Engraving settings for bamboo top of food dish

[dksydnor]

I have a Glowforge Plus HD. I would like to engrave a bamboo top from the top of a glass food dish found at TJ Maxx. It is about 0.48 inches in height. I think I can set it on the crumb tray to engrave but I do not know the manual settings to use. I have searched and find settings for the original Glowforge HD. Being that the HD Plus has updated power, can someone tell me what settings to use?

[eflyguy]

There is an often-quoted FAQ around here somewhere that talks about how to determine the settings for non-standard materials.

It all comes down to - testing to find what works for your material. Nobody has the precise material you have, but there is often enough “wiggle room” for near enough to be sufficient.

Start with settings for a similar material - either ones from Glowforge “proofgrade”, or something others have found works. Then adjust as necessary. If you start at lower power or higher speed, you reduce the risk of over-doing it on your first pass.

I don’t bother keeping records because it’s pointless. I’ve worked with many different pieces of bamboo, and never used the same settings twice - even on (for example) different cutting boards from the same package.

[dklgood]

Welcome to the forum.

Bamboo is a rather variable material as it is not actually wood, but is grass. There are quite a few discussions about engraving bamboo here in the forum which may help. You can certainly use the settings provided here in the forum as beginning points for your tests.

As with all non Proofgrade materials, you will need to do some testing to determine the settings that provide the depth you desire. Even though you have the HD, it is still a 40 watt laser - the same as the Glowforge Basic/Plus.

[evermorian]

@eflyguy

There is an often-quoted FAQ around here somewhere

Common problems/questions

Hello! You’ve been referred to this post because you have a common problem or question. Check out the list below to see what this post can do for you. Just click on a topic that interests you. • 1: I’m new to Glowforge and really have no idea where to start • 1a: What other tools/materials should I buy to go with my Glowforge? • 1b: What are the overall best practices for my laser designs? • 2: All about masking/protecting your materials • 3: I want to design/make a box • 4: What materi…

See #6.

[dksydnor]

Thanks.

[davidgal2]

Don’t forget that if you don’t move your engraved piece you can make a second or third pass exactly on top of the original if it isn’t as dark as you want.

[demarcusalexan]

Normally standard wood settings work. You might have to test your materials to see which final result is desired