Ash Plywood Settings Issue

Beyond the Manual
#1

Hi Everyone,

I searched the forum and was unable to find an answer. Yesterday I purchased 1/4" Ash Plywood from a lumber yard and cannot for the life of me figure out which setting to use. Does anyone have any experience with this type of plywood? If so, please share your wisdom!

Thank you in advance!

Edit: It has an MDF core

#2

When in doubt, test. New material cut test method

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#3

I have tried so many test settings with little squares and I’m not having any luck. I think I’m just having an off day. I don’t know if my focus height is wrong or what. I tried .25 being that its quarter inch and then I used calipers and tried what it actually measured at which was .22. I just am at a loss!

#4

All 1/4" is difficult to cut cleanly. A 40W CO2 laser is best suited to 1/8" or 5/32".

Part of the problem is the layers and glue can be especially hard to burn through.

It can be done, but expect a lot of charring - and you need to do a lot of testing to find the settings that work for you. I generally focus about 60% of the material height for thicker materials.

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