Ok…next week is my scheduled email date. (Yes…kinda excited!) I’ve saved vacation days… and bought up every small box the I thought would fit in a GF even with taking the tops off. I’ve also held onto a bonus work gave out for Christmas. Cutting boards I have on my list… and acrylic… any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. Also… if I order proofgrade items… what is the turnaround? Thank you very much…
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Find a local supplier of 1/8” birch ply and mdf. Look for lumber suppliers, avoid big box stores like michaels and wal mart (they have bb ply but it’ll be 5-10x as expensive).
Cardboard is nice to have, start scoping out a plentiful box source. Try to choose a box you can get more of (amazon boxes are good like this for me) because that way you’ll always know the settings — Not all cardboard is the same.
Speaking of cardboard always be careful with it especially with intricate cuts. It can and will ignite.
Other than that maybe get some leather scraps at a local shop. Stay with vegetable tanned, chrome tanned is super bad for you.
Splurge on one or two exotic hardwoods. I like green valley (gvwp.net) but west penn hardwoods and ocooch hardwoods are solid suppliers too. Wenge, padauk, yellowheart, Purple Heart are all solid materials and will amaze people who haven’t seen them before. Gvwp sells “multipaks” of 3 different woods, it’s a good way to get your hands on some different types, albeit at 3” widths. I prefer their packs of 6” pieces, but for inlay 3” is plenty in most cases.
Anyway it’s a huge topic. Beads. Rocks (try worry stones, especially in dark colors like jet). Shot glasses. Grains of rice. Skulls. If it fits and isn’t loaded with chlorides or other nasties, try it out!
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Thank you very much. Ive added green valley to my list.
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Get one of these to use to test to see if you got complete cut through before lifting the material out of position:
BEST TOOL! USED DAILY! (Also helps with weeding, as the name implies.)
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Lol I use a piece of scotch tape. Stick it to the piece and tug.
In extreme cases I also have a set of dental picks. 
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Ditch the tape man, get the pick. You can’t use tape to pry out a misplaced tile when you fumble-finger it into place incorrectly. 
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Hmm while we’re on the topic of tools:
Get a 100 pack of Zeiss wipes from amazon.
A small flashlight. (Easier to see the nooks and crannies and can scan plywood for internal defects)
An extra Glowforge-only vacuum for sucking up tiny bits.
Magnets. (Search the forum for magnet posts)
Small squirt bottles with needle tips (for denatured alcohol, water, wood glue, etc)
Denatured alcohol 
Wood glue
Good strong pair of scissors (I use wiss brand tin snips in some cases)
A small coping saw or other fine hand saw for breaking down scraps
An airtight smallish plastic bin for Lasered garbage ( tiny scraps and masking material). Helps keep the smell down.
If you’re going to cut lots of non pg, a roll of masking material (search for transferrite, the threads that come up with refer to it and other brands).
Ummm what else do I use a lot?
Digital calipers.
Storage solution for materials ( I like the IKEA ALEX)
A couple rulers (you can cut your own but a good thin stainless ruler will be your friend). I have a nice 20”/50cm ruler that gets a lot of play.
Sandpaper. A good assortment with a nice sanding block. Don’t skimp here, you’ll use it a lot, a nice block will pay you back.
Blades:
Xacto knife, utility box cutter (again nicer is better. I like the Milwaukee fastback II) strong folding knife (I like the gerber freeman)
A hammer
Gorilla brand duct tape (really helps weed intricate stuff)
And probably a bunch more I’m forgetting. But no joke on the calipers, masking, scissors and duct tape. You’ll be lost without them if you do any non-PG work.
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Remember, I’m a man… we dont make mistakes… heck i cant even spell incort…incorct… aw heck you get the idea. 
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Glad yours is coming finally. It’s Fantastic 
!
April will be a year for me having a laser at my disposal. After a while, the blossom fades - and then it’s just absolutely awesome.
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I just finished up a year, and yes, it sadly does fade to merely awesome.
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Very cool.
- Got my calipers.
- Seems I’ve had a magnet fetish so
- Oh and she ended up with a half a trailer of the plastic storage thingys with wheels… (pretty sure she won’t notice a few culled from the herd…)
- Flashlight…time to dig in the scouting stuff… batteries…
It seems I had less things to plan when I joined the army…or got married…or bought a house…(either time!)
Anyway, thank you all…especially for giving me way cool things to look at while I’ve waited. Some of you I feel like I know personally… @Jules, @evansd2 , @PrintToLaser, @marmak3261…just to name a few. Humbly…I Thank you.
Oh… and I decided on a name… **_Illuminatten
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Take a look at the new crop of led flashlights if it’s been a while. They use lithium ion rechargeable batteries and are small and bright.
Search for 18650 Cree flashlight or 14500 cree flashlight.
(Cree is an led brand and 18650 / 14500 refer to battery sizes, 14500 are smaller. You’ll need a way to charge it too but some lights have a USB port for that if you don’t want to buy a dedicated charger)
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Oooh! Like the name! (I still need to rename mine.) 
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I say go with the tape - less likely to scratch (don’t use pick on acrylic). And definitely pick up digital caliper if you don’t already have… those are the top 2 “tools” I find myself reaching for. The other thing is to learn or sharpen skills on whatever software you prefer, Inkscape, F360, etc. Just my 2cents…
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I ordered this set, last week, but for some reason, they’re still not here!
Was it not an Amazon Prime? (Sorry thought it was.)
It was…and shipping was originally scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday (I might have ordered over the weekend, but I guess when they actually shipped it out got delayed? Not sure.
Well if your mailperson is anything like mine, it might be waiting for him/her to dig it out from under the seat and stick it in your box.
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That has happened before.
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Follow up… I confirmed this week and in less than 72 hrs the froofgrade package was here. (Advantage of them originating here in Tn.) 