Slide every finished month card through the calendar's actual opening before handing over a wooden desk calendar. A card that measures correctly in the artwork may stick after engraving, sanding, paint or assembly narrows the slot. The buyer needs to change months without bending the card or pulling the display apart.
An Atomm wooden perpetual-calendar project uses individual month cards and a layered front slot. The maker's chosen machine and settings do not establish TYVOK A1 Mini settings. The card-slide test is a practical inference from that moving-part design.
Proof the thickest finished card
Start with a known compatible precut wooden card. Engrave one month in the selected design, complete the planned finish, and measure the finished thickness at both ends. Build a small sample of the slot with the same layers and adhesive as the intended calendar. Move the card through at normal hand speed. Check for scraping, snagging and a name that disappears behind the front frame.
- Test the first and thickest-looking card in the set.
- Pull it out and reinsert it several times.
- Rotate the display as it will sit on a desk; the card should not fall out.
- Repeat with a second card from another wood sheet or finish lot.
- Inspect all twelve finished cards before packing.
If only one card binds, correct or replace that card rather than widening the entire display blindly. If every card binds, inspect the slot assembly, glue squeeze-out and actual opening. The label and its slide path are separate checks: a beautiful engraving is not enough if the card cannot be changed.
Limit the A1 Mini job to a supported part
The TYVOK A1 Mini is a compact machine with a listed 120 × 130 mm working area. Confirm each individual card and the fixture fit the selected setup. Use known laser-compatible wood, test on a spare, provide extraction and attend the laser. This does not imply the entire calendar body can be made in one A1 Mini operation.
The book-holder spacer adaptation shows why nominal sheet thickness alone cannot prove a joint. A previously published calendar insert storage-depth check focuses on where spare pieces go; this check focuses on the active month card moving through the front.
Should the month card slide loosely?
It should move without force yet remain in place during normal use. Test the actual finished display and card rather than adopting a single numerical clearance from another file.
Can I seal the wood after testing the slot?
Finishing can change thickness and friction. Recheck the slot after the complete approved finish has cured according to its supplier instructions.