Granted I haven't spent a ton of time working on that thickness yet. Unfortunately I haven't been able to do that yet. My original goal was to cut 1/4' big box birch ply. I usually bump that up a couple just to be sure it cuts through. I was both elated and angry at myself when I discovered the solution.ĮDIT: After playing with focus, and getting much better at it, I can cut 3mm birch ply at 300mm/m 12 passes, 1/8' basswood at 300mm/m 4 passes (I think I can go three, but I like 4 just to be sure it cuts through), and 1/4' home depot style birch ply (thin veneer with filler center) at 300mm/m 25ish passes. In fact it wasn't missed steps at all but slight vibrations on the Y movements that caused the workpiece to move incrementally with each pass. I am incredibly embarrassed to admit that the problem of the missed steps was from a single extrusion not being bolted down properly. I've got two 500mm 20x20 pieces of extrusion running the Y direction that I use to bring the workpiece closer to the laser. The electronics are mounted to the back of the machine.Īfter getting the laser kit I spent an entire week chasing down what looked to be missed steps in the Y axis. I don't have a forstner bit that's the right size for the switch, so for the moment it just sits by the machine. I also later added a reset switch since getting up and walking to the back of the machine was a pain. It's on the side of the machine, and has come in pretty handy. I also cut a hole and mounted an e-stop for the board. It's a pretty hacked together job, but it seems to work ok. It's just a simple box with a door that I fit the 12'x12' piece of acrylic shielding into. That's definitely more than a cheap K40 Chinese laser, but I liked that it was an addition to my existing machine instead of a new one.Īfter ordering my laser kit and piece of laser shielding, I went about building an enclosure for my Shapeoko. It was $475 + shipping for the laser/driver combo. I bought my laser and driver setup from. My original plan was the 2W, and then I decided on the 2.8W, and then I ended up with the 3.8W laser since I am more interested in cutting than engraving. I recently asked for advice on what wattage laser to buy for my Shapeoko.

J tech photonics