For Mothers day I made my mom a set of earings that double as a working planetary gear.

...sorry for the pun in the name.

I cut this out of 1/4 inch african padauk craft board. What I really liked about this wood was the lack of finishing it needed.

The 1/4" thickness felt like too much for me on the earings themselves, so after cutting them, I went over piece again (without moving it!) with the laser set to engrave (second page of the pdf), bringing them down to just over 1/8th of an inch thick.

After cutting all the layers I cut a slot out of wood 1/8th inch wide and ~ 12" long. I used this slotted piece of wood as a jig for my dowel to keep it from rolling while I cut it to various lengths on the laser (third page of the pdf). I also used the laser to cut the notch into the dowel that's in the center post that lets the lid spin the center gear. Added bonus: the burnt ends of the dowels really match the finish on the wood.

Using a rubber mallet I pressed the layers together. The only glue in this entire piece fastens the earring posts to the back of the 12 tooth gears. When in the case the posts fit right into the cut slot, while the backings hide in a hole behind the center gear.

I'm really pleased with this piece. It's fun to kind of just futz with, and the earrings look really nice if I may say so.

Anyway, I hope you like them, and also: Happy Mothers Day!