So, last month was the flood, and then a week and a half ago, while I was changing a diaper on one toddler, the other got ahold of my phone and goobered on it, causing the screen to start flickering and went out. Due to the flood and loss of finished basement, I don’t have a pc setup. My phone is/was my only access to glowforge forums. Now I’ve been without that until yesterday.
I swear it must be because I was telling a co-worker that “it’s all up hill from here” two days before it happened.
These extra expenditures are really upsetting, but moving on.
I have been to Lowe’s and gotten a decent quote on laminate flooring. It was described as an MDF core with a natural looking veneer coated in aluminium oxide… Would any leftovers laser well? Anyone else have experience with laminate flooring being lasered? Thank you in advance for your replies.
I have a stack of laminate that I had planned to engrave…its ok, makes a mess…can’t cut it with my lower 35 wt laser.
The top was engraved and colorfilled…the color wouldnt stay…I also tried using a sharpie but the color dulled…so I decided to just use vinyl instead…
Boo.
I was wondering about my bamboo flooring scraps, with the aluminum oxide finish (guaranteed for 35 years).
No big deal, the variation in the laminated pieces produced stripes in an engraving anyway.
To be honest I didn’t have any bamboo flooring. All of the pieces I tried were MDF covered with some sort of veneer or laminate. If it’s straight bamboo it could potentially work, but you’ll probably have to sand that coating off.
I used 100% power and 5 speed on my 30wt. and it engraved about 1.5 mm deep. It’s actually HDF which is like rock that they use as a core for the more durable longer lasting brands… I should go get some really cheap stuff… maybe that will do better…lol
I had an interesting learning experience. I bought baltic birch plywood and it lasered really well. I then thought I would be smart and buy “marine grade” plywood so my outdoor pieces would last longer. Similar wood, but different glue holding the plies together. That stuff would not laser regardless of how many passes I used.
The moral of the story is that not only is it the material that makes up the laminate that is important, but also they type of adhesive holding the lamina together.
I’m glad to be back on the forums. I’ve got a few things to take pics of that I made in the interim for a Pokemon con and some other card game related things. I need to update my site first, but I expect to get this all dealt with after I install that flooring.
My only attempt to laser so far (to test) didn’t go through on multiple passes ( hard to tell exact settings on a “stock” K40) but it appears to be about .08in or 2.1 mm deep of a cut when i checked with a thin blade and trusty caliper.
Again, the top 2 are original thickness. Baring any toxicity issues ( so far pets and myself still alive…), could be used for some vector art - That mdf though - almost like trying to cut cardboard with a flashlight . But will try with the thin pieces and playing with settings. On the other hand, the pieces make some nice bases for laser art or cut on cnc some shapes out of those samples… Every time I go to home Depot I pick up a couple as well as the paint sample cards for my silhouette ( or even laser).
Just got the last row of laminate that needs to be handsaw/jigsaw cut all the length of the plank and to get to the centerline of the doors to the adjoining rooms. I expect to tackle that and getting a start to the sheetrock in this weekend.
Coming along! It looks like you didn’t have to cut too far up the walls to remove the damage. Perhaps an opportunity to add some more outlets and a dedicated circuit for the GF?
. But will try with the thin pieces and playing with settings. On the other hand, the pieces make some nice bases for laser art or cut on cnc some shapes out of those samples… Every time I go to home Depot I pick up a couple as well as the paint sample cards for my silhouette ( or even laser).
