I am a big fan of the science fiction comedy drama, The Orville. I will be seeing some friends that are even bigger fans (cosplayers) later this month. So I decided to make coasters of the four different insignia patches. I have include the DXF file to laser cut these and this Instructable will go through the steps required to make them.

OrvilleLogos.dxf
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Step 1: Obtain Wood and Laser Cut

I like to make silhouette coasters like this with Easter Hard Maple. You get a great contrast of the white wood and the black burn of the cutting. These coaster are 3¾" in diameter and ¼" thick. You cut mill your own wood to size or be Hard Maple in ¼" thickness. Here is a source of Maple 5" wide and 2ft long.

1/4" Hard Maple

I ended up using the Birds Eye Maple because it is so beautiful. This is enough wood to make six coasters. So go find yourself a laser, download the DXF file, and you are ready to cut.

Step 2: Sand, Sand, and Sand

Hard maple has a lot of sugar in it and the smoke residue will be quite obnoxious. You are going to have to sand the coasters. I not only sand the top and bottom but I also sand the edges. I think they look nicer that way. Sand with 120 grit sandpaper.

Step 3: Apply Finish

My finish of choice is Howard's Butcher Block Finish. It is made from food safe mineral oil and natural waxes.

Food Safe Finish

It is the only finish I have used where my hands feel better after using it. Apply the finish with a brush or rag, wait 20 minutes, and the wipe off. Your coasters are now complete.

Note: This was the finish the kids would use when I was teaching wood working to four year olds. When we would get to finishing a lot of the parents had concerns about the chemicals in the finish. I would show them the bottle and its ingredients and that would satisfy most of them. For the few still not convinced, I would squirt some in my mouth and swallow it. That pretty much ended the discussion.

Step 4: Looking for Seth MacFarlane

If anyone knows how to contact Seth MacFarlane, I would like to send him a set of these coasters in appreciation of the wonderful job he has done in developing this series.