Vector Stacker · 7 minute guide
Layered Wood: Stacked Wood Art Without Paint
Cut stacked wood art from one sheet stock with no paint: choose Progressive detail, Terraced windows or Stepped edge, set the sheet count, pass THE CHECK and glue up from the back.
By Scott Bedow, Founder & Lead Developer · Published September 26, 2026
Manufacturing manager who runs CO2, diode and MOPA fiber lasers; builds and maintains every Reticle Red tool.
Method — Walked end to end in the live tool before publishing. Screens and step order match the current build; settings shown are starting points to validate on scrap.
What this tutorial covers
- Three Layered Wood styles: Progressive detail, Terraced windows and Stepped edge.
- Mandala, Shape Scene or your own picture as-is, and when to use each.
- Material and sheet-count advice for 3 mm birch plywood (4 to 8 sheets).
- Glue-up order and a troubleshooting list mapped to THE CHECK messages.
1. Bring the picture you want to stack
Upload line art or flat colour art on a white or transparent ground, finish a Shape Scene, or draw a Mandala. A photo with soft shading needs Painted sheets or a mandala redraw first.
2. Choose Mandala, Shape Scene or your picture as-is
Make it a mandala redraws your picture inside a new round design. Shape Scene draws a new scene inside an outline you pick. Use my picture as-is and Keep this shape stack the picture you already have, free.
3. Pick the style by its preview
Progressive detail keeps the outline and closes the finest windows first. Terraced windows steps every window down like a well. Stepped edge steps the outline itself in like a topo map. Tap the preview that looks right.
4. Set the stock and the sheet count
Start with 3 mm birch plywood and 5 or 6 sheets. Use 4 for a small piece or a narrow outline and up to 8 for a large mandala; every extra sheet adds depth and cutting time.
5. Read THE CHECK until it says READY TO CUT
Each card names the sheet and the cause: spots narrower than the material allows, pieces too small to glue, loose pieces, or two sheets that look alike. A one-tap fix is offered only after THE CHECK has re-run with it.
6. Export, cut and glue from the back
Export one SVG per sheet, numbered from the front, with the assembly guide. Cut every sheet from the same stock, dry-fit the stack, then glue the backer first and each sheet on the one behind it.
Validate the workflow on your machine
Treat the finished file as a controlled starting point, not a universal machine recipe. Confirm the artwork dimensions after import, verify focus and lens selection, and run a small test on scrap from the same material batch before committing the production piece. Change one variable at a time when tuning speed, power, frequency, line interval, or pass count. Record the machine, source wattage, lens, material finish, focus method, and final settings with the saved job. That short production note makes the result repeatable for the next operator and prevents a strong screen preview from being mistaken for a proven burn.