content!
Check out this test etching of a design that was ultimately too small to be used on the incense holder. I think it turned out amazing, so it might get used in a future project.
