I’m thinking any of us that would like to, even just occasionally, make stuff using the laser, but “sketching” right onto our materials instead of in SketchUp can make stuff happen with minimal or no computer design. Or, design in pen and refine after Glowforge snaps it’s pic. I could see this speeding up refinement of a design pretty well.
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I took Dan’s reply to mean glowforge subscribes to the beta testing theory of answer their technical questions but don’t interfere, no matter how trivial it seems. Let the user use it.
Westinghouse, in the 20’s I believe, wanted to determine how light levels affected productivity. So they made it brighter and productivity increased. Then they made it dimmer and productivity still stayed higher. Whether the workers thought they were being watched, cared about, or just liked the attention is unknown, but interfering changed their behavior. The lesson being we need to install remotely adjustable dimmers in jkopel’s house so his output increases 
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Ah, sort of a Glowforge Prime Directive. Sorry, I’m a Star Trek fan.
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Uh, the hawthorne effect doesn’t apply when the research subject is the one publicly posting their output… For instance I use OnShape CAD, and was over in their office yesterday afternoon UK/Beta testing a huge new feature (sorry, NDA); they watched me spectacularly fail (painfully so) and as I floundered from one thing to the next, a huge group of folks (apparently including the CEO) were watching me via screen sharing and a camera, but I didn’t meet them until afterwards, when the “curtain was pulled”. So yes, I do understand this (I do scientific studies on patients, and am used to blinding) but we were asking about something he posted publicly that he did not apparently a function of the devices, but his cleverness. If you aren’t allowed to ask him about his making techniques (which apparently are unrelated to the GF functions per @Dan’s post in this case) not sure why having him post in a forum, rather than just having him send images to Dan and having him post pics…
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Thank you for the name, the Hawthorne effect, of what I described. Yes, when the subject publicly posts attention is expected. It is also the normal path for a glowforge owner: make and then publicly share. And I would argue that people asking how you did it is also the normal path. However, it is not my beta and I could see someone not wanting their beta tester, with limited time, answering questions regardless of the source, when he could be exercising the machine.
I just used the Westinghouse experiment as an example of how you can never be sure you aren’t influencing something materially. Asking him how he did it will cause him to reflect for a moment on his design. Now jkopel is considering a better gimbal instead of moving on to something else. One path leads to free energy and the other path leads to uncovering a major bug: the butterfly effect. There are different approaches to beta testing and it is the one they chose.
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I think the point is that while we can ask @jkopel whatever we want, he will not answer unless he is able to based on his beta agreement. And @dan is just letting us know that things like specific requests are not allowed per that agreement, so we should not waste the time making those requests.
It is also important to realize that the ability to share his work with us is a privilege for us, not a right. It can be taken away if GF deems that we are being too distracting, etc… Additionally, the act of taking photos and videos (though maybe they are required per the beta agreement) and posting his projects here takes time… time that he could be spending on more projects.
I’m just glad that we get some minor interaction with the Glowforge, even if it is vicariously through Josh, and while I would certainly like to know more and have tons of questions, I will eventually get to explore it myself.
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Maybe I’m missing something but I’ve done what I think he has using concentric circles with ordered cuts. The inner circle is the hole that’s cut and the outer circle is the countersink that’s engraved - high power low speed for the inner and lower power higher speed for the countersink. The countersink comes out perfect for a plug (like using a forstner bit) so not truly a countersink with sloping sides for a beveled screw head but it works the same (and if I have the depth I have done small plugs from the same material glued on top of the screw and then sanded flush. I suppose if one were patient enough and specified enough decreasing radius (radii?) circles and engraving power/speed steps you could get close to a sloped hole but not sure it’s worth it.
All of which goes to the lure of the technology - sometimes a countersink bit on a drill (even if the underlying holes were done by the laser for precision) might be the easiest & fastest technology to use but doing it via laser is cooler. Can’t tell you how embarrassing it is to cut sheet material to a size that fits into the laser and then spend time fiddling with getting the laser cut line correct to cut it down further…only to think about how much faster it would have been to just do the last cut on the same table saw that got it to the size that fit in the laser 
DAMHIK
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I was thinking the same thing. He could just take a countersink bit and use the laser hole as the guide hole. I’ve used a CNC mill to do what you describe (since a CNC Mill and CNC Laser are the same thing, but laser vs. whirling blade) and made a sloping spiral down. Of course on a CNC mill you can tool change and put the countersink into the chuck and use the CNC to precisely locate the countersinks.
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In soviet russia, tools use you
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Keeps quiet and does not ask question.
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I will ask.
@jkopel, Why not sharpen? Unless you came across a box just like that at a garage sale 
Somehow I think you put the mileage on those.
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Some I did and some I didn’t, a lot of those are from estate sales and auction lots over the years.
I have a tool and cutter grinder, and I sharpen end mills and cutters for my horizontal mill, but getting the relief correctly ground into a countersink needs gear I don’t have (and/or skill I don’t have).
It is cheaper to just keep buying sort of sharp used ones. 
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Spot on! The first time you use a new one it’s used too so no reason not to get someone else’s lightly used ones far cheaper than a new one out of the box.
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AAAhhh. Thanks. I needed these joinery ideas. <3
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Keep sharing as you go, this is excellent to see the process you are setting up to get things produced.
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What is your pin board link?
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The board is secret… lol. Its complicated.
Check out QOTD: Post your "Laser Inspiration" Pinterest Boards! 
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Oh well you are just a tease. LOL Secret Smeekret.
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Haha, yup!! Haha.
No, I needed to turn my Pintrest into a business one and so I made that board private. Haha.