I have a design that didn't cut all the way through, is there a way to finish cutting by hand to save it

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I’m sure I’m not the first with this trouble but couldn’t find it anywhere. I did a couple cut passes but it still didn’t cut all the way through in some spots. I think the wood was warped just enough to cause a problem and with it being 1/4 in. didn’t know how to weigh it down. Didn’t think it was enough to make a difference but it did so no I am trying to figure out how to cut by hand the few spots that it didn’t cut to get the object out. Any one with ideas or maybe has been through this and solved it already?

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Some users have had luck sanding the back of the material.

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I’ve used a box knife on 1/8" material that didn’t cut all the way through. Proceed with caution and patience.

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A craft knife or thin japanese saw can really help… but please be careful! Running it across multiple times better than hard pressure for force in one go… At least wood does have options of sanding or cutting (just a matter of blade size for the shapes!). You’ll also likely need to sand the cross section too, since the blade’s kerf won’t be the same as the laser…

But due to a number of similar “oops” over time, I’ve learned to never remove an item & board it’s being cut out of until I try to shift it within the kerf to check if cut thru (though may not work if the shape is really complicated though). If if moves easily, it’s cut thru, if not, run another cut pass–and since still in same place, the new pass should line up with the previous…

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On several occasions I have found a jewelers saw to be very handy, It takes some care to keep the pull vertical but it is pretty close to the kerf width, and I am using what would be considered a heavy blade in it by jewelers but way smaller than a coping saw blade. You can use the cut already made as a guide and even start in the middle of the cut by sliding it in and retightening the blade.

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This^^
Plus, the cut on those blades is the pulling stroke so the blades have to be oriented that way. Jeweler’s blades get stupid tiny, close to a hair. On small ones you need magnification to see which way the teeth are pointing.

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Thank you so much

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Putting a finger on the blade will tell you right away which way the teeth are pointing without having to move your finger to prove it. However, even cutting very thin silver with the 8-0 blades I used to use takes a very practiced not to break the blade. A 1-0 to 3-0 blade is closer to your need and easier to see the teeth.

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Normally the finger trick would tell me, but on the very small blades, I couldn’t even tell by dragging a finger along them. Probably too much callous back then.

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