Epilog Laser Projects

philphoto said:

What I have learned by owning a laser engraver.

This is my second year of owning an Epilog Helix 24 X 18, 50 watt laser. In this blog I offer my experience and insight in helping woodworkers who are considering buying, or have just bought, a laser engraver. I am not the greatest wood worker-just an average guy with some tools.
When I saw a demonstration of the Epilog, I could see so many opportunities for wood working. Opportunities I never considered - until now. As a retired, disabled woodworker some tasks in the shop were a challenge, if not downright impossible.
In spite of a disabling cancer surgery, I still tackle some of the standard woodworking projects, but by a conservative estimate, I find I use the Epilog laser 50% of my shop time. Due to newfound capabilities, the laser is my favorite tool. With the laser in my shop, I was surprised to find my woodworking interests heading in unexpected directions. There are several limitations in laser work, but there are double the opportunities as well. Inlay, marquetry, and vector cutting are now part of the possibilities bringing, for me at least, creative fulfillment.
When I bought the laser I had hoped to help my son in his sign business. I was thinking in the right direction, but I was still limited in my horizons. Floundering about, it was discovered that no one was making patterns or plans for lasers. Most scroll saw pattern designers will not permit their art work to be used in any form with a laser. I blundered around until I came upon a more or less educational site "MakerBot Thingiverse" with Creative Commons licenses and open source thinking. Many of the patterns presented in Thingiverse are projects not really suited to woodworking. I was very discouraged to say the least.
While searching through the files at Thingiverse I found the living hinge. What a fascinating concept! A vectored line of hairline thickness, in a digital pattern, guiding the concentrated laser to burn through ¼" thick plywood. In such a pattern the laser removes hairline thin strips of wood, much like a repetitive kerf in a bending board. The result is a sheet of ¼" thick plywood that bends in half like a notebook. If you want to see what develops with a vector cut plywood, look at these photos. Every cut made with a laser.

I decided to give it a go. After considerable computer time, I had my first pattern ready. I ran the files in the laser and it came out surprisingly well. Several modifications were yet to come, but the novelty of the living hinge was total excitement.
My son, dropped by after work to look at the living hinge I was raving about. Now it was his turn! He went wild and took the sample down to the local pub showing it around, where other business owners gathered. Word spread like wild fire, and folks were literally swarming into the shop wanting to see the living hinge they had heard about. A process to bend wood? Well, not quite but that was the rumor. One of the other businesses in our community saw the box and told us if we could bring it in under their budget, he would buy 175. We went to work on building a good working pattern. Two months and 12 days of laser time later, I am glad we took the job.
We made a video of the living hinge. It will give you a great visual on what is possible.

Next Part? Three facts about owning a laser

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

What I have learned by owning a laser engraver.

This is my second year of owning an Epilog Helix 24 X 18, 50 watt laser. In this blog I offer my experience and insight in helping woodworkers who are considering buying, or have just bought, a laser engraver. I am not the greatest wood worker-just an average guy with some tools.
When I saw a demonstration of the Epilog, I could see so many opportunities for wood working. Opportunities I never considered - until now. As a retired, disabled woodworker some tasks in the shop were a challenge, if not downright impossible.
In spite of a disabling cancer surgery, I still tackle some of the standard woodworking projects, but by a conservative estimate, I find I use the Epilog laser 50% of my shop time. Due to newfound capabilities, the laser is my favorite tool. With the laser in my shop, I was surprised to find my woodworking interests heading in unexpected directions. There are several limitations in laser work, but there are double the opportunities as well. Inlay, marquetry, and vector cutting are now part of the possibilities bringing, for me at least, creative fulfillment.
When I bought the laser I had hoped to help my son in his sign business. I was thinking in the right direction, but I was still limited in my horizons. Floundering about, it was discovered that no one was making patterns or plans for lasers. Most scroll saw pattern designers will not permit their art work to be used in any form with a laser. I blundered around until I came upon a more or less educational site "MakerBot Thingiverse" with Creative Commons licenses and open source thinking. Many of the patterns presented in Thingiverse are projects not really suited to woodworking. I was very discouraged to say the least.
While searching through the files at Thingiverse I found the living hinge. What a fascinating concept! A vectored line of hairline thickness, in a digital pattern, guiding the concentrated laser to burn through ¼" thick plywood. In such a pattern the laser removes hairline thin strips of wood, much like a repetitive kerf in a bending board. The result is a sheet of ¼" thick plywood that bends in half like a notebook. If you want to see what develops with a vector cut plywood, look at these photos. Every cut made with a laser.

