I’ve been using the Glowforge for about 6 months trying to find my niche. I’m drawn to multi layer items and mandalas. I use 1/8" baltic birch for my items. Even immediately after a good cleaning, my items still aren’t being cut all the through. I have my settings on 185 speed and full power. I pin the wood down very, very well. Should I be using different settings? I’ve tried, but have gotten charring or barely cut at all. I can’t afford Proofgrade. I make too many mistakes to waste that kind of money.
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I have a pro and my settings are drastically different to yours for the 3mm Baltic Birch I get from Rockler.
Suggest you find one of the dozens of threads that discuss how to test for your material, and test various settings to see what works for you and your machine. What works for one will not always work for another.
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I’ve tried to find information on here, but have had no luck. What setting do you use on the baltic birch?
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You should just test different settings on a corner of each piece. You will very soon get a knack for it and know a good setting to test first. Then it’s just a tweak higher or lower to dial it in. All you need is a small circle or square. Try what you think might work then adjust until you get the perfect result.
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Get a bright flashlight, turn off the lights in the room, and shine the flashlight through your sheet of baltic birch. You will find some dark spots on most sheets where the light isn’t coming through. Those are glue pockets filling what were voids in the inner ply of the BB. Your laser will not cut through those pockets at any speed. It doesn’t have enough power. This is a material problem, not a machine problem. It’s characteristic of Baltic Birch and how BB is constructed, so it doesn’t matter who you buy it from either.
The simplest solution is to switch to buying a plywood with a more laser friendly core. The cheapest I can get consistently is the PureBond plywood from Home Depot’s website. These packs are online only, not sold in store. It’s $4 per sheet, which is still way cheaper than Proofgrade.
They offer some other veneers too, if you prefer something other than maple.
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Even for Baltic Birch, there will be some variety both from piece to piece, and source to source. Rockler is a bit pricey but solid. Personally, I look to Ocooch which also has very high standards but per sq ft better prices.
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There you go! Everyone has different opinions. I do not like anything with a sawdust core. It can look good especially with a nice veneer but my experience is that it returns to sawdust long before I would have it so and drinks fluids like a camel just in from the desert. They call it MDF but it always seems to return to the sawdust from which it came < / rant>
It will also clog a Glowforge (or any other) filter while you watch.
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I’m not sure this is an MDF core. It’s described as a “wood core” on the HD website, or “veneer core” on their own website. The “soy based adhesive” doesn’t sound any longer lasting than sawdust though… but more appetizing? 
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Unless they have changed it from before. I was very enthusiastic about it till I discovered that. Normal wood glue does very well and at one time at least was milk-based (hence the Elmer’s cow on the label as they are primarily a fresh milk company) If another glue is lactose-free that would not be earthshaking.
Similar to them is Revolution Ply which is all poplar layers and closest to the cheapest of reasonably lasered plywood, though quite weak compared with the decent oak plywood I found or Baltic Birch.
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We are only allowed to discuss settings for non Proofgrade materials in the Beyond the Manual section of the forum. I suggest you give some of the threads a look: Search results for 'baltic birch' - Glowforge Owners Forum
The PG Maple Ply settings work for me on 1/8” Baltic birch ply.
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I’ve used much more of this than Proofgrade (or Baltic Birch) for a couple of years now. It’s very consistent and cheap. The only downside is I’ve never had a flat sheet, pinning it down is not an issue.
I reserve my Proofgrade for stuff I’m making for people that will retain a natural finish - and I’m pretty stingy with it, considering how expensive it has gotten! 
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