I was given some plywood (quite a bit) to try to use for projects. I have trouble cutting through the .195 material. Any suggestions? I have tried slowing the speed and increasing the passes but get a lot of charring. On one test the material started burning on the 2nd pass. I was using full power each time. What can I do to be able to cut thru without a lot of charring or burning? I am using a Glowforge plus.
Any help is appreciated.
Some materials are simply unsuitable for cutting on the machine, and thick materials (which yours is) can be very difficult to work with.
I avoid anything more than good quality 5/32" (purebond) like the plague. Quality materials from Glowforge can be used OK, but random material from unknown sources are just not worth the effort.
The machine is optimized for 1/8" material. It can cut thicker material, if of good, consistent quality.
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Just to add - I’ve bought various plywood over the years that was just horrible to work with. It was full of voids and random fillers that really messed up cuts. I ended up using it mostly for prototyping.
Thank you. As I was given the material for free I was hoping to be able to use. I know there are issues with one image cutting OK and the same image in another spot not OK. I was hoping someone would have some setting suggestions for reduced charring without having to test blindly.
Nobody can say what might work with your specific material. I have had several over the years that simply were unsuitable for anything more than prototyping. One in particular is Luauan underlayment from the big-box hardware stores. Seemed like a great deal at the time, it’s probably the worst material I’ve ever worked with.
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