Laser Engrave Everything with a Glowforge

Laser Cutting
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I released a video where I engraved over 50 different materials including wood, metal, plastic, masonry, fabric and a few others: Laser Engrave Everything with a Glowforge! - YouTube

I’m including all of the speed and power settings used in the video: Glowforge Settings - Google Sheets

Many of the settings above are loosely based on the community settings: https://bit.ly/34fhe3d

Also, if you need to cut metal, SendCutSend is a great resource:

Full material list: maple, walnut, cherry, baltic birch, white oak, padauk, pine, purple heart, wenge, alder, redwood burl, cork, MDF, bamboo, cardboard, cardstock, stainless steel, titanium, brass, copper, chrome, powder-coated, anodized aluminum, cast acrylic, Flexicolor acrylic, delrin, PLA, PETG, Corian, marble, sandstone, granite, ceramic, slate, agate, cotton, denim, leather, ultrasuede, felt, cork fabric, canvas, rubber, glass, evo foam, and bone.

Come see these samples live at Maker Summer School in Cleveland from August 13 - 15: https://www.makersummerschool.com/

I’d love to hear about some interesting materials you’ve worked with in your laser cutter. I was a long-time X-Carve user; a laser cutter and CNC machine pair really well with one another.

Thanks for watching!

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hey John great video! how do you like glow forge? I just recently purchased xcarve and was thinking about a laser engraver next. trying to decide between glow forge and the make block

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Hi James - that’s great! The two tools make a great pair. I own a Glowforge and also use industrial lasers (Epilog and Universal) quite a bit. I haven’t played with the Makeblock, although David Picciuto from Make Something recently did a product review of the Makeblock on his YouTube channel. You might want to go check that out. It seems that both laser cutters offer nearly identical features. The Glowforge was the first laser cutter to offer most of these features with great UI/UX - they helped to make laser cutters accessible to a home shop/studio. It’s a great machine. Mine has worked flawlessly for a few years now. They also have a helpful community forum and a Facebook users group. But honestly, any brand laser cutter will work. At the end of the day, they all basically do the same thing. Industrial lasers are faster and much more expensive. The Glowforge or Makeblock are somewhat easier to use and less expensive. It depends on what you’re hoping to accomplish. Owning both an X-carve and a laser is a powerful combo - you’ll be able to make more creative work if you get to know both of their strengths.

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Thanks for all the info John. I will definitely go check that video out and learn a bit more. Hopefully soon I can make my mind up hahahaha thanks again and good luck!

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Great Video, yes, we can definitely use Glowforge to cut and engrave wood.