I’ve so far mostly used proofgrade materials, but Im looking to branch out into some other materials that GF doesn’t sell. Ive found Trotec and Johnson Plastics and a few others, but it seems that the standard size of most materials is “quarter sheet” which is 12x24. Just a bit too wide to fit into the GF.
I don’t have a table saw (or room for one), so buying oversized material and trimming off the edges would be difficult for me. Does anyone have a recommendation for a source of laserable materials that come in the right 12x20 size?
Home Depot, Lowes and other lumber carriers will cut sheets to size if requested. Also, for acylics Tap Plastics will cut to size. As you have discovered, Johnson Plastics has a nice selection in their Rowmark Colorshop Woods that come in 12 x 12 sizes. You might also look into the selection at Inventables.
For the acrylic I have purchased in that size, I cut it to fit by scoring with a razor knife along a steel safety ruler, then snapping it over a table edge. That has worked perfectly every time so far.
Home Depot is starting to carry Glowforge-sized plywoods from Columbia Forest Products. They’re mostly 1/4" but they’re starting to add some 5/32", which is just a bit over 1/8".
Acrylic and plywood cut very well as @evermorian notes with scoring. A carpet knife is a little more robust and gets you a good cut line. I made my own squares with the Glowforge, but I like best a wide metal strip. More reliable. I score on both sides and then put it in between a door and the doorpost and use the door as a press break. It works very well. 1/4" is a bit harder to manage for plywood, but if you get a good deep score on both sides, it manages without tear outs.
You might want to see if anyone on Craigslist in your area has a small tile saw. You can get them very cheap. They do ok with the right blade for redimensioning. Usually a bigger kerf that you want. Just an option. I picked up a DeWalt cordless circular saw on sale that goes with my DeWalt cordless tools. It’s works great too. Scoring takes longer, but circular saw means I go outside or have to get the vac up to clean up the sawdust inside.
I haven’t bought anything from them, but some fellow GF-ers have businesses selling plywood and acrylic (separate businesses): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1543252692492614/
They have business sites, but most of the info is in the group.
Acrylics–look for local sources, too. Tap Plastics is great & even some fabrication shops sell scrap. Give them a call first to confirm, though.
There are some on-line retailers with small enough sizes for the GF bed–if you have a 1/2 hour to search, you’ll find them!! (expect more to appear with this size option as the number of GF & similar in use increases, too).
And when I have bought pieces that are too big, I use my jig saw to cut them down to size…
I buy a lot of my wood and acrylic from Amanda & Casey in the FG group Smokey Tides. They are all sized for GF (both people own GF). Excellent quality and good shipping times.
When I need to buy the wood that comes in 4’x8’ I Note that while the 12 x 20 number fits in the Glowforge only 11-" x 19+" can be cut. 19 * 5 = 95 leaving one inch for the saw blade kerf and with the wood cut into 4 pieces the other way that is 20 pieces of wood for every full sheet.
There are a couple of small hand-held circular saws (like 3" blades) on the market which are manageable and reasonably safe. I got one by Dremmel that comes in really handy. Could open up some possibilities for you.
If you check out https://www.jpplus.com/maker you will find materials that Johnson Plastics has that are perfect for your machine including files to download and play with!
