Hi there. I am having trouble figuring out cut settings that will cut through my 1/4" maple ply and keep the fine details. The lines are all cutting fine at 130 speed full power, but they are cutting slightly too fat and I am losing detail. I have tried reducing the speed and the power simultaneously and it generally will not cut through. Also worth noting is the bottom side of the print (the wood that is resting on the crumb tray) retains more detail than the up side that is getting cut. Any suggestions on how to reduce the fat cut lines and keep my fine details?
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Only two things I can think of, defocused beam or upside down lens. Use “Set Focus” and ensure the lens is in correctly - cup goes up.
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Check that your lens is oriented correctly. Use the set focus tool. Do some test cuts starting with the Proofgrade settings for thick maple ply.
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i will second this. looking at your pictures in the other thread, it looks like you are significantly out of focus. that will cause a wider beam at the surface and will make a thicker cut/kerf and it will be less likely to cut through at appropriate settings.
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Thanks everyone. I cleaned my machine, took out the lens and cleaned it and made sure it was put back in properly. I also cleaned the mirror. I tried using the set focus tool which I admittedly never even knew existed. And… it looks quite a bit better! Definitely more fine detail. It is still not perfect, but a lot better. The back side (the wood resting on the crumb tray) is still showing more fine detail than the front. I used proofgrade settings for maple ply. Would adjusting the settings help at this point? Or is almost perfect what I should be happy with.
Support would have you try cutting the gift of good measure on proof grade material and see if it cuts through properly…
Thank you so much for this - I’ve been tearing my hair out for weeks trying to figure out why things seemed just out of focus and it turns out my lens was in upside down.
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You’re welcome! a lot of us have done that! 