Laser Cut City Map

Since I first saw online images of laser-cut city maps, I knew I wanted to build something like that myself. Now, as a proud owner of an Xtool D1 with an Extension Kit for several months, and with my girlfriend’s birthday just around the corner and no gift yet in hand, I realized this would be the perfect opportunity. Choosing the 8th district of Vienna as the motif holds particular significance for my girlfriend, adding a personal touch to the gift.

The initial (and undoubtedly the most time-intensive) step involved obtaining the necessary map excerpts. There are various tutorials available online, such as this one, which proved to be quite helpful. While acquiring the map excerpts from Google Maps was relatively straightforward, the subsequent post-processing in Affinity Designer consumed roughly 10 hours of meticulous work. Since my city map was intended to consist of different layers (one for the road network, one for green spaces, and one for water bodies), I exported each map excerpt individually.

This approach enabled me to load the corresponding SVG files separately into LightBurn and precisely cut them out using my laser. As for the base material, I utilized 6mm and 4mm thick beech plywood. All in all, my Xtool D1 laser remained engaged for approximately 8 hours throughout the process.

After completing the cutting process, I proceeded to paint each layer, carefully highlighting the water bodies and green spaces with corresponding colors to enhance their visual appeal.

Lastly, I crafted a picture frame using beechwood strips and assembled all the pieces together accordingly.

To prevent dust from settling into the fine structures of the road network, making cleaning difficult, a transparent plexiglass sheet was mounted beforehand as a protective barrier.