Cutting an array of 120 mm holes in chipboard produces a fixture for wrecking CDs:
In addition to the obvious cutouts, the fixture has four corner targets:
Which you use with LightBurn’s Print-and-Cut alignment:
With fifteen Guilloche swirly patterns imported and snapped into the template and the template aligned to the fixture, Fire The Laser:
The whole process takes a bit under 25 minutes:
Which produces a stack of glittery proto-coasters:
Although they’re all pretty-like, turning them into Real Coasters requires a cork base, MDF in the middle, wood glue, and adhesive sheets, all of which seems entirely too much like work.
There ought to be an easier way …
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 
Comments
2 responses to “CD / DVD Data Destruction: Fixturing”
I’ve been “erasing” CD’s for decades by cooking them in a microwave oven for a few seconds. Prop the disk into the center of the volume of the oven by balancing it on an insulating cup (paper, styrofoam). The resulting arcing produces an interesting light show, and the resulting pattern is pretty, particularly if you get the timing right, cutting the power before the pattern completely develops. One warning: The smell will be the same as you get with your laser etching, if you’re doing more than one or two disks, you want good ventilation.
I like it!
We dislike Our New House’s lack of venting: the obligatory microwave-over-the-stove, which is completely out of reach for half the population, recirculates “filtered” air back into the kitchen. Were it vented outside, I’d definitely frazzle a few CDs. :grin: