USS Orville Insignia Logo Coasters

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.