Glowforge Project #02: Yoda Gingerbread Man Star Wars Ornament

Show your support for Master Yoda and the Rebel Resistance with this Christmas Ornament. “A Merry Christmas You Will Have” – Yoda

Materials

• Glowforge Machine
• 1/8″ Baltic Birch plywood – Unfinished! Not Proofgrade
• Yoda Gingerbread Man Star Wars Ornament Glowforge Cut File
• General Finishes Water Based Wood Stain, 1 Pint, “Green” (Yoda’s body)
• General Finishes Water Based Wood Stain, 1 Pint, “Medium Brown” (Cane, Robe Middle)
• DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint, 2-Ounce, “Titanium Snow White” (Robe)
• DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint, 2-Ounce, “Leaf Green” (Lightsaber)
• DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint, 2-Ounce, “Shimmering Silver” (Lightsaber handle)
• Devcon Home Weldit High Strength All Purpose Adhesive – Seriously strong & reliable bond!
• 1″ Foam Brush
• 3 ply Natural Jute Twine
• Silicone Baking Mat or Newspapers to protect countertop while staining

Instructions

1. Purchase & then Download file Yoda Gingerbread Man Star Wars Ornament Glowforge Cut File from Etsy.
2. Upload svg to Glowforge App
3. Adjust settings in Glowforge App as follows:
   – Select Material: Medium Basswood Plywood works with my preferred Baltic Birch mentioned in the above Materials list. Test yours if not using the same.
   – Yoda base, Robe, Cane, Lightsaber layer: Cut > Proofgrade Cut
   – Robe Middle & Facial Lines layer: Engrave > Draft Graphic
   – Eyes layer: Engrave > Draft Graphic
   – Eye Sockets: Score > Draft
   
   
   .
4. Load 1/8″ Baltic Birch Plywood 12″x20″ sheet into Glowforge.
   *Mass Production Tips* If making A LOT of these, it helped me tremendously to assembly line the fabrication. I separated the top accessory pieces and bottom cut layer and duplicated them to fill the entire workspace. I then pre-stained or painted each plywood sheet, Medium Brown for the canes, Green for the bottom layer, White for the robe, and so on. Then I loaded the pre-colored plywood sheet for each layer’s cut.
5. Cut Layers – Cut all layers. Set Aside.
6. Stain / Paint Layers if you did not already pre-stain or paint your plywood sheets. Test your chosen colors, colors I used linked above, on a waste wood piece. Apply the stain, then Leave the stain on for 1 second, then 15 on another spot, then 30 seconds on a third, and so on.. then wipe away stain with a papertowel. Choose the desired color intensity’s time and then use for your cut piece. Repeat stain-testing process for each color used to find your desired color effect. Allow to dry at least 2 hours. Before gluing.
7. Glue-up Layers – I’ve gone through soooo many adhesives in all my crafting years – good, bad, and the ugly. For an ornament like this, you want a high-strength adhesive that will dry crystal clear and not take too much fuss in applying it. So far, the best adhesive I’ve used is Devcon Home Weldit High Strength All Purpose Adhesive. It gives you 5min of working time, then sets up within a couple hours, curing fully overnight. Oh and did I mention it’s Crystal clear?!! Yes, it’s my go-to adhesive for wood to wood intricate projects.
   
   Test-fit the top and bottom layers together so that you have a rough idea of where the layers overlap. This is where you’ll apply the glue. Apply glue to the underside of the robe, tip of the cane, and the tip of the lightsaber. Spread evenly. A small paintbrush helps.
   
   Find some evenly sized plywood scrap pieces. Line-up ornaments in a row, as many as will fit beneath one of those plywood scraps, then set that plywood scrap piece on top of the ornaments. Apply a large heavy book atop the plywood scrap. Allow to dry this way overnight.
   
   *Mass Production Tips* Continue gluing ornaments together, then adding another layer to dry on top of your previous layer, then another scrap layer, and so on and so on, till you have a drying tower. Once finished, then apply the large heavy book on top and dry overnight. Careful not to stack too high, you want the book’s weight to be supported.
8. Tie on Hanger – Using 3 ply twine, plain old garden variety works well, cut a 6-inch piece. Insert one end through a hole, then tie a double square knot at the top.