Hi there, I’ve been experimenting with non-proofgrade material, and all day I’ve been trying to perfect the settings but once I find something that works it doesn’t work on another piece of the same wood. I’ll include pictures to help show what I mean. Also with these settings it chars too much! For reference it is 2.7mm utility plywood. Please help, I’m feeling hopeless!
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Sometimes the problem is the material. Did you start your testing with a Proofgrade setting for a similar Proofgrade material? What were the settings in the first and second photos?
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Questions:
Where did you get the material? What type of wood is it? Did it state that it was laser safe?
It could be an issue with the consistency of the material itself, but really more info is needed to understand your situation. It could also be that the material is warped or something, too. If you lay the material down on the honeycomb tray and touch one side of it, does it move like it’s not completely flat?
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You should do the flashlight test and check the wood. Here’s a link to show you how to do that. You’ll save yourself alot of headache if you do this and mark the spots prior to cutting.
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I am aware of this trick, and there don’t seem to be any major knots or holes in the wood.
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I did start with testing with a similar Proofgrade setting, and it worked initially. Once I used up that sheet, the 2nd sheet seemed to not work as well and looked a lot like the second picture. The pictures are of the same piece, settings being 10/10/2x. The first pic is the back and the second is the front.
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I got it at Home Depot, I do not know what type of wood it is, and it didnt say anything about laser safety. The material isn’t warped, it was the first thing I checked.
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Glowforge recommends that 1/8" plywood not be cut/engraved with the Aura/Spark because the filler of that type of plywood produces so much debris. There is no Proofgrade setting for 1/8" plywood. Speed 10 is probably too slow, and you may need 3 passes.
My best guess is that this Home Depot plywood is not going to cut well with your laser.
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Personally, I wouldn’t use anything that does not specifically state it’s laser-safe.
You don’t know what glue is used in the plywood, for one example, and if it’s safe for the laser.
You don’t want to use anything that isn’t safe for you or isn’t safe for your machine and could cause damage.
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Well what thickness should I use then, 1/4 is too thick, 1/8 too thin…
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Where would I find laser safe wood? I just can’t justify spending $20 a sheet for proofgrade
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We sympathize and know that materials are costly. Wasting materials is also very costly and frustrating!
What are you making with your Aura? What thickness of materials would work best?
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I’m trying to make a layered map, with 15 layers. Both bathymetric and topographic. I was hoping for >3/16 so that way the finished product isn’t too thick.
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there are a lot of places you can get it. small businesses you find online, local shops, etsy, etc. Some resources are very affordable, for about $4-6 per sheet that fits in the glowforge or even less. Some info you can find here in the forum, by using the search.
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Where do you personally buy your supplies, and have had a good experience with the products?
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You can get some decent & reliable stuff from Home Depot but you’ll need to order it. It’s called Columbia Forest Products Purebond project panels and is in Glowforge friendly sized sheets (12"x19"). Unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’s in 1/8" anymore.
Folks have had luck with HD’s Revolution plywood but you’ll need them to slice it up for you (it’s 4x8) and will definitely want to paint it. I think @rbtdanforth uses it a lot.
If you’re using one of the low power diode lasers (Aura, Spark) you’ll have a challenge cutting anything over 1/8" in one pass and will need to adjust your cutting parameters to make multiple passes instead.
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That is an ambitious project, and finding Aura appropriate materials that are greater than 3/16" is going to be a challenge. I suggest you make a mock-up of your map with inexpensive materials (cardstockk/cardboard) and then refine the project if necessary before sinking money into more expensive materials. I believe you may end up with a great map made with hardwood, but it won’t be cheap.
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I have started a mock-up of the project on cardstock, so I’ll see how the svg I’ve made works!
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So no 1/8 of the good stuff then. Revolution I assume I have to order as well? With the wood that I did buy it’s under 1/8th and it still had difficulties cutting it. Maybe it’s just the inconsistencies?
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Revolution wood is mostly poplar, so it is not very strong but easier to cut than the same 3/16" of any other wood. The “good” side is incredibly thin. If done for looks at all it would need painting, but I use it mostly in structural cases, like storage boxes or shelves where decoration is not called for. However, as a base to apply veneer, it could work very well as that would get you to 1/4". There is some places that cut poorly but they tend to be thin straight lines.
For the Aura you could buy eight 4’ x ~1’ slices and use the Aura’s passthrough capability. Ocooch has 1/8 12x12 baltic birch but the rest of their plywood has Aura killer MDF in the middle, but there is a lot of exotic and not so exotic solid pieces in 1/8 and sometimes 1/16" thicknesses.
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