Wayne Gouveia Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 Hi bit of a long shot , i am looking at buying a laser cutter but have very little knowledge in this field. I need it to be able to cut upto 5mm thick balsa wood and 4mm ply wood, i have been looking at the 40w co2 Chinese ones one ebay ( £300) but dont want to buy one that is going to end up been a expensive door stopper. Is there anyone out there that can offer any advice. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Watkins Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 Have a look over these listings too Wayne And someone there could come to your aid **LINK** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyinFlynn Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 And THIS one Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Wayne Gouveia Posted May 6, 2020 Author Share Posted May 6, 2020 Thanks Barrie for all your help and a better understanding of the pros and cons of laser cutting you have been a great help, with your guidance i am sure i will master it in time. Pictures look great and a fantactic result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Wayne Gouveia Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 Hi all. Well three weeks have past since i started my journey into the laser cutting world and with a lot of patient guidance and help from Barrie Lever ( who i must have driven mad with email after email🤣🤣 as i knew nothing about laser cutting.Barrie convinced me to get the k40 and download inkscape and k40 whisperer and that was when the trouble started, this was loke another language to me but Barrie's patients got me through it all and helped me understand what i was doing. Reading all the above posts this is my take on it all. Buy a K40 laser cutter and leave the cheaper ones alone, spend a little more and get something that is up to the job. Please link to youtube of what i have achieved in three weeks and i am over the moon with my K40, Barrie do you need any lesson on laser cutting i can help 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Thanks to these posts and help from friends i am sorted.https://youtu.be/TwnoygVNNqQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Wayne Gouveia Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 Barrie I think some courses would be a great idea as thereis probably loads of people who want to get into laser cutting but just not sure how to go about, i had some one message me on Facebook asking loads of questions after seen my video. Put it this way if you do a course i will def be attending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David perry 1 Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 Posted by Barrie Lever on 06/05/2020 14:25:15: Wayne contacted me by PM and asked some questions about the process of going from a JPG to a cut rib? I said send over your ideas are and I will cut you one rib to show that it is really quite simple but has certain steps that need following. The whole process is completed with free software. The laser cutter is a K40 40w Co2 machine with air assist, the £300 ebay cutters if fitted with air assist will cut exactly like this. Material is 1/16" balsa, cut power set to 85% and cut speed is 60mm per second. Any questions then just ask. Youtube video of the rib being cut. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ypWAXALycQ Barrie, Could you show me that demo another, erm, say fifty times??? And maybe test some fuselage formers for me... David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Martin_K Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 Barrie, are you able to make a comparison between home laser cutting and a commercial service? If it costs £50 (I'm guessing) to get parts laser cut then a number of models (few years modelling) could be done for the upfront capital cost of your own gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Martin_K Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 Barrie, I agree that the 'investment' is not just financial. I already have the means to do 2D CAD so suitable source files should be easy to prepare. If I ever go down the laser route my inclination would be to pay a small business to do the actual cutting. Thinking about it, probably the same with 3D printing. How much extra clutter could I tolerate at home? None. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Gardiner Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 Doc Have a look at my thread here. For a home setup it is good to have something that can handle both laser (for balsa) and cnc (for ply). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Geoff Gardiner Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 There are several mounts for the rotozip available to print on thingiverse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Wayne Gouveia Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 Hi Barrie Your lessons have paid off big time😁😁😁😁test two 3.5 mm balsawood cut on my K40. Power 60 speed 70mm/s one pass cut straight through. Note the magnetic locking system works a treat. See youtube link for video, happy days and really no doubt that i have the laser cutter i need to do the job, keep an eye out for the next test🤣🤣🤣🤣 https://youtu.be/nFrGQcSBgsI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Wayne Gouveia Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 I am so thrilled with the results, it helps when you pay attention to people in the know. When is the course i want to know more🤣🤣🤣🤣 the lack is probably down to the air assist pump you recommend, sorry for been a copy cat 👍👍👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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