Your best laser tip

[wenning08]

Curious, what is your best laser engraving tip you could share with someone. Figured it would be cool to have a list.

[eflyguy]

Have a small test design and use it before you commit to a print, even with known/proofgrade materials.. Every. Single. Time.

[dwardio]

Make sure your material is absolutely, positively FLAT against the tray. If it makes noise when tapped anywhere, it’s not flat.

[evansd2]

My tip: Read the forum.

This is a bit of a cheat – engraving is really too broad to distill down to just one tip, so think about what you’re trying to do and research it before you start.

Check out #12 in this FAQ for tips on searching the forum.

Common problems/questions

Hello! You’ve been referred to this post because you have a common problem or question. Check out the list below to see what this post can do for you. Just click on a topic that interests you. • 1: I’m new to Glowforge and really have no idea where to start • 1a: What other tools/materials should I buy to go with my Glowforge? • 1b: What are the overall best practices for my laser designs? • 2: All about masking/protecting your materials • 3: I want to design/make a box • 4: What materi…

There are years of experience documented here. Take advantage of it.

[deirdrebeth]

Leave it in the machine and make sure you like it. Running additional jobs is easy if you haven’t moved it

Jigs do the same, but you have to build the jig first!

[rvogt]

Never leave your laser unattended while it is running…!!!