Where will the Glowforge live? I will house the GF in my home in my work studio
Who will use it besides me? My fiance
What are the first projects that will be made with it? Goodness, I don’t know what to try first, I have so many “first” projects. My fiance is dying to do leather engraving/cuts. He is a watch fanatic and would love to design and create watch bands, bracelets and wallets.His dad has requested a leather apron. As far as my projects, I would love to do some wood engravings, like for cutting boards, acrylic projects and glass etchings.I currently have cutting machines and do a lot of personalized projects, party and home decorations. I can’t wait to get my hands on this!
Where it will live
It is going to sit on my ancient treadle sewing machine in my office/shop next to the PC.
Who will use it
Me, a cosplay prop designer, board gamer, and stay at home mom. My wife who isn’t exactly the maker type but is super excited about this. My teenage daughter who is also a cosplayer like me and talks about how to use it about daily.
What will get made in the first week
I have some bare metal Altoid type tins I want to engrave for gifts. I have the leather and plans to refine my plague doctor mask. I need to make another steampunk apothecary kit as well. We could use an in box organizer for Space Alert as well.
Where will it live
Right where my paper printer is now - such outdated technology!
Who will use it
At first I thought only me, but now it looks like the whole family.
What will get made in the first week
I am going to be spending time while I wait for it to arrive creating some things, but the list will surely include so model airplane parts - like 1/32" ribs that are really hard to cut by hand. Also, some coasters, a dice tower, some lego model stands, and a box or two. Oh, and I want to find a really awesome picture to engrave and make a 3d paper picture of.
Where it will live:
I have a work table for a few of my production machines in a corner of my workshop/office where it will go, so I can stare at it all day, and watch it cut everything.
Who will use it:
Im gonna use it a ton. My girlfriend is going to be using it a lot as well. My prop making friends are itching to get stuff made as well, so we gonna have workshop nights. My family members are all pretty crafty as well, so when theyre in town, they want to use it.
What will get made in the first week:
The first thing I want to do is run a materials test on everything I have on hand, just to take notes and have a visual reference for everything. Cutting, engraving, and defocused passes on each material. I will probably create a test template file to use on each material so they are all run under the same design. Fine grain patterns, imagery, a gradient cut, veritcal lines with growing distances between each other, and defocused areas. After that Im going to get started on some catan sets for presents, and then on to a sword for my zer0 costume.
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That reminds me, I have a google sheet that has almost every laser job I’ve ever done, what it was, what machine it was on, what the settings were and how it worked. It has proved invaluable!
I use a google sheet because, I had access to 7 machines in 3 locations. If you only have the one, a notebook and pen is probably fine! 
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What does the first week look like I have an idea that it will live in the kitchen where it will be very accessible to my wife (and to easy venting). This may be short lived depending on how it interferes with minor things like cooking.
Who uses it besides you? It’s really for my wife. She does paper needlepoint work (holes cut in paper with patterns stitched between holes).
What are the first projects that are made with it? I think she will do some existing projects on it to get the settings dialed in. I’m hoping that the fact it’s always available to her will make it possible for her to create some really complicated and beautiful multi-layered designs. They are wickedly hard to design if you have to ask your husband to go try this or that but should be EASY if you have a laser right there!
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Great idea on tracking every build’s settings. Setting that up now…
Where it will live:
Home, probably in my hobby room.
Who will use it:
Me, myself and I. The wife will want things, but won’t want to use it herself.
What will get made the first week:
I have a local shop owner who is already counting the days until I get it so I can engrave some leather dice bags and make some wooden deck boxes for his store. As for myself, I’m going to grab a bundle of scrap material and try out as many things as I can think of. I think the very first non-test item will be a wooden version of the decoder wheel that came in the Gold Box D&D games from the 80’s. I re-bought this a week or so ago and the PDF for the wheel is really bad.
Wall art. Lots and lots of wall art! I’m very excited to see what I can do with fabric - burlap, canvas, etc. We recently bought a huge amount of thin plywood underlayment for building floating shelves. We have a good deal left over and I’m excited to make something intricately cut out of it.
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Hey thanks, really appreciate that. Haven’t really updated it with any of my design and illustration, but perhaps I should! Cheers 
Where it will live: In our warehouse shop area
Who will use it: Employees . graphic designers, leather workers, wood workers, glass workers and metal workers.
What will get made the first week: Leather knife rolls, wood handles, etched glass backing plates, steel blades, aluminum backing plates. … And other material we can test on it.
Where it will live: In my home office, right next to the window so that it is well ventilated.
Who will use it: My wife and I will be the primary users.
