Laser Engrave Over 50 Different Materials

I released a video where I engraved over 50 different materials including wood, metal, plastic, masonry, fabric and a few others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5AkSfq8cPU


I’m including all of the speed and power settings used in the video: https://bit.ly/39LSmkK

Many of the settings above are loosely based on the community settings: https://bit.ly/34fhe3d

Also, if you need to cut metal, SendCutSend is a great resource:
https://sendcutsend.com/

Full material list: maple, walnut, cherry, baltic birch, white oak, padauk, pine, purple heart, wenge, alder, redwood burl, cork, MDF, bamboo, cardboard, cardstock, stainless steel, titanium, brass, copper, chrome, powder-coated, anodized aluminum, cast acrylic, Flexicolor acrylic, delrin, PLA, PETG, Corian, marble, sandstone, granite, ceramic, slate, agate, cotton, denim, leather, ultrasuede, felt, cork fabric, canvas, rubber, glass, evo foam, and bone.

Come see these samples live at Maker Summer School in Cleveland from August 13 - 15: https://www.makersummerschool.com/

Thank you to The College of New Jersey for cutting out my agate slice on your incredible waterjet.

Thank you to @eflyguy on the Glowforge community forum for designing the “LASER ALL THE THINGS” meme! Bahahaha!!

I’d love to hear about some interesting materials you’ve worked with in your Glowforge.

Thanks for watching!

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Thanks for sharing! I’m going to view it now!

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Thanks for sharing!

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Nice job!

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OK, this should be mandatory viewing for glowforgers.

A clear explanation of a bunch of mundane and exciting materials, how you can prepare them and what they look like.

This is one of the best resources I have seen since starting with GF.

Also, a really well produced video as well.

Top Marks (geddit?)

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John, would it be possible to a get a reasonably hi-res image of all the materials together?

That would make a brilliant reference sheet.

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Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.

Sure! That’s a great idea. I’ll post something soon. Thanks!

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Truly fantastic video! It’s informative, useful, and has great production quality.

One tiny note of (hopefully constructive criticism): I found the music was a bit loud while you’re talking and made it hard to hear. I realize it makes for good flow between those sections and the shots of the materials and the machine working… maybe just duck it way way down? It seems like you’re a pro at this stuff and I am coming at this from complete ignorance, but that’s my two cents.

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Hi Chris, I agree. The music was too loud at points. I’m still figuring out the video shooting/editing thing - the sound could use some work. The format of this video was different than some of my earlier videos and I learned a lot. Hopefully, the next video will have much better sound. Ha! I appreciate the feedback (it’s important) and thanks for watching!

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very informative! That answers quite a few questions I had thank you :clap:

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Great work, thank you for sharing!

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Great video! Thanks for the link for sendcutsend too! This is a great resource.

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btw, I have total workshop envy. Is this your own personal workshop? It’s gorgeous. :heart_eyes:

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Ha! Thanks! Yes, I’m really fortunate to have a personal workshop (especially, right now). It’s a detached one-car garage. I recently framed the cinderblock walls, insulated it, put in new windows and doors, installed sound-proof drywall (which works really well), wired outlets, and installed American Green Lights. Honestly, I’m really proud of it because I didn’t know how to do any of that stuff (thanks, YouTube) and most of the renovation was paid for by making/selling things with the Glowforge. Having even a small space to work is wonderful - I wish that I had done this years ago :slight_smile:

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Wow! That’s amazing!! Great job!

Really nice job. I agree - should be recommended viewing for new users!

And I don’t know when I’d engrave bone, but good to know! :smiley:

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This brilliant. :star_struck: Thank you for all of it!

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Thank you so much for sharing. This was very informative and your spreadsheet will be a great resource for future use!

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Thank you so much for sharing. This definitely going to be useful for my future projects.

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