2-axis engraver:
Soon after my first trials plotting on eggs, I began to yearn for a
more substantial plotting machine. Moving a pen is cool-- but you can
buy ready-made plotters for that (although perhaps not for plotting
on eggs). I built a 24"x24" engraving table, using a Dremel
tool, some drawer slides and standard threaded rod in 1991, and began
experiments with some inexpensive pre-painted aluminum I had found (like
the stuff they make roofing and siding out of). Although I was able
to achieve some interesting results, I found the mechanical limitations
of the cheap components very limiting. I searched long and hard, and
finally found the industrial components I needed to build a large scale
engraver (5'x4'). What at first was simply a test of my software and
hardware's ability to remain accurate, became an interesting medium.
I sold about 40 engravings during the "Uptown Artfair" in
1993 and '94.
Examples of engraved work are on the Gallery / aluminum
page.