5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Laser Engraving
Laser engraving tools have quickly become a consumer level product, but just because the average person like me can buy one doesn’t mean we know how to use one. These are the things I wish I had known before I turned on my laser for the first time (or even bought my laser).
Not all lasers are created equal
Lasers come in all sorts of different flavors. We have diode lasers, CO2 lasers, fiber lasers, and complicated industrial lasers that would be awesome to have but completely impractical for most users.
Even after we narrow down the type of laser they are all different. The first laser I purchased was a 10w diode from XTool. I had no intention of selling anything I made with it, so it seemed like a great opening point. I’ve stuck with diode lasers as the years went by, but have upgraded to 20w and 40w models. You might think “Well, a 40w to 4x as powerful as a 10w”, and you’d be right, but when the laser hits the wood the difference is a lot less linear.
Not all materials are created equal
The majority of pieces that I sell are cut from 3mm Baltic Birch. I highly recommend that this is the go to plywood for any laser engraver, but of course there are many other options out there including other species of veneer, MDF, OSB, etc.
Even focusing on 3mm Baltic Birch, however, we still have differences between manufacturers. Plywood is layers of veneer and glue, and different manufactures use different glues and different cuts of veneer. This can affect how well your laser cuts through the material as well as how well your engraving will show.
There is no one size fits all, but my recommendation when shopping for plywood is to read the reviews for the product carefully. Learn from everyone else’s mistakes, or victories.
Where you live changes your laser settings
I’m not trying to call out any area as “The Best Place to Laser Engrave”, but the environment can affect the settings on your laser. I’m frequently asked what settings I use for different projects, and I always begin my answer with “Everyone’s settings will be a little bit different”, because they are.
I have the distinct pleasure of running my laser in Northern California. Would you believe that I use different settings in the summer than I do in the winter? The hot dry summer air makes the laser more efficient, while the moist cool winter air creates darker engraving. Of course, I could climate control my shop, but that would remove some of the personality of my products.
The takeaway is this, always test your settings on a small scrap piece and adjust as necessary.
Lasers are potentially dangerous
Do I need to spell this one out? I do, and I will do so with a story.
One of my first laser projects was a little acrylic bat necklace for the woman I love. I had never cut acrylic before. To be honest, I had only had my laser for a few days and was trying everything. As it was a brand new toy, I had not learned all of the safety and quality features that needed to be purchased separately.
I set the acrylic sheet down on the table that I was using my laser on, loaded up my file, framed it, and hit the start button. Fortunately, I’m no stranger to power tools, so I didn’t leave it unattended. I was just outside my shop working on another project and peeking in every once in a while to make certain it was doing what it was supposed to. At one point, it was not.
I noticed a yellow light coming from the laser where there should only be blue. I quickly ran over to see that the laser was cutting straight through the acrylic and had set fire to the plastic table it was on. I quickly hit the emergency shutoff and extinguished the fire. There was no real damage, other than the folding table, but imagine if I had not been monitoring the project.
Take your time. If you are doing anything new, watch it. Research the after market items that will make you laser safer and more efficient.
If you’re not an artist, you are going to lose interest quickly
I remember when I got my first 3d Printer. I ran that thing until the mainboard finally burned out. I plan on getting a new one some day, but my current shop is too crowded. Anyway, off that tangent. The first thing I realized was that if I wasn’t making my own 3d models I would quickly run out of the things I could find online to print. Fortunately, I have decades of experience in 3d modeling and computer aided design, but not everyone does.
If you are going to run a laser cutter, I would recommend that you at least download some basic software to get you started. This should be an SVG program of some sort. I use Inkscape. You should also get a 3d CAD program of some sort. I use Fusion 360. Inkscape is free, Fusion 360 is not, but I am certain there are free 3d CAD programs that work.
The reason you want these is to design your own laser projects. Sure you can buy laser cutter designs on sites like Etsy, but as is noted in the first part of this article, you are going to have to alter that file to work with your laser. Also, what are the chances that someone else has created a file that will produce the item exactly like it is in your head.
You don’t need to be the next Rembrandt, but you should be able to create basic designs to work with your creations.
I’m currently working on a series of video tutorials for how to design projects using the software suite that I use, and will have those linked below when they are ready. If you don’t want to keep refreshing this article to see if they are ready, though, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and be informed as soon as they are live!
