In this STEAM maker project, students design and make a layered wooden rose using LaserMaker and a laser cutting machine. The lesson connects seasonal craft design, image outline extraction, basic shape editing, offset curves, text placement, layer setup, laser cutting, shallow engraving, gluing, and hand painting.

1. Lesson Overview

1.1 Project Goal

Students will create a wooden rose design in LaserMaker, prepare two rose layers, set different laser processes for cutting and shallow engraving, process the parts on a laser cutter, glue the layers together, and paint the finished rose.

1.2 Recommended Classroom Use

2. Learning Objectives

2.1 What Students Will Learn

2.2 STEAM Skills Developed

2.3 Responsible Making

Students should operate the laser cutter only under teacher or lab supervisor guidance. Before cutting, check focus, material placement, layer order, cutting settings, and engraving settings. When painting, use classroom-approved pigments and allow the parts to dry fully before handling or displaying.

3. Real-World Context: Why Make a DIY Rose?

Roses are often used to express love, care, appreciation, and celebration. The meaning of a rose can also change with its color, making it a useful object for a design lesson about symbolism and personal expression.

In this project, students create a rose for a holiday or gift-giving context. The design starts as a simple digital outline, then becomes a layered wooden object through laser cutting, gluing, and coloring.

4. Materials and Parts Planning

Before opening LaserMaker, students should prepare the wood sheet, coloring tools, and assembly materials. The source lesson uses a 3 mm Tilia wood board, acrylic pigment, a brush, and glue.

5. Lesson Procedure

5.1 Choose and Import a Rose Line-Art Image

Search for a suitable rose line-art or stick-figure reference image. Choose a simple design with clear outlines, save it, and open it in LaserMaker through the File menu.

5.2 Extract and Clean the Rose Outline

Select the image with the mouse and use the outline extraction function to generate a rough line drawing. Review the extracted outline and make sure the main rose shape is clear enough for laser cutting.

5.3 Add a Heart Shape

From the Basic Graphics gallery, select a heart shape and drag it onto the canvas. Adjust the heart size to 35 mm wide and 30 mm high, rotate it by -90 degrees, and place it in a suitable position beside the rose.

5.4 Combine Shapes and Add Text

Select the outer outline of the heart and the outer outline of the rose, then use the Union tool to combine them into one connected design.

Select the heart, use the Offset Curve tool, and set a 4 mm inward offset. Then use the Font tool to enter the word “Love.” Rotate and position the text inside the heart so it fits the design.

5.5 Create the Two-Layer Rose Structure

Select the full design and copy it. Paste a second copy beside the first one. Delete the text from the right-side copy so that the two rose layers have different functions.

5.6 Set Laser Processing Layers

Assign each part of the design to the correct laser process. Select all lines except the left outer outline and set them to the red layer. Select the font section on the left and set it to the yellow layer. Select the outer outline of the right pattern and the left pattern and set them to the black layer.

Set the red layer, yellow layer, and black layer based on the source workflow. The red layer and black layer are set for cutting on 3 mm Tilia wood board. The yellow layer is set for shallow engraving on 3 mm Tilia wood board.

6. Laser Processing and Coloring

6.1 Cut and Engrave the Rose Parts

After checking the design, layer order, focus, and material placement, send the file to the laser cutting machine. Process the rose parts according to the layer settings.

6.2 Glue the Two Rose Layers

After processing, remove the two rose pieces from the laser bed. Glue the plain hollow rose layer on top of the lower text layer so the finished work has more depth.

6.3 Paint the Rose

Use a brush and acrylic pigment to color the rose. Students can choose traditional rose colors or create their own symbolic color scheme. Allow the paint to dry before handling or displaying the finished project.

7. Finished Project and Reflection

The finished DIY rose shows how laser-cut layers can make a flat graphic feel more dimensional. Students can compare the layered rose with a single flat cutout and discuss how structure, shadow, color, and text change the final effect.

8. Classroom Practice and Teaching Tips

8.1 Student Workflow

8.2 Teacher Suggestions

9. Extension Challenge

After finishing the basic DIY rose, students can redesign the project with different flower shapes, text, colors, or layered structures. They can also test how the finished work changes when the top layer is thinner, the bottom layer is larger, or the engraved text is moved to another area.

For a broader maker challenge, students can create a small collection of laser-cut flowers for holidays, appreciation gifts, classroom decorations, or school fundraising projects.

10. Equipment Note for Teachers

This project is suitable for classroom laser cutters that support cutting and shallow engraving of thin wood sheets for beginner maker projects. For schools and beginner STEAM labs, projects like DIY roses, layered craft objects, simple gift designs, and beginner LaserMaker activities can be completed with a classroom laser cutter such as the Thunder Laser Bolt Series.

Teachers can choose the machine and material setup based on classroom space, student supervision needs, material thickness, project size, and ventilation setup. Students should always test settings, check focus, and follow the school’s laser safety rules before final cutting.