Question on laser cutting

[chillnvapelounge]

SO I HAVE A COMMEN SENSE QUESTION BUT
I HONESTLY DONT KNOW THE PROPER LASER CUTTING FINAL LOOK
WHEN YOUR LASER CUTTING, LETS SAY WOOD
SHOULD THE CUT PARTS BE BURNT? DARK COLOR OR MORE NEUTRAL AND SAME COLOR AS THE WOOD? IM SURE ITS A COMMEN SENSE QUESTION BUT FIGURED WOULDNT HURT TO ASK RIGHT?

[Jules]

Depends on the wood.
Some of them get relatively dark (basswood, walnut) and others barely get brown (maple & cherry.) Some don’t hold the char at all (padauk).

Running tests to see which settings you like best for a particular wood are always a good idea.

[bansai8creations]

The laser is literally burning the material, and produces soot as the material would under any other source of flame. So yes, dark areas are typical, but using MASKING will help prevent the discoloration of the surface where there is not any cutting or etching. (this is a very quick answer, but if you google information on laser cutting theory, i’m sure you’ll find a lot of details!).

[beerfaced]

You are after all burning wood so you have to expect some charring.
Just a friendly reminder, by typing in all caps you come across as SHOUTING at your audience.

[Pearl]

@bansai8creations

The laser is literally burning the material

Which is why you should never leave your laser unattended

[chillnvapelounge]

haha my bad, im use to always typing in caps . I love u all <3

[dan84]

Golden brown is generally the desired result of a clean laser cut. Excessive ash/soot is from burning more than necessary. But it’s easier to get that golden brown color on another laser with a more powerful air assist than a Glowforge. MDF, and MDF-core plywood, like most Proofgrade materials, also tends to have darker cut edges than something like baltic birch in your pictures.