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Did you make it with a basic or pro?
I made this with the pro model. Material is 1/4" bamboo that measured 0.2720 thick.
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I’m still amazed how accurate the passthrough slot is. I’m so bummed I couldn’t afford the pro but I’m still happy I’m an owner of a GF.
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Great job! Did you have any trouble cutting the bamboo cut on the GF?
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That makes it so much easier on the animal, great project. 
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Thank you. Yes I did and still am struggling with locally purchased material. I wasted at least 5 extra sheets of bamboo on this is project. I ended up giving up on trying to figure out how to get the laser to cut through the bamboo so I manually finished cutting the pieces with a dremel and blended the edge with a black marker. This is my first 3D Laser Printer. Wish we could get a material data sheet with recommended speed, power and focus height to at least ease the pain of trial & error. Materials in Hawaii is not cheap, wasting more materials on trial & error vs a complete sucsessful project can get discouraging really quick with the cost of materials.
Over all. It would of been cheaper for me to buy a stand from Petco rather than making my own. Sorry for rambling on… This project took 3 day when it should of been 1 day.
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Thank you.
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Bamboo’s tough, especially 1/4" thick. Unfortunately trial and error is sometimes the only way to figure out the correct settings. I had some locally purchased rosewood that was 1/4" thick and I finally gave up trying to cut it.
At times I feel frustrated that in order to get the correct cut through setting we’d have to buy the proof grade materials.
Proofgrade makes things a heck of a lot easier, but it certainly isn’t mandatory. Like you, this is my first laser cutter so I’m still figuring things out. I’ve worked about half and half with PG and non-PG materials and they each have their pros and cons. The only real con with PG is the cost, but depending on the project it may be the best way to go.
For example, I had a request today from a coworker to make a Christmas gift for her husband. My first thought was baltic birch plywood (which is only about $3 a sheet), but it would have taken a lot more time to finish the wood (staining, lacquer, etc.) than just using PG. So I threw in a sheet of PG maple plywood ($11/sheet) and finished the project in about 1.5 hours. If I had been factoring in labor cost, PG probably would have saved her some money.
With non-PG material, the problem (as you well know) is dialing in the settings. What I do is search these forums to see if anyone has posted settings for that material and use that as my starting point. The settings for some material (especially wood) may vary even on the same board (usually due to thickness). This is part of the reason Glowforge can’t really say “here are the settings you need to use”. There’s been some talk about setting up a spreadsheet or webpage with settings for non-PG material, but I’m not sure anyone has set anything up.
I’m rambling now, but just wanted to share what I’ve discovered so far. Don’t get discouraged – this is by far the coolest tool I’ve ever used and I think once you’ve hit a comfort level with it you’re going to be very happy with it too. 
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I agree with you 100%! The dog bowl stand is also a gift for a friend that desperately needed it with in the week. Cost of PG material + shipping to Hawaii (depending on carrier) because it’s a last minute request on Monday. To get PG material shipped to me next day air if inventables offers it. Shipping would cost more than what the material is worth. I have so much Christmas gifts that i would like to make for friend & family in so little time that I may have to weigh my options. Option 1: Do I spend $$$ on non PG material and spend time on figuring out material setting after work & staying up all night stressing on how can I get all this done b4 Christmas. Option 2: Push the home made gifts aside and just deal with the stresses of traffic and over crowded malls and just buy gifts that would have no sentimental value. Or Option 3: drop by the nearest costco and get everyone gift cards for there favorite restaurant. The GF is a great tool. There promo video is awesome of what it can & potentially could do but in the app there’s no chocolate, denim jacket, jeans, cardboard etc. and duplating options. That like saying… You can do all this but you have to figure out the settings for yourself unless you buy PG material. I expected the GF to have all the material settings and features that was used in there promo video but I guess not. I bought the pro model because the ability to cut/engrave larger material, apparently I’m always getting an error trying to engrave an entire 11"x19" sheet unless I resize it smaller until the process goes through. As far as the passthrough feature. It would cool to see that in action or a “how to” video tutorial instead of just showing an already made finished product.
It would be really great to have a GF workshop in Hawaii for current GF owners & potential buyers to have a demo/hands on, software tutorial on AI/Inkscape also a Q&A session.
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I would like to see a demo of the passthrough featured & tutorials on how it works.
That’s a great looking project.
I’ve spent about 30 years at different companies developing new products. I know from experience how long it takes a good team to make a simple change, much less make something totally new. When my glowforge arrived in August I knew it hadn’t arrived soon enough for a good Christmas. So have I been staying up late and scheduling every hour of each day to get things done? Of course I have because knowing something and learning it are not the same thing. What are you going to do?? Mainly it’s been boxes for items; nothing as ambitious as what you did.
Unfortunately, you picked what is reported to be one of the most difficult materials to cut: bamboo. Somewhere around here someone tried to cut bamboo flooring and gave up after something like 11 passes at full power and the slowest speed. It is a beautiful material though.
As regards the pass through slot, currently you have to index your work if you want a continuous cut longer than just under 11 inches. There are a couple of tutorials in the tips and tricks section (or is it beyond the manual, I forget) about this. Or you have to wait until the automagic alignment is enabled in software.
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This is beautiful! Crafting gifts can surely take longer than a trip to the mall, but the value of a home-made gift is unparalleled.
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Pampered pup! Designer tray! It’s great.
Thank You.
Well I’ve decided to buy gift cards this year and will go all out next Christmas on GlowForge inspired gifts for everyone. Starting next year I’ll fiddle around with popular local materials like Koa & Bamboo. When tax season comes around I’ll stock up on a lot of PG material. I also plan on hitting the craft fair market and see if I can turn my hobbie into a business.
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Thank You
Thank You Dan. I agree, to see a family member/friends expression when they open a crafted home made gift that is custom made for them is priceless. It makes you feel good that all of your work has payed off.
My 7 year old daughter has been watching me and has grown an interest with the Glowforge. My other half is Japanese and she wants to print patterns on her sushi wrap to give it a wow factor (impress her family & friends). Since the Glowforge has arrive, her Cricut Maker is just forgotten and now everything is made on the Glowforge.
Thank You and your Team for creating such an awsome product.
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I hear you! I’m in Hawaii too. Raw materials are always an issue - as well as space to store them.