How treat wood with a detailed CNC cut against moisture? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 5 days ago by madnificent@lemmy.world to c/beginner_woodworking@lemmy.ml

7 comments fedilink hide all child comments

How can I treat this carving so the wood doesn't deteriorate and can be cleaned but the tiny shapes stay visible?

Been working on a lid for a sealed terrarium. I've made fairly detailed cuts on a CNC. The picture doesn't do it justice. I intend to seal the bottom with paraffin to get a good seal with the glass. That will also protect the wood from moisture but I'm not sure how to treat the top. Every piece has an error in it, here I forgot to calibrate the bit height which made a bad cut in the bottom in the last step which I intend to fill with paraffin too.

The top is cut in 4mm, 0.8mm and vcarve bits (0.3mm and 0.1mm tip) and I wonder what I could use whilst still having the shapes pop nicely. Light and shadows play nicely in the grooved cuts.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] cone_zombie@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 days ago

Try going with a darker colour. It will bring out the pattern in the cuts

[-] madnificent@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

Good idea! Also like the_v said, it could help to contrast the shapes in the cut.

I thought of using a limited tint so it would blend with the other untreated wood nearby, but a darker color could make the shapes stronger. It also tends to make the wood's internal structure stand out more.

this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2026

12 points (100.0% liked)

Beginner Woodworking

525 readers

1 users here now

The go-to place for those who are new to woodworking.

Rules:

Don’t be a dick! I mean seriously, we are all here to learn.
Original Content only.
Limited Blog or Video Channel Spam.
No copyrighted content.
No memes, image macros, reaction gifs/videos, etc.
No overt self-promotion.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

Bosatsu@lemmy.ml

kariudo@lemmy.ml