How to design laser-engraved coasters from one image

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Engrave a single raster graphic across a wooden sheet and cut four coaster outlines so each coaster carries one quadrant of the artwork.

The Four-Up Coasters example shows a classic laser workflow: instead of cropping an image into four separate files by hand, you apply one engraving across the sheet and let the four square cutting contours divide the artwork into four matching coasters.

1. Engrave the sheet before cutting the coaster outlines

  1. Start with a single square sheet of thin hardwood or plywood large enough for all four coasters.
  2. Apply the laser_engrave operation across the full sheet face so the graphic spans the entire 2x2 grid.
  3. Run the four square laser_cut contours. Because surface engraving belongs to the material face in Sawdust, each cut-out coaster automatically retains the portion of the artwork inside its boundary.
  4. Spread the four finished coasters apart slightly with place operations so the gaps between the quadrants are clearly visible in the finished view.
Top view of the Four-Up Coasters project showing a sawblade emblem split across four square wooden coasters with a small gap between them.

2. Inspect the separated pieces in 3D

Switch from the top view to the isometric view to confirm that all four coasters are separate 3D parts with the expected thickness and clean edges.

Isometric 3D view of the four engraved wooden coasters sitting on the workbench grid.

Continue with How to lay out a laser-cut design in Sawdust and How to customize a laser-engraved shadow-box sign.