I decided to give it a go. After considerable computer time, I had my first pattern ready. I ran the files in the laser and it came out surprisingly well. Several modifications were yet to come, but the novelty of the living hinge was total excitement.
My son, dropped by after work to look at the living hinge I was raving about. Now it was his turn! He went wild and took the sample down to the local pub showing it around, where other business owners gathered. Word spread like wild fire, and folks were literally swarming into the shop wanting to see the living hinge they had heard about. A process to bend wood? Well, not quite but that was the rumor. One of the other businesses in our community saw the box and told us if we could bring it in under their budget, he would buy 175. We went to work on building a good working pattern. Two months and 12 days of laser time later, I am glad we took the job.
We made a video of the living hinge. It will give you a great visual on what is possible.

Next Part? Three facts about owning a laser

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

What I have learned by owning a laser engraver.

This is my second year of owning an Epilog Helix 24 X 18, 50 watt laser. In this blog I offer my experience and insight in helping woodworkers who are considering buying, or have just bought, a laser engraver. I am not the greatest wood worker-just an average guy with some tools.
When I saw a demonstration of the Epilog, I could see so many opportunities for wood working. Opportunities I never considered - until now. As a retired, disabled woodworker some tasks in the shop were a challenge, if not downright impossible.
In spite of a disabling cancer surgery, I still tackle some of the standard woodworking projects, but by a conservative estimate, I find I use the Epilog laser 50% of my shop time. Due to newfound capabilities, the laser is my favorite tool. With the laser in my shop, I was surprised to find my woodworking interests heading in unexpected directions. There are several limitations in laser work, but there are double the opportunities as well. Inlay, marquetry, and vector cutting are now part of the possibilities bringing, for me at least, creative fulfillment.
When I bought the laser I had hoped to help my son in his sign business. I was thinking in the right direction, but I was still limited in my horizons. Floundering about, it was discovered that no one was making patterns or plans for lasers. Most scroll saw pattern designers will not permit their art work to be used in any form with a laser. I blundered around until I came upon a more or less educational site "MakerBot Thingiverse" with Creative Commons licenses and open source thinking. Many of the patterns presented in Thingiverse are projects not really suited to woodworking. I was very discouraged to say the least.
While searching through the files at Thingiverse I found the living hinge. What a fascinating concept! A vectored line of hairline thickness, in a digital pattern, guiding the concentrated laser to burn through ¼" thick plywood. In such a pattern the laser removes hairline thin strips of wood, much like a repetitive kerf in a bending board. The result is a sheet of ¼" thick plywood that bends in half like a notebook. If you want to see what develops with a vector cut plywood, look at these photos. Every cut made with a laser.

I decided to give it a go. After considerable computer time, I had my first pattern ready. I ran the files in the laser and it came out surprisingly well. Several modifications were yet to come, but the novelty of the living hinge was total excitement.
My son, dropped by after work to look at the living hinge I was raving about. Now it was his turn! He went wild and took the sample down to the local pub showing it around, where other business owners gathered. Word spread like wild fire, and folks were literally swarming into the shop wanting to see the living hinge they had heard about. A process to bend wood? Well, not quite but that was the rumor. One of the other businesses in our community saw the box and told us if we could bring it in under their budget, he would buy 175. We went to work on building a good working pattern. Two months and 12 days of laser time later, I am glad we took the job.
We made a video of the living hinge. It will give you a great visual on what is possible.

Next Part? Three facts about owning a laser

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

What I have learned by owning a laser engraver.

