hey y’all,
So, I am having a bit of a problem. I received a shipment of wood from GlowForge. I’ve tried two of the pieces so far, and unfortunately, because of the curvature of the wood, I’ve not been able to cut through the wood completely. This ended up ruining two pieces of wood, and this has happened in the sample pack as well.
Any suggestions on how to fix this? Can I change the depth of the cut so that the laser cuts through past the curve of the wood?
I recommend cutting a few of these from the scraps and use them whenever you cut anything…they keep it pinned down.
Woah! Nice. Thanks @Jules!!!
Always use hold-down pins or strong magnets even if you don’t think you need them. Wood that looks flat can still have very slight warps that will mess up cuts.
I use hold down pins and magnets.
6 Piece of Dia 1.26" x 1/8" Super Strong Rare Earth Disc Neodymium Magnets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I1ZB2SE?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
Can I also (just in case) set the depth of the laser to a bit more than the wood thickness itself? I used proofgrade materials, but even in parts where the wood lay flat, the laser still didn’t cut through 100%.
No, the height that you are entering when you enter the thickness of the material is the height above the crumb tray. (The tray is zero.) When you enter a larger number for thickness you are actually focusing the beam above the material, and it’s not going to cut as deeply. (It’s called defocusing…you do it when you want a shallower result.)
If you want extra insurance, set the speed five to ten points slower.
Another thing to try is lay your material flat and put something heavy on it for a few days. In humid environments you may always experience some warpage, and this is true for all woods, Proofgrade or not.
Kind of an archaic method, but what I do is hold down the edge of the material (usually the thicker materials 1/8") that I cut out the design from, with my hand firmly. Then with my finger I try to nudge the part I tried to cut. Now because there should be a small gap between the material and part you cut out, they should budge a bit. Now if it doesn’t, carefully remove your hand holding the material down so as to not move its original position and adjust the laser to a lower power so as to not over burn your material. You could even do a couple of passes at a much lower power just to be safe. Its a pain, but at least this saves me in material and time. Hope this helps 
I use a dental pick to try & lift the cut pieces up and with the magnets holding the rest of the sheet in place t doesn’t move.
You can get them or an orange handled variant favored by @jules for about $6 on Amazon.
Or just ask your dental hygienist if they have any old ones they can no longer sharpen that they might give you.
Ick 
I know they’re sterilized but…they’ve been in people’s mouths!
I tried the suggestions with the pins, and they held the wood straight…but I am still having issues with the laser cutting all the way through. See attached photos. Any other suggestions? I am just using the default cut settings for this type of food. Should I try a slower speed? Any other suggestions?
Has it ever cut through? On Proofgrade material, with Proofgrade settings?
Can you print a Gift of Good Measure on the draftboard they sent you?
Yes it has. On some of the other test prints. And even with this batch, some parts cut through and they fell out as soon as I lifted up the board from the bed of the GF. Some parts didn’t cut through. But the wood was completely straight 
What’s the…gift of good measure? 
It’s one of the default catalog files. It should be on the home screen of app.glowforge.com - somewhere near the bottom (you may need to click the Show More button if you’ve loaded a number of designs of your own).
Thanks! I’ll give that a shot tomorrow.
Thanks for the help everyone! @npgraphicdesign, have you been able to print the Gift of Good Measure?
To cut successfully, there are three important things to check. First, your material must lie flat. This requires a clean, properly installed crumb tray and flat materials. Second, there must be no obstructions, dirt, or damage preventing the laser light from reaching your material. Third, your design must be set up properly - for example, with lines that are fully on the material and that are set to cut. It’s hard to know which issue might be affecting your print, but if you follow the instructions in the cut-through troubleshooter, we’ll be able to get to the bottom of it.
Once you’ve inspected and cleaned, please try another print. We included an extra piece of Proofgrade Draftboard with your materials shipment for troubleshooting. Please print the Gift of Good Measure on that Proofgrade Draftboard and let me know the result. If it doesn’t print well, please let me know the date and time of your print and send photos of the front and back of the print.
