These cute miniature 3D trees are made from 1/4″ plywood sheets. They can be made from the species of your choice, with your choice of color and finish.
Let’s Make These 3D Trees!
- Download the free 3D Trees design. Unzip the file.
If you would like to paint and mask the wood prior to cutting (if not, skip to step 4):
- Paint the design as desired and allow the paint to dry fully.
- Apply masking to the plywood over the entire sheet.
- Place your material into the Glowforge.
- Upload the design to the Glowforge dashboard.
- Set your material to the appropriate setting. For 1/4″ Columbia Forest Products plywood from Home Depot, what works well for me is the Glowforge Proofgrade default settings. For example, pictured here is 1/4″ walnut plywood, and I used the default settings for Proofgrade Thick Walnut Plywood.
- Set the design to “Cut” and the settings appropriate to your material.
Materials and Supplies Needed:
- 1/4″ plywood, approximately 12″ x 19″ sheet
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Clear spray sealant
- Glue of your choice, that dries clear and is appropriate for wood
- masking (optional)
- Acrylic paint or wood dye, color of your choice (optional)
Tools:
- Glowforge, laptop or other device compatible with Glowforge
- weeding tool (optional)
- Baby wipes, microfiber cloth or cotton balls, or other cloth
- a couple of paint brushes of different sizes (optional)
Cut the design:
- Double check to the alignment of your design to be sure that none of the sections are grayed out.
- Press the “Print” button at the top right of the dashboard.
- The computer will take a minute and then when it’s ready, the
Glowforge button will begin to flash. - Press the flashing button!
Finish the design:
- When the print is complete, remove from Glowforge (and remove masking if applicable).
- Clean the trees with a microfiber cloth (or other) and isopropyl alcohol.
- Group the trees by the pieces that match.
- Using a clear spray sealant of your choice, seal each piece on both sides. Allow to fully dry.
- Assemble the trees by sliding the slots together to ensure they fit together. Then take apart and apply a small amount of glue and reassemble. Let glue dry fully.
- Decorate the trees with paint, dye, glitter or whatever you like to match your style and decor, or just keep it simple and natural!
I can’t wait to hear how you like your 3D trees! I’d love to see yours!
Ally
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