(a few people requested we move the camera alignment threads to a different topic)
I went and collected my odd-guy-out post from the camera alignment thread to stick it back in here;p
Don’t know how much this helps, but from the “Would you like your Glowforge now?” email:
“Click the link below to let us know if you’d like to receive your Glowforge immediately. If you’d prefer to have us hold on to it for you, no problem - click the link to tell us that too. The sooner you respond, the sooner we can get your Glowforge on its way to you.”
There is the option to wait until the software is out of beta, I believe. My guess is if you choose that option, it will stack your order to the back of the order pile. Good luck in finding stability in the near future!
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My life may not settle down for months and I am moving during that time no matter what, possibly to one coast or another. Or Chicago. Or Timbuktu. (It’s on the list.)
If I consider temporarily placing my machine in Glowforge foster care, what would be some guidelines? I know a talented artist in my community who would probably love to have it and would make beautiful things with it. My concern is whether something should happen to it and whether someone far more talented than me would ultimately convince me to give it up after seeing things of beauty leap straight out of their head into real life on a regular basis. Or whether it would have beer spilled on it or even–God forbid–be Forge-napped [makes sign of the cross].
I can possibly have it shipped where I am now, but it will have to be moved in the next few weeks or months, possibly more than once, and possibly across a great distance. It seems risky and impractical for me to set it up where I am and then move it soon afterwards, and I can’t really accept it here in the first place.
Finding a trustworthy Forge-sitter seems potentially wise but I am unsure. How can I mitigate the risk? What do you look for in a Forge-sitter? There’s always the print shop owner in the next town who makes inappropriate comments and gives extra-creepy hugs. I would trust him with my Glowforge but not with much else! There must be something better. Could I rent it out to a maker space?
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I’d suggest just talking to Rita about it when you get the email from her. You can request to be moved to the end of the line and just see what she has to say. They might not have a problem with you doing it, but you might not know when that will be, and you’re not going to be able to specify a reshipping time, so the timing might wind up being worse.
No family members you can trust to just sit on it for a while? How about taking delivery, parking it in a storage unit, and knowing that it will be waiting there for you safe and sound when you get back? 
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Don’t know the answer, but just wanted to express sympathy for your situation. It looks like you are dealing with it sensibly and with humor, so I wish you the best.
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The shipping container survives UPS’ wrath on a regular basis so it shouldn’t be a problem to move it multiple times. If you don’t want to risk it, maybe a local museum or art gallery would be willing to set it up and display it as an art exhibit for a while. That’d be the best of both worlds! It would be well taken care of and you wouldn’t have to worry about wear being put on it from use. The warranty might expire while it’s sitting there though, so maybe ask Glowforge to extend it for a couple years. They seem very willing to make exceptions (don’t let all that legaleez in the TOS fool you, the “friendly” (more like UNfriendly, LOL!!!) neighborhood lawyers probably forced them to put all that stuff in there, I can’t believe they meant any of it).
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I need to know that the machine works before I put it away for endless months, and frankly I don’t like the idea of a dormant Glowforge. I’m sure many here can sympathize.
My family CANNOT know I’ve bought a Glowforge! It’s like bringing home a puppy when you were specifically told no puppies. The Glowforge stays hidden until I can figure out how to break it to them. 
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It’s possible I may be moving to an opposite coast, so to prevent my Glowforge from risking extra cross-country travel, I am thinking of having it shipped to a friend who is a talented professional artist. If he is willing to laser-sit, should we maybe draw up some guidelines and some sort of agreement in case any trouble should arise?
He works for a well-established studio and even manages a small monthly display there where staff (including those not employed as artists) can highlight their artistic talents. I would gladly invite him to set it up at work and let his artistic colleagues use it as often as they like - as long as they send lots of pictures and maybe a few examples of what they are making.
Any advice on how I can make this work? I think an agreement would be important, but I’m not sure where to start.
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You definitely should draw up an agreement that clearly spells out that you are the owner, conditions of return, and to make sure you are covered in the event of damage or theft (left in a studio open to the public, there’s always a chance someone may break in and steal it).
You also might want to consider charging a usage fee if there is any way already in place to track the # of hours that the GF is cutting or engraving. It does not have to be a high rate, but if the person has the machine for year in heavy use, it is possible the tube will be spent by the time you get it back. That’d be an unfortunate way to break the news to the family. You bought a GF and let someone use it for a year for free, and now you need to buy a new laser tube before you can use it yourself.
If you Google “equipment loan agreement” you can get some ideas.
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You should use the invitation function to let him use your GF without you needing to give him your credentials.
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If it is going to be stored/displayed/used in a commercial(ish) space their insurance should cover it - but everybody has to agree to that upfront possibly including their agent. That should help with the damage/theft fears. Also, how are they going to vent it? If your friend stores it in his home it may or may not be covered (especially if he rents and doesn’t have renters insurance.)
The glowforge is clearly yours and it can’t be used without access to your account, or you having glowforge transfer your account (I believe.) That said, what is legal and what happens are often only loosely correlated. I feel for you, but have no practical solution here.
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No you can invite non-owners to use yours. They’ll get an email with a link that allows them to create a GF ID and they’re tied to your machine. It was designed to allow multiple people to use the same GF without needing to share an ID.
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In the past I was part of a nonprofit makerspace and members regularly loaned equipment to the space. Members who moved around (like me) and didn’t have space in a shared household would loan their tools to the space until we settled in a place large enough to store them again. Our lawyer recommended that in order to protect both parties and to make sure that any loaned equipment was covered by the commercial theft insurance the makerspace carried that 1) we have a formal signed document and that 2) we made it a $1/year lease so it would be clear that it’s not a gift/donation and that the bank records and check would give us another paper trail.
Here’s a copy of the lease of my vinyl cutter to the makerspace. All our documents were created under a creative commons license so others who need them for similar situations can use them, so feel free to modify it to suit your purposes and use it.
About insurance: Some of my leased tools were stolen from the makerspace and the insurance company paid for them because they were leased to the space at that point. I don’t remember if the insurance policy needed adjustment to cover leased tools or if it was just the default so your friend should definitely check with their insurance company to make sure that they’ll cover a loaned/leased piece of equipment. Also maybe check if their current policy even covers the full cost of a Glowforge or if they need to bump the policy up because they’re now insuring $2k+ more in equipment.
Caveats: This document was not written by a lawyer. I (who am not a lawyer) modified a document I found on the Internet that the web site claimed was drafted by a lawyer. Our makerspace’s lawyer did look at and approved it for us, but that probably won’t apply to your situation because we are a nonprofit and every situation is different. So insert legal disclaimer that neither her nor I can guarantee that this document is legally appropriate for what you need it for but this may be a helpful place to start?
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I meant from a legal ownership point of view, as in just because you leave it somewhere it is not theirs.
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This is SOOO HELPFUL! Thank you!
I could rent it to a makerspace for the prorated cost of a new tube. 
Very good points. Thanks.
You are welcome! Good luck!