Build idea

Laser-engraved coaster set with holder

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a stack of round birch coasters with an engraved leaf in a plywood holder, beside a white mug concept — not a real build.

Four engraved round Baltic birch coasters that stack in a small glued tab-and-slot holder. Everything is cut from 1/4 in plywood on a diode or CO2 laser.

Rough size: About 4 in across per coaster; holder about 5 1/4 in square x 1 3/4 in tall
Wood: 1/4 in Baltic birch plywood, Thin cork

For cups, not food. Seal with a water-resistant finish.

Laser: never leave it running, keep an extinguisher in reach, and with an open-frame laser everyone in the room wears eyewear rated for its wavelength. See laser and CNC shop safety.

Tools you might use

Laser
Sanding

Laser cutter/engraver
Laser software
Exhaust fan or ducting to the outdoors, or the fume extractor your laser's maker specifies
Fire extinguisher or a fire blanket, plus a spray bottle of water, within reach
Laser safety glasses rated for your laser's wavelength
Digital calipers
Paper masking tape or transfer tape
220-grit sandpaper and a sanding block
Small square and two small clamps or rubber bands
Toothpick or small brush for glue, and a damp rag

Our tool picks for this idea: Wood glue

Right tool for the job: Do you need air assist for laser engraving? · Diode or CO2 laser for wood: which kind should you get?

Not sure which laser software to use? Read our free laser software guide.

Tool for the job: clear laser smoke from the room

We didn't hands-on test these. This guide compares kinds of laser fume extraction, not products, based on government and university safety guidance, a university emissions study, independent guides and makers' pages, with no paid or affiliate links. It makes no protection claims of its own. How we picked

Safety first: read the safety notes before you use one.

How should you deal with smoke from a laser engraver?

Engraving a full set makes a lot of smoke.

Vent it outdoors where you can. OSHA's technical manual says laser cutting calls for ventilation that keeps fumes below exposure limits; UW–Madison requires laser exhaust to go outside the building, and the University of Michigan says it should exhaust directly outside, with some filtered systems allowed in certain settings. In a 2024 emissions study of one desktop laser, ducting the laser to a building exhaust cut the fine particles but didn't remove them, and brought the gases the researchers measured, including carbon monoxide from wood, below what their detector could read. If you can't vent outdoors, a filter unit sends the air back into your room, so MIT's safety office says to use it only with care: keep it well maintained, stick to a few materials, and stop if you smell odors. Filter units have limits: HEPA catches particles only, carbon captures only some gases and fills up, and EPA says carbon monoxide isn't readily captured by home gas filters. We make no protection claims of our own; follow your laser's manual and the filter maker's stated ratings.

Key techniques

Line diagram, front view, of the finished set: four coasters stacked in the slotted holder between its two end walls, with 1/16-inch cork under each coaster; the holder is 1 1/2 inches tall and the stack about 1 3/16 inches. — Diagram of the finished piece. Sizes are approximate, not a tested plan. Reader build photos welcome.

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