For flex sensing I ripped and milled birch to 1mm thickness and created laminations - both with clamps and a vacuum bag. The first attempt failed but the second works well.

Laser etched and cut inlay of sensor

Homemade plywood

Layers

Glue up

Broken first try

Broken first try

Try 2: birch and cork in a vacuum bag

Try 2: birch and cork in a vacuum bag

In hand pump vacuum bag

Birch + Cork + Flex sensor

Working

In this set I embed a linear touch potentiometer in cork and wood using a laser cutter and the woodshop.

Touch pot with fabric cord

Touch pot with cork cusion and laser cut wood block enclosure/lamination

Touch pot with cork cusion and laser cut wood block enclosure/lamination

Touch pot with cork cusion and laser cut wood block enclosure/lamination

Glued up and seamless - works with Arduino

For this sketching series I used a laser cutter in combination with a wood planer, joiner, table saw, band saw, and belt sander.

Notebook cover laser test for FSR

Cut through notebook with FSR laser tests

Since I knew that force sensors liked a cushion I started with some laser cutting tests with cork (which I bought at the hardware store as cork trivets and planed to the desired thickness.)

Burnt cork

Force sensing resistor (FSR) inlay tests

Force sensing resistor (FSR) inlay tests

Force sensing resistor (FSR) inlay tests

Force sensing resistor (FSR) inlay tests

Force sensing resistor (FSR) inlay

Force sensing resistor (FSR) inlay

Force sensing resistor (FSR) inlay