Cow hide

[sissytr169]

Just wondering what settings are used to cut cow hide?

Thanks in advance

Tracy

[evansd2]

Hey welcome.

With any new material, but especially something like leather, it can vary so much that it’s hard to name any one setting that’s going to work. I would recommend testing.

The good news is the testing is quick and easy and doesn’t take a lot of material. Take a look at #6 in this post:

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1: I'm new to Glowforge and really have no idea where to start

Hey, welcome to the forum! Glowforge has a getting started page, it’s definitely worth your time: <a href="https://support.glowforge.com/hc/en-us/sections/11792517736475-Design-and-Print-Tutorials">https://support.glowf…

[ekla]

That’ll depend since cowhide is pretty variable (often wildly in the same piece!). Do you know how thick it is? One approach is that you can start with one of the Proofgrade leather settings and adjust from there.

[dklgood]

Welcome to the forum.
Any settings that might have been shared for this type of material would be found in the Beyond the Manual section of the forum. You might try searching for “cowhide”.

[PrintToLaser]

Testing on the material is the best way to prevent surprises and get just the effect you want. As you get more experience you will develop a sense of where to start with your settings.
Welcome to the community!

[sissytr169]

1/8" to 3/16" thick.

[ekla]

Start with the Thick Proofgrade Leather setting and see how it goes.
If it doesn’t cut all the way through you can up the power and/or lower the speed in small increments (like 10).

[sissytr169]

Thank you

[deirdrebeth]

I echo the PG settings - but realize skin (of any sort) will almost never cut cleanly with a single stroke. The testing method is helpful, but I find using the PG, and then running any cuts a 2nd time at a high speed will catch the thin bits that are left behind from the first one. You should definitely use something to hold your material down (I use the honeycomb hold down pins)
Finish your cut, then carefully pull at the pieces, if they don’t release fully, close the lid and run just the cut again (set anything else to Ignore). Do not re-focus, or move your design, just close, up the speed, and click Print. Get used to doing this on all jobs and you’ll never waste material from cut failures again.