I’ve been trying to experiment with thicker materials, but haven’t really done much over 1/4 inch thick. I find that multiple passes really char more than a single slower pass, and I could easily cut 1/4 inch of solid maple or Walnut with minimal char on the edges.
This time I tried to do a slightly thicker project, but in MDF. This project was done in 3/8 from Home Depot. In retrospect I should have tried a really slow single pass but I figured two passes with the second pass focusing lower should do the trick. I ended up with full power, and speeds around 115-125, with the first pass focusing at 0.370" (I read somewhere on here that focusing slightly below the surface yields a deeper cut, not sure if that’s true but it seems to work), abd the second pass focused at 0.18". I had to lightly score the back side since it left a few areas uncut.
As you can see if you look at the edges, there is a bit of unevenness where the two cuts either don’t quite line up or, or where the material kinda burns unevenly maybe?
I wasn’t sure the paint would stick to the charred edges (they were pretty bad, I forgot to take a pic, maybe I’ll take one of the test cuts tomorrow), so I washed it with my go-to baby wipes, Ave then sprayed a few coats of clear lawyer from a can. The paint send to stick well to that, tho I hear shellac is better for selling stuff before paint.
Anyways, thought I’d post just since I don’t see too many attempts with thicker material. Next up 1/2 inch!
