Look at a lot of the older MOAG posts too - the PRU users went out of their way to discuss tips and techniques, so that folks wouldn’t have to all re-invent the wheel. (The Beta users as well, but they were limited as to what they could disclose due to non-disclosure agreements.)
Look at some of the Pre-Release stuff dating back to around November 2016 and moving forward.
Good answer, @evansd2 you beat me to it 
@eflyguy, welcome to the forum! About the only time I would feel comfortable asking about a file is to help someone who is having a problem with a file and they are asking for help with it.
Also, the Made on a Glowforge area is specifically for showing off what you’ve made. Questions like this fall under #everything-else or, if askin about specific settings, #beyond-the-manual. I’m going to move this one to #everything-else.
Refining @evansd2 answer here. Build logs, or showing the steps a project took are fine in MoaG. But sharing specific settings like “I used 500 zooms and 55 pews to cut through this material,” is what is discouraged.
The regulars around here will often move a thread to a more appropriate place if needed.
Ha! You’d think I would have known the part about not asking for a file. Is there a rule about asking to buy the plans from someone? 
In all seriousness, I shouldn’t be upset if there was some sort of free/open source plans section here for those willing to share, and I’m not going to lie, I’ve seen a few things - normally gaming-related or storage/organization related - that I would gladly pay for rather than work through the math/trial and error myself.
There’s always the #free-laser-designs category where people post their files, settings, and how-to’s for their projects.
Yeah if only such a section existed! 
GF has tossed out that they want to open the Catalog for user submitted & sold projects.
I see your sarcasm and raise you one ‘Fine… I should have looked before typing’.
I’m guilty of just checking the New and Unread options. I always forget about going to the top level of the forum.
I usually go to All Categories -> Latest and just stay there. I rarely think about the category of the post.
Hahahahah this explains it! About 5 hrs ago my finger stared uncontrollably twitching ago and randomly pointing at things. 
Seriously though, it’s a pretty effective pointer if I do say so myself
Exactly Jules! And faster than some fancy-dancy cool video tutorial lol.
Wait, I am confused now.
If I want to make a post about something I made, and include the details about settings, am I …
:-). Depends on how thorough you want to be. You could, for example, post a pic in Made on a Glowforge for the gallery. A post in Beyond the Manual with the settings. A post in Free Laser Designs with the svg and a tutorial on how to use it. All from one project.
If you use proofgrade and proofgrade settings (I used draft score) Made on Glowforge is fine. Technically, for any other settings it should be in Beyond the Manual. In practice, if a setting here and there gets mentioned in Made on a Glowforge it’s usually left alone. Going into detail about settings is going to get it moved to Beyond the Manual.
My personal preference, not a rule, is to post the pretty pictures in Made on a Glowforge and if you choose to do a lengthy write up to separate it. Sometimes I want all the detail and sometimes I don’t, but I always want to see the pictures and a short description (of why, not what unless it isn’t obvious.)
When I share I tend to prefer the “inspire and get you started in the right direction” sharing rather than “here’s a recipe you can follow step by step to get exactly what I did,” because when I’ve done the latter (not here, though), it opens the door to demands for hand-holding or complaints that it didn’t work.
It’s a tricky balance, because I like helping out, but if someone needs me to tell them how to scale a set of plans on the copy machine or exactly what bolt dimensions they need for attaching casters to a baseplate*, maybe they’re not quite ready to tackle the project itself.
*both real questions I’ve dealt with
Just want to thank everyone for the replies… I didn’t mean to come across as needing hand-holding on everything, but I’ve seen a couple of very unusual and creative items and wondered how certain things were done. I’ve still got a long way to go working thru “the matrix” but I’m diving in and trying things along the way and very impressed with the results - of the machine! Not my creative abilities!!
Just very happy to be a part of this community, especially given the astounding pool of talent (and generosity)…
Big discussion of these issues in this thread, which I never saw until now:
https://community.glowforge.com/t/cardboard-etching/10266/17?source_topic_id=17582
