Cutting Baltic Birch

I did that last night.

I should have tested but just ham fisted it by using Full/120 and ended up needing 3 passes for 100% cut through on all of the pieces. Some of it was cut after 2 passes.

I should run another cut calibration to see what the real number is.

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From what I’ve read on other laser forums the glue in marine grade plywood makes laser cutting it a mess if it cuts at all. I was disappointed.

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I’ve done some 6mm (1/4") bb plywood. I’m using 140 speed at full power. I set it for 2 passes. Most of the time 1 pass is enough, but there are spots in the plywood that seem tougher to cut, hence the 2nd pass. And sometimes, even 2 passes is not enough in some spots.

The sides are pretty black at the end, but I wipe them down with some water using a paper towel.

I mask the plywood with cheap painter’s tape, so it’s only the sides that blacken. The top looks nice.

It’s not great, but it’s good enough for my purposes. The 3mm is much easier to work with.

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Great info. Thanks. I need to buy some more samples.

I’ve cut some 5mm bb that I had lying around, and the settings were way more than twice the woodpecker 3mm stuff. So yeah, do the tests.

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That’s because most of the difference is in the inclusion of more non-wood layers. There are more glue layers which are incredibly variable in cutting (and the knotty wood that can be used on internal plies that wouldn’t be on the exterior layers are a problem sometimes too). That’s why twice as thick requires more than twice the pew pew. Until you think about the disproportionate impact of the additional glue layers you scratch your head and it’s non-intuitive :slight_smile:

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Using very different settings with my pro. 115 -120 speed with 70 power. I might up the speed a tad . Any lower power and it just bottoms out.

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I have only cut the 3mm BB ply. I start with the medium maple ply settings and adjust downwards from there.

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Thanks for this. I started with 120/70 on My Baltic Birch Adventure and you saved me a lot of time! I tried a few variations up and down to see what I could get away but that was a great start.

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I don’t know if they changed something, but that setting isn’t what it use to be. I’ve gotten a tad frustrated and went to FP/125-130. Black edge but definetly through. It’s a horrible setting but I was cutting templates that just needed to be cut , and I wanted them cut fast. Maybe I need a patience adjustment to wait for longer cut times…

Oh don’t forget to add any results you try, good or bad , to the link repository 's new sheet. It has a settings area I have e slowly been adding to. I have a stack of cue cards I write on on top of the machine, then periodically remember to add to the sheet .

Interesting. I had good results with 150/70 and 180/100, both with nice tan edges. 120/70 was more burnt. I did have to up the power to 150/100 after I put masking on both sides. It wasn’t necessary to jump to full power though.

I’ll see if it’s repeatable… chances are I’m going to make a few dozen trees and give them as “assemble it yourself” gifts, so I need them to be dependably cut.

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With my basic, my best settings for 3mm bb is 170/90 with no masking. Only if it hits a core knot will it blacken and not go all the way through in a single pass. Every edge nice and golden :slight_smile:

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I cut a pretty intricate thing today using 200/FP. There was only one tiny spot where it didn’t go all the way through near the end of the job, in a corner that seemed flat when I dropped the sheet of ply onto the tray, but which was significantly warped by the end of the cut job. If I had used magnets it would have stayed down and been fine.

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For the record , my settings were for 6mm ply not 3mm. I really need to grab some of that stuff

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Oh my bad, I was talking about the 3mm. :crazy_face:

Ah, that explains it. I ran a complete tree kit at 150/100 (with masking) and it came out perfect. I’m going to Amazon to buy the big box now. At $1.33/sheet, this will be my go-to for a lot of stuff.

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Yup, as much as I love :proofgrade:, buying BB by the big box is a great deal.

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Just another data point on settings to try… I tried the 140/FULL x2 pass for 1/4" Baltic Birch and didn’t get full cuts everywhere, simple trim with an Exacto blade and good to go but finding that 130/FULL x2 pass is getting through. Source of wood was Woodcraft.

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I am having the exact same issue with 1/8. It doesn’t cut consistently