Hi, there’s been several times where a small portion of the wood didn’t cut all the way through, in this case how do I reposition the wood and item back into the same spot? I usually just try to eyeball it. also how do you insert multiple items into the creation area?
thank you so much in advance
Getting it back into the exact position I find is almost impossible. The best thing to do after a print is to not move it, pin it down if you can, and test small portions to see if it lifts out.
But since you’re past that point, if it not a huge chunk, your best bet is a kraft knife. I have to do it all the time when cutting out thin objects on Baltic birch, because I don’t always check for voids or glue spots prior to cutting. The laser has a really tough time cutting through those even with multiple passes.
As for multiple items, go to the plus sign in the middle of the interface. It should give you an option to add a file there, and it will bring it into your current workspace.
@timjedwards has a serrated utility knife that’s perfect for getting out things that didn’t quite cut through. I think he found it on Amazon – I keep forgetting to go look for one for myself!
pin down the material before you do any GFUI work. Even if you think it’s going to be a straightforward cut, you’ll be happy to have everything stay in place while you wrestle with an error
Before you start the cut operation (just before you press the magic button), prepare something to help you overcome this problem. Have on-hand a piece of tape, use the sticky side to test lift everything before enything moves.
Even if everything comes out perfectly, don’t move the material yet! I can’t tell you the number of times I wish I’d left it there so I could use the waste to exactly position the pieces again. Much of what I do has a lot of L-R symmetry, so I can turn things over and decorate the other side…if I’m not in a hurry to “clean up” the workspace.
[edit: Here’s an example.]
If you do #3 a lot, then don’t move the graphics on the screen in the GFUI until you have noted the x-y positioning for later exact placement. I’ve moved things off the working area, only to regret it a few seconds later. Being able to use the first outlines to position subsequent work (more engraving, or decorate the reverse side) . [I hope this makes sense.]
Just like a typo will reveal itself right after you hit ‘send’ on the email, I get a lot of good ideas right after I lift the work off the honeycomb.
very helpful thank you!
thank you for the reply
After spending 8k on a machine, we have to use a utility knife? LOL
OK, but try doing the whole thing without the laser…
It’s all about knowing how to use the tool. If you dial in your settings, double check before pulling out the material, etc., you don’t end up needing the utility knife very often. 
Also if you spent $8K on a Glowforge you got scammed!
Hmm, I think after tax, and air filter, it would be pretty close to 8k. Especially if you live in LA or something where sales tax is like 10%. It’s why I never have anything shipped to my husband’s office.
I don’t think the air filter really counts as part of the machine, though.
(In terms of whether you need to use a utility knife or not, that is…)
Lmao. If I bought the air filter with the machine, I’d definitely be including that in my cost. It’s more of a mental financial hit to me. Total cost would be what I tell myself I spent.
Kind of like when my husband bought a car, then was like yeah, throw in those extra warranties that I don’t think I need, you know, the ones that cost 5k plus interest over time and add to the sales tax.
When I left there, my husband was like, we got a great deal on the car, it was only such and such price, and I’m like wtf are you talking about??? It’s costing us this much!!!
If I had to buy a utility knife at the same time, I’d also throw that in the cost… you know, just so I can stress myself out some more. If you ever meet my husband, ask him about the cost of the car…see how he leaves out the cost of ownership.
imagine spending $45k on an industrial universal and needing a utility knife! it happens.
I thought so, but I didn’t have any experience in the matter. I did think about Duck Tape being used to repair helicopter blades that had been all shot to shit, in Viet Nam. (No direct experience there either, but I did learn to fly from the guys who had lived it.)
i’ve been there with several different big industrial universal machines (my office and our princeton office).
yeah with the air filter and everything about 7500. I got a pro, so yeah it gets up there, dont think there was any scamming involved.
Cut yourself a pile of these
Pin down everything - and when a job is done pull out your cut pieces, leaving the waste on the bed. Then if you need to recut because something doesn’t pull out you just shut the lid and hit cut again (you can get fancy and create a copy of the art that only has a cut line where it was missed) but do not re-align anything in your GFUI even if it looks off - it will cut in the exact same place if you haven’t moved the material or bumped your print head.
That happens to me from time to time and is a headache because your piece will be ruined since you won’t be able to align it back if you move it.
Now whenever that happens I just drag my snapmarks svg file in to my artwork and score them before I move my wood. That way I can take the wood out to inspect it and still be able to put it back and use the snapmarks to align it perfectly again.
If you have snapmarks enabled on your machine this will be a perfect solution to your problem.
If you have a newer machine but snapmarks is not enabled. You can contact support and tell them to enable it.
All the newer machines are already capable to run snapmarks
Snapmarks have not been supported for quite some time, so you are lucky enough to have them but most new users will not.
Also, put a tiny piece of Kleenex here and there around the edge before you put a piece back in for more work – it will center the piece in its kerf-enlarged hole. 