Cut-Out Occasion Ornaments
Batch production, gift-ready, and the tutorial that teaches nesting and layers — the workflow skills that carry straight into craft-fair selling.
KitWhat you'll need
- 3 mm plywood (nicer) or MDF (cheaper, flatter, smokier)
- Twine or ribbon
- Ornament designs: free SVG libraries, or draw them in LightBurn
SettingsStarting points
| Machine | Operation | Speed | Power | Passes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 W diode | Engrave | 3,000–6,000 mm/min | 40–60% | 1 |
| 10 W diode | Cut | 250 mm/min | 100% | 2–3 |
| 60 W CO2 | Engrave | 300–400 mm/s | 15–20% | 1 |
| 60 W CO2 | Cut | 15–20 mm/s | 65–75% | 1 |
StepsHow to do it
- Design with a hole. 70–90 mm ornaments with a 3–4 mm hanging hole, personalised with names — personalisation is the whole value.
- Nest tightly. ~2 mm spacing between parts. LightBurn's array and nesting tools do the work.
- Mask if plywood. Against smoke staining. Skip masking on MDF.
- Engrave all, then cut all. Separate layers handle the ordering automatically.
- Watch the cuts. MDF particularly — dense smoke, occasional flare.
- Finish the batch. Pop pieces free, thread ribbon, sand edges. MDF edges take gold marker beautifully.
MistakesWhat everyone gets wrong
- Hanging holes too close to the edge (they break) or too small for ribbon — 4 mm minimum.
- Not test-cutting a single ornament before committing a full sheet.
- Letting cut parts drop through the honeycomb into the beam path — a sacrificial board underneath catches them.
⚠ SafetyMDF smoke is the worst of common hobby materials (formaldehyde-bearing glue). Extraction working hard; don't stand over the exhaust path.
⤴ Level up
Layered 3D ornaments, gift-tag sets, wedding favours. These batching skills transfer directly to selling at fairs.