I just posted this info as a response to a problem, and realized it could be helpful to others if I posted it on it’s own here.
Sometimes plywood has hidden voids that are filled with glue. The laser often won’t cut all the way though the glue spots. Sometimes you can get through with another pass or two of the laser, or just finish the cut by hand with a hobby knife, but I find it best to just avoid the voids if possible by identifying where they are.
I use this worklight from costco; with the kickstand folded it lays flat on it’s back.
Avoid this area for cuts, or allow for multiple passes with the laser. There may be significant charring of all cut edges if you run enough passes to get through the glue. I find that it often takes me 4 or more extra passes for stubborn spots, which can take a lot of time with a complex design.
Pro Tip: Turn off the lamp before removing the ply so you don’t blind yourself. It’s still really bright.
Yeah I like to add the link to duplicate/similar posts to help with the interconnectedness of the forum. Now both posts have links to each other in the summary section. Off topic but I wonder if there is a way to do that without adding an otherwise useless comment?
the CAT (Caterpillar) branded lamp that I have is marked ITM./ART. 962841 and has a manufacturing date of 06/2016.
The way that costco orders and stocks stuff means that this particular lamp may or may not be available, but any sufficiently bright lamp or flashlight will do the trick.
