Howdy folks,
I was intending to create this topic in the “Tips and Trick” category… but that was not available in the drop-down list.
I’ve seen a number of exchanges where a question was asked about calculating the ‘Focus Height’ value when you’re not using the crumb tray.
Admittedly the steps can appear daunting if you don’t know them… and besides… you don’t want to screw something up because you didn’t do it quite right.
Like learning to dance the Tango… that can be equally daunting… until you learn the steps… after that, you start having fun.
In order to help those that are trying to wrap their heads around this issue, I have created a video as well as a “Glowforge Focus Height Calculator”, which can do a lot of the work for you. It’s a Windows based utility which can accept the 'Material Height” from you (thickness of what you’re cutting/engraving) and it will give you the needed ‘Focal Height’ for the laser.
In order to get a basic understanding of what the calculator offers, check out the following video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFoPv8vtT58&t=6s .
I’ve found this to be a quick and accurate way to acquire the needed ‘focal height’ value for the Glowforge setup.
If this thing sparks an interest… it can be found on Etsy at following digital download listing https://etsy.me/2TU6B30 .