There’s still a bit of grinding with the closing and opening of the lid but I do believe it is fully shut. The side with the grinding does not sit as flush as the opposite side, that is still considered normal then?
Compared to when I first got the machine out of the box, YES. But there is still some grinding on the right side. When I get the other box tomorrow containing the power cord, I’ll know if this is will actually prohibit me from cutting. I’m hoping (and thinking) it won’t be an issue.
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Would be better if both sides are equally not flush. Where to shim is pretty much trial and error. Might not be able to, but I can lift with two fingers at each corner while watching how it affects the lid, and then shim.
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I am hoping you have worked out a solution to the exhaust situation, it will come with some hose but you will need a solution to get it out the window if that is what you intend, before you will be able to fire it up.
UPDATE: So I received all parts of the machine and it is working great. Lid issue and all!
I have my exhausted going out my window with a makeshift cardboard cut out in the window… No fumes are getting in the room, and I can see within the machine that the fan is sending it all out of the machine (none getting through the lid) BUT the smell of the acrylic is STRONG! I plan on getting a proper unit for my window to eliminate the gaps but I’m not sure if this is just the normal smell I should be expecting.
I’ve added a fan into the room to blow air out the window so that none sneaks back in, but even so, it doesn’t smell like daisies.
Is this all normal? I’ve read mixed thoughts on other posts about this similar issue. Also are there any air purifies similar to the one glowforge offers but for a smaller price?
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I am glad that you are up and running! I replaced the dryer hose with a sturdier one and pause my machine for an extra minute right before it finishes so the fan vents before I open the lid on “smelly” projects. Others have posted about air purifiers and inline fans here in the forum. Maybe read some of those posts while you supervise a long engrave. I look forward to seeing what you make with your Glowforge.
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Acrylic is super stinky 
sounds like everything is normal.
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What you describe sounds pretty normal. Acrylic is less stinky than leather and more stinky than cedar or hickory. If you would have to avoid all smells a priority there is always tile and marble, 
For exhaust, the Vivosun at ~$35 as assist is hard to beat. By continuing to move air from the room through the machine and out helps a lot with the residual smells from the machine, and by moving the smoke away faster there is a lot less build up inside the machine.
I struggled a lot with the need to remove the exhaust hose for cleaning until I found that the support ridges from a quart bottle of V-8 were just enough smaller than the exhaust port to grab very tightly and thus with the top and bottom of the bottle removed made an excellent quick-release that sealed very tightly and had the bonus of being clear to inspect the port even while running.
As you can read from many threads filters are expensive in part because HEPA filters are expensive and also consumable. Also, the Glowforge runs through a lot of air and as the filter fills it passes less air. A 200 CFM fan is sufficient as it will remain 200 CFM but a filter will only be good as long as it can pass 200 CFM after which the smoke will leave by other means, like the lid and door of the machine.
I have a Blu-Dri that is rated at 500CFM but has a huge 12" opening that becomes the greater problem if connecting to the Glowgorge directly but is really good about removing dust and smells from the room. It is slightly less cash than the official filter but replacing the HEPA part is still $250.00.
You’ll want to create a new thread to make sure someone from Glowforge support sees it. Unless you’ve already e-mailed them, in which case it’s better not to create a duplicate here.
Holy smokes! (no pun intended) This gives me a lot of research material because there was a lot of technical terms in this post that I have trouble understanding. (CFM, HEPA)
As for cleaning the exhaust hose, how often do you do this?
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I was cutting a lot of oak plywood and it looked like a bunch of cotton balls fell out, that on close inspection turned out to be oak fibers tossed out by engraving without getting completely burned. I have beefed up my exhaust since and not cutting much oak so have not seen that since. But aside from something like that even a lot of buildup will have little effect. On the contrary any tiny leak is likely to get filled with gunk and stop leaking.
I see you’ve gotten some fantastic advice from the community, thanks everyone! It is correct that each Glowforge unit is tested on a flat surface. Many tables are not perfectly flat, which can create some friction when the lid closes. Fortunately, this is not harmful and does not require any changes.
If your Glowforge is printing well, then you’re all set!
Regarding exhaust, your Glowforge is designed to operate with the included exhaust hose connected to the outside with a maximum of two 90 degree bends. If you configure your exhaust differently, the Glowforge unit may not be able to expel enough air, and it could cause smoke and fumes to enter the room. Because ventilation is complex and poor ventilation could cause smelly and even dangerous results, we can’t advise on exhaust configurations other than what’s described in the Glowforge Manual at https://glowforge.com/manual.
If you do want to configure your exhaust differently, of course the forums are a great resource. I’ve moved this thread to the Beyond the Manual section so the discussion can continue there. Please note that advice in this section is unsupported and is not reviewed by Glowforge.
Regardless of how you configure your exhaust, please follow these instructions from the user manual to avoid a serious safety hazard: “There may be some odor present while printing. However, if you detect a strong, sharp smell that also causes eyes, nose, or throat irritation, or if there is visible smoke escaping while the lid is closed, stop immediately and re-check your exhaust setup. If the irritation and/or smoke emissions do not abate, discontinue using your Glowforge and contact support.”
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Thank you so much! Everything is working smoothly!
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