What will get made the first week: I have an old filing cabinet that I’ve been dying to build wood inserts for as storage for my Magic cards. I have to design tray inserts with angled slots for dividers that are to be engraved with each set’s name and symbol. That’s a pretty big project, so we will probably do a bunch of testing first… get the lighter “oohs” and “ahhhs” taken care of, testing the trace feature and some engraving, etc… Then we’ll get into the heavy stuff!
Where it will live: On my desk in the basement (basic version with air filter)
Who will use it: Primarily me. Knowing my wife, she’ll want me to put together the designs for her. I’m extremely excited to get my kids using it—they’re gonna go nuts over this thing! I have a feeling my brother will drive over to use it on occasion as well (he’s an architect and loves his 3d printer).
What will get made the first week: OH MAN!!! I’m praying I don’t kill the thing or burn my house down from overuse the first week! This is why I’m kinda glad the production timeline means I won’t have one for a little while still—plenty of time to solidify my starting line-up. Gonna start small though: earbud holder, engrave a journal cover, coasters, custom lettering projects, etc.
Where it will live:
I have a loft space above my garage - when at home it will be stored and used here - this is a 670sq ft workshop space with tons of light and power. I started a company in that loftspace two years ago. It did well.
I will also occasionally bring it to the Newport Robotics Club (Bellevue, WA) where we have a full on metal, wood, and electronics shop to build robots for the FIRST Robotics Competition.
Who will use it:
I will use it and there are 130 high school students in the Robotics Club and I’d love for them to be able to take a swing at the Glowforge.
What will get made in the first week:
I would imagine the first week will include lexan cutting and etching for the shell of a robot, marking on metal for the robot and cutting of thick cardboard and wood for the marketing/cheerleading team for the robotics. We have a gagillion uses for it and I can’t wait for it to be in house. Our prime time for builds is Jan - March - if I don’t have mine then we’ll have to wait and use it to help craft / bedazzle the robot for next year’s competition.
Evidently, the cloud computer is going to get a trial by fire the first week when we collectively unleash our pent up ideas upon it!
where- In my shop/studio on a 4’x3’x1/4" steel table under a window with power ventilation.
Who- I am alone in my home of being afflicted with the curse/blessing of creative urges.
Besides, I am fairly possessive of my tools, especially the expensive ones… however, any friend or neighbor who desires it will enjoy a supervised session.
what- the first week will be entirely consumed with indoctrination.
Materials, power, focus and limitations. Dedicated notebook to document results, and several sample reference sheets in different materials for cutting/engraving vector and raster settings.
Exploring the unit, and its comstruction with an eye toward possible modifications such as tube cooling and airflow once the warranty turns into a pumpkin.
It’s going to be a very busy, exciting week… and beyond.
I anticipate frequently reflecting with gratitude on Dan and the Glowforge team for presenting me with the opportunity to experience a new direction in my creative expression!
I will rock that Glowforge.
Where it will live: In the kitchen, on a desk near the window for ventilation.
Who will use it: Myself and visitors
What will get made the first week:
1- Boxes, boxes, boxes! I have a fantasy of hyper-organizing my clutter into custom cut enclosures made from the omnipresent stacks of thin plywood fruit creates in my neighborhood.
2- I also plan on continuing my project of engraving scans of my great uncle’s pen and ink drawings of collapsing barns onto various bits of salvaged wood and varnishing/mounting/framing/etc
3- Experimentation. Everything not already engraved will have to be engraved. Old artwork refreshed by cutting honeycomb patterns out of it. Engraved sandwiches to delight my girlfriend.
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Where will it live: In the laboratory near the analytical instruments, except when taken for demonstrations at friends’ locations.
Who will use it: Primarily me, but friends will all get some time too.
What will I do with it the first week? : First, I will cut a few gaskets that I need to repair lab equipment, next I will engrave some promotional materials for my craft brewing friends. Finally, I will systematically test as many materials and features I can so as to become familiar with this wonderful device. I too, will reflect on the wonderful work that the glowforge staff have done to make this possible.
I’m a little slow getting to the forums, but here goes: First week will be setting it up in my office/guest room (let’s hope that’s not the only similarity between us!) and getting to know how it works. I have a feeling there will be a lot of coffee consumed that first week. I’m self employed and hope to be able to devote that first week entirely to learning. I also have a feeling I’ll be fighting my husband and son for the chair, as they’re both very creative.
As for projects, I haven’t decided what will be ‘first’, but I do leatherwork, so I’ll assume it would be something to do with that.
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Don’t know yet as I don’t have mine yet. Primarily kicking the tires to see where and how I can push it. Always thinking out of the box and how can I get this to do something that it wasn’t designed to do. Already thinking of how to multi layer items on a single level with various laser powers, the kicker here is on a LEGO minifigure. Also want to engrave a figure so I can fill with fluorescent dye. Lots of ideas, many quite crazy. Also want to do something silly and build a custom tool box. May have to take time off work just to play!
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