Did somebody ask for fast Laser Cutter?
1 Like
Hey guys, I have worked with three different brands of professional grade laser engraver/cutters and all three used the same style of air exhaust as the one referenced from Harbor Freight using the 4" hose. I have never seen anything that wasn’t secured shake about or move with the exhaust on. A good practice though is to use painters tape to hold the material down to the board which is mostly due to jarring.
James
1 Like
That’s really good info, James, thanks. Right now, I’m leaning toward that HF extractor myself. I think I’m actually going to run two inlets into it, with blast gates. One is going to run through a cyclone before it gets to the fan, and is going to serve as dust extraction from my CNC router. The other will be a direct run with no cyclone from the laser. The fan will just exhaust outside. That way, I can just pick which blast gate I want to open, and I can use it for dual-duty.
@DanBrown - what’s the Epilog running you? I’ve hit them up their local dealer asking for pricing, but I haven’t heard anything back yet.
Price list runs from about $8k for a Zing, up through $26k for a 75W Helix. The prices are pretty evenly spread through that range, based on size of the unit, and power of the laser.
There is a chance to win a Zing on instructables. http://www.instructables.com/contest/epilog7/
Found a new use for the laser! Laser-Cooked Bacon Could Be A Thing In The Future | Ubergizmo
How amazingly handy! Totally valid! XD
Do any of the laser experts here have any opinion about the 60 watt 4060 laser cutter?
The price seems way to low, but the build quality looks much better than the the $400 Chinese 40watt cutters.
Looks pretty sweet to me, but I don’t really know anything about laser cutters, except that I want one.
I am in the same boat Rusty. The price of this one is where I need it to be, if it works and can use decent software.
The Mini-18 ships this coming week! 
I’m bouncing up and down here, myself.
What was the cost of the mini-18? Just curious. Thanks.
“Not Cheap.” $11k.
This is the first purchase for my newly-christened business, my license number was just issued earlier today. I’m now officially doing business in Washington State as “DBWoodtech.”
5 Likes
Congrats DanBrown! Awesome. I hope your investment is paid in full quickly through your sales! Good luck!
I was reading a woodworking magazine last night that gave a very good tip to those of us that still have the hobby versus the business- be careful about what you sell. The story related to the individual lost their woodworking shop to a significant weather event and the writer noted that he only gifted/gave away his products versus selling them which apparently was the right words to say to his insurance agent. Apparently if he had sold his products he would have needed the business insurance. I suspect you are all over the insurance aspect, but as I was considering creating a business some day, this made me pause a bit.
1 Like
Hey Allen, other than a few additions that can be added to the $366.00 Laser and a slightly larger work area, you are not getting much for the additional $1300.00.
What you are showing is a 50 watt laser not a 60 watt for the price.
It is using the same Controller board and software that the cheap laser uses.
For a “first” laser, I think it is way overpriced for what you are getting.
For more info on the CO2 lasers, I found a great forum over on the lightobject site that you might be able to find better information on this particular unit.
http://www.lightobject.info/
Lots of luck on your hunting!
Has anyone seen any of these in the wild yet? I need an engraver for my shop. I’d grab one or two of these at the current price, I just wish I knew how they fared outside of the lab environment.
@DanBrown is correct. No production units have shipped yet, as far as I know. We’ve got one on order here too.
Dan, what are these pieces you’ve made here, and what woods are they? The one on the left looks like purpleheart? Not sure about the one on the right.
You are correct, that left one is Purpleheart. The right one is red Marblewood. 
These are stands for pens, actually! I have been making them for a while, they’re a fun little side project. Here’s one of the same crescent stands, built into a larger assembly I just completed last night as a Christmas gift for a friend. In this one, the base is walnut, and the stand is cherry.
