I bought some very nice and not cheap 1/2" plywood at Lowes.
Since I heard it could not be cut, I was using 1/4" to make templates and using a router to cut the 1/2".
I was wanting to do some depth tests on the 1/2" ply to find out the power to take off a specific amount of material in some spots and
Surprise. It cuts all the way through with ease. 80% power 100 speed. Probably works as low as 70%. I’m chagrined that I spent so much time setting up the router and making stencils, when I could have just cut it straight away.
One problem with thick wood is that you never get a perfectly 90° cut, so the difference in measurements between the top and the bottom of the cut is greater the thicker the wood. But for some projects that angle is not a factor, so if it works it works!
yeah, you can only push it out one way. There is a slight angle. Isn’t that the case with any laser cutter? If not, how do they keep that from happening.
I’d recommend doing a cut test at full power to try to get the highest speed you can manage reliably. Generally speaking hot and fast gives the best cut quality.
You can use my test method from #6 in the FAQ here to zero in the speed in no time:
I’ve been cutting 1/2” cedar planks for a teacher at our school (Our GF is in the library Maker Space). We had to do some prototyping, but it cuts through the full depth at 125 speed/ Full power with 3 passes. The only issues we have is when we try to cut through a knot - it’s much denser there and doesn’t quiiiite go through.
I cut a piece of a fence picket once, which was a little over 1/2”. At the time I thought it was pine but it turned out it was cedar. I had video, pretty sure I shared that or a pic - it was FLAMEY! I stood there with a damp rag and my fire extinguisher, but never needed it. Not something I’d do regularly..
I was making one of those little “elf doors” or whatever they are called. I put two up on the street on power poles - both were stolen. The one in question, was to cover a hole in my fence around the entire yard. That one was modeled on the Durin’s door from LOTR. It simply vanished.
