Can't believe it, considering waiting for GF2

Hey all. I haven’t participated in a while, so I thought I would say hey and share what I am thinking today. What a cunundrum. I am done with the project that had originally inspired me to order my Pro way way back when. I still find myself reading the forum a few times a week and dreaming of what I will do with my GF when it finally arrives. I’ve been happily along for the ride, keeping a growing list of ideas and bookmarking some of this forum’s amazing works and creators. It’s become one of my rituals.

I’ve also not been too critical of their progress, as a survivor or a dot com that I put 25 hours a day for two years. So I’m all in in that regard.

I woke up this morning wondering how I will feel a year or two from now when glowforge 2 comes out. With a 1/2" pass through slot, maybe removable bottom so you can laser things of greater height… who knows. I am an early adopter like many of you. We all know that comes with the territory. I am sure they have their hands full building GF1 to even think about building GF2. So, I says to myself, just stay the course. So I probably will. I love the company and their mission, and I don’t want to pull my support. But after all this time, with my original need over, I can’t help but contemplate waiting to see what comes next.

Still, it’s not like a cell phone that ends up in a drawer. It’s giant and very expensive. It gets dirty and looks used. I don’t think it’s going to be easy to sell. Do I have to ship it? That’s gonna be fun. How does a buyer know the health of the tube? Has anyone put any thought into how we will upgrade?

So what happens when GF2 comes out with that one thing that I super wish for… a taller pass through? Ooooh. That’s gonna hurt. But the price we early adopters pay, am I right?

I post this not to stir up a “so cancel” response. Just to give anyone else with these thoughts a place to type. Or words of wisdom to carry on?

Thanks!

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You make some valid points. My perspective is, I don’t think GF2 is coming real soon, I think they will concentrate on the multifunctional heads instead. I’m not getting mine for making money so that is no issue. So I can get a heck of a lot of entertainment for myself using this machine in the meantime. And the cost of this entertainment is still less than what my husband paid for his last guitar, hahaha!

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I’m with you. It’s for fun. So fun I shall have. Thanks for the reply!

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Hopefully by the time the new machines hit the market I would have run through all of the ideas that I have for this one. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

But if they do decide to design another one I wouldn’t expect to see that happening for a few years, and I might be out of the mood by then, or have decided to try something else like CNC.

Don’t know if I would buy another one or not - this one seems to do everything I need. (I don’t need one for business, although I plan to start incorporating some give-aways for our customers once I get my own machine, so it’s a nice little side benefit to having one.)

Call me three though…it’s definitely for fun in the meantime. :grinning:

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Get one. You’ll never complain about how long a job takes to run on the laser :slight_smile: I was running a project last night on a Shopbot that took 4 hours and all I could think of was “I wish 3D engraving was released for the laser” (it was a cheese board with a deep pocket for a marble tile and 3D stacked lettering).

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(Chuckle - Like 3D printing!) Problem for me with CNC is I’m not into swarf. I’d have to do that outside, and around here that’s really uncomfortable, year round. :sweat:

Maybe one day. It’s probably cheaper for me to just buy whatever gizmo I need. (Or have you cut one for me… :wink: )

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I did an internal cleanup of all reachable surfaces the other day. I was pleased at how nice everything looked after eight months of use. Hard to reach some of the spots on the tube, but I use cotton swabs and other methods to get it looking nice. Someone said something about the pastic case discoloring but I have been able to get it looking good. the materials and build are pretty solid. Resale value might be pretty good. We’ll see how heavy use works after two years, especially if it would be due for a tube replacement. That’s when people might be ready to dump them rather than hassle with replacement of the tube.

I’d say they have a lot of work to do to get the Glowforge 1.0 working, so folks won’t be ready for an upgrade for a while.

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I made a 3D printed dust shoe for mine and connected it to a Henry vacuum cleaner, so that catches most of my swarf.

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The Shopbot Desktop series have fully enclosed hoods available and a vacuum boot that goes on the mill. Keeps all that dust and milling detritus to a minimum. The base Desktop has an 18x24" bed, there’s a Desktop Max that’s bigger. Neither is really “desktop” more of a table top :slight_smile: Bigger than a GF but smaller than an Epilog.

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I might have to look into that for a gift for hubs - he’s impossible to buy for now, and we built a workshop addition onto the garage, so space isn’t a problem. :grinning:

I need the AC though. I guess we could add a window unit or two.

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Hah! The CNC doesn’t require any a/c :smile:

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ROFL! It might not, but I do. (I sweat in a very unladylike fashion.) :grinning:

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Mine puts out about 1.8KW of heat when it is running, so my garage soon gets too warm for a Glowforge if I run it for a while. Fine for me though at around 28C.

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I was just telling my dad I wanted to get one. I had an hours-long project running on mine yesterday too and now my shop is a mess…even with a shopvac and the dust skirt attached!

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I’m pretty sure the enclosure is half the reason the vac & dust boot work - it keeps the dust contained until the vac can pull it all up. You do have to have the end mills installed so the dust boot sits close to the work. I’m thinking of cutting the plexi of the enclosure in the back and attaching a larger vac to create more full bed vacuuming action. Right now it’s a Stanley 4hp stainless vac hooked to the dust boot on the mill though a 1 1/2" port in the back that then runs up & along the gantry. I really want the vacuum power I get from my whole house vac :smile:

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It’s good to hear from someone that actually has the enclosure…now I’m really tempted. :smiley: Especially since right now I’m headed down to the shop to try and vacuum up all the dust that escaped, sigh.

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Still got that cat sticker?

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I had the same concern with CNC and ended up with a Carvey (based somewhat on Dan’s comments/recommendations) while waiting on the GF. The size is more limited than most CNC machines (8"x12"), but the enclosure works very well. It’s quiet (relative and subjective) and it really does fully contain swarf/dust. Machine size is somewhat comparable to the GF. One large upside to CNC is that there is no exhaust or temperature issues.

One of the biggest differences I have seen between the two technologies is registration. I can tell the Carvey exactly where I want something, complete the project and then repeat with identical results. I’m having issues doing that with the GF. I’m now re-reading all the registration and jig posts to understand how to get consistently repeat ability. The camera positioning just doesn’t cut it.

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Might be worth checking out…don’t need a really big one. What’s the “Z”?

from their site: “Carvey has a build area of 11.6” x 8” x 2.50”. Material height + depth of cut can not exceed 2.50”. The tool clearance will vary based on the milling bit used."

I have found that for a practical guide, 1.5" is about the most I can reliably cut without making special effort. More than that and I have to start worrying about bit length and hold-down placement. Most of my projects revolve around “plaque-type” sizes, so normal .75" lumber is my go-to.

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