Hume Lake Topographic 3D Map

At the end of the year in Makerspace 1, there is a Passion Project. This month at the end of school is for students to create whatever they want as long as they can fit it into the time given. Of course, there are some other limitations but I chose to make a Topographic 3D laser-cut map of Hume Lake. I've always loved the idea of making 3D objects with layers cut from a laser cutter. Showing nature in my artwork through mountains and a lake sounded even better. I specifically chose Hume Lake instead of the other popular tourist options because it has a special place in my family's history as well as our hearts. We used to vacation up every summer together and we made some of the best memories. This choice put the "Passion" in Passion Project for me. :)

• 8 pieces of plywood (laser cutting wood; I used 20inx12in)
• access to a computer and editing program (Photopea)
• wood glue
• clamps
• access to a laser cutter

I started with a regular map I found on Google of Hume Lake that showed the different layers of mountains surrounding the area. The map had a lot of added labels that I didn't want in my design so I had to use the clone tool in Photopea to simplify the picture. There were a lot of different layers in the map and to make sure I didn't use too many layers of wood, I also cloned out some of the smaller layers in between that were unnecessary in getting the main point across. I went from about 15 layers to 8 layers. I separated the layers into different project tabs by using the magic wand tool and then continually erasing the layer/line I already did before moving on to the bigger one below it. This made it so I could laser-cut one layer at a time through Glowforge and also have all layers go all the way to the edge rather than just cutting out the pieces in between.

While printing, I used the entire wood boards so I wouldn't have to mess with the sizing or measurements very much. To print, I exported the layers one at a time out of Photopea and into Glowforge. Each time after a print, I changed out the boards. Each print was about 2-4 minutes. After all my layers were printed, I held them up and determined they weren't too heavy to be hung up on a wall. This meant I didn't have to cut out extra wood in the middle to make it lighter. If I used more layers or more wood, I would likely have to cut out the middle of the layers.

This step is important to include before gluing just in case any mistakes were made like something doesn't line up or a layer is too big. This happened to me because two of my large layers on the right were too big and reached over the edge of the main piece of wood that the other layers were fitting to. I had to sand down the wood to make sure they lined up. I also had a problem with one of my large pieces of wood at the bottom not matching the size of the rest of my project. I glued it anyway because after the last board is added, it would be difficult to notice anyway. If I were to fix this, I would remeasure and try cutting again or just build a frame around the project to hide the extra unfilled space.

Once everything was ready to go, I started gluing my layers down a few at a time. I started with the biggest ones and worked my way up. I waited a day in between every 3 layers to make it easier to keep everything in the place I wanted them to be. It took a lot of adjusting and moving the wood even while the glue was on in order to make sure the corners and sides were flush. Before I would let the layers sit and dry for a day, I clamped them together to ensure the layers were well glued.

After I was done gluing, I was done. I debated on either painting blue where the lake is or even using blue-tinted resin but I didn't get that far in the time I had. It is also an option to stain all of the wood into a darker shade which I think would look a little more professional. The frame would also be a nice touch. For now, I am out of time but I will update my Instructable if I make any further changes. :)