This is my second year of owning an Epilog Helix 24 X 18, 50 watt laser. In this blog I offer my experience and insight in helping woodworkers who are considering buying, or have just bought, a laser engraver. I am not the greatest wood worker-just an average guy with some tools.
When I saw a demonstration of the Epilog, I could see so many opportunities for wood working. Opportunities I never considered - until now. As a retired, disabled woodworker some tasks in the shop were a challenge, if not downright impossible.
In spite of a disabling cancer surgery, I still tackle some of the standard woodworking projects, but by a conservative estimate, I find I use the Epilog laser 50% of my shop time. Due to newfound capabilities, the laser is my favorite tool. With the laser in my shop, I was surprised to find my woodworking interests heading in unexpected directions. There are several limitations in laser work, but there are double the opportunities as well. Inlay, marquetry, and vector cutting are now part of the possibilities bringing, for me at least, creative fulfillment.
When I bought the laser I had hoped to help my son in his sign business. I was thinking in the right direction, but I was still limited in my horizons. Floundering about, it was discovered that no one was making patterns or plans for lasers. Most scroll saw pattern designers will not permit their art work to be used in any form with a laser. I blundered around until I came upon a more or less educational site "MakerBot Thingiverse" with Creative Commons licenses and open source thinking. Many of the patterns presented in Thingiverse are projects not really suited to woodworking. I was very discouraged to say the least.
While searching through the files at Thingiverse I found the living hinge. What a fascinating concept! A vectored line of hairline thickness, in a digital pattern, guiding the concentrated laser to burn through ¼" thick plywood. In such a pattern the laser removes hairline thin strips of wood, much like a repetitive kerf in a bending board. The result is a sheet of ¼" thick plywood that bends in half like a notebook. If you want to see what develops with a vector cut plywood, look at these photos. Every cut made with a laser.

I decided to give it a go. After considerable computer time, I had my first pattern ready. I ran the files in the laser and it came out surprisingly well. Several modifications were yet to come, but the novelty of the living hinge was total excitement.
My son, dropped by after work to look at the living hinge I was raving about. Now it was his turn! He went wild and took the sample down to the local pub showing it around, where other business owners gathered. Word spread like wild fire, and folks were literally swarming into the shop wanting to see the living hinge they had heard about. A process to bend wood? Well, not quite but that was the rumor. One of the other businesses in our community saw the box and told us if we could bring it in under their budget, he would buy 175. We went to work on building a good working pattern. Two months and 12 days of laser time later, I am glad we took the job.
We made a video of the living hinge. It will give you a great visual on what is possible.

Next Part? Three facts about owning a laser

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

What I have learned by owning a laser engraver.

This is my second year of owning an Epilog Helix 24 X 18, 50 watt laser. In this blog I offer my experience and insight in helping woodworkers who are considering buying, or have just bought, a laser engraver. I am not the greatest wood worker-just an average guy with some tools.
When I saw a demonstration of the Epilog, I could see so many opportunities for wood working. Opportunities I never considered - until now. As a retired, disabled woodworker some tasks in the shop were a challenge, if not downright impossible.
In spite of a disabling cancer surgery, I still tackle some of the standard woodworking projects, but by a conservative estimate, I find I use the Epilog laser 50% of my shop time. Due to newfound capabilities, the laser is my favorite tool. With the laser in my shop, I was surprised to find my woodworking interests heading in unexpected directions. There are several limitations in laser work, but there are double the opportunities as well. Inlay, marquetry, and vector cutting are now part of the possibilities bringing, for me at least, creative fulfillment.
When I bought the laser I had hoped to help my son in his sign business. I was thinking in the right direction, but I was still limited in my horizons. Floundering about, it was discovered that no one was making patterns or plans for lasers. Most scroll saw pattern designers will not permit their art work to be used in any form with a laser. I blundered around until I came upon a more or less educational site "MakerBot Thingiverse" with Creative Commons licenses and open source thinking. Many of the patterns presented in Thingiverse are projects not really suited to woodworking. I was very discouraged to say the least.
While searching through the files at Thingiverse I found the living hinge. What a fascinating concept! A vectored line of hairline thickness, in a digital pattern, guiding the concentrated laser to burn through ¼" thick plywood. In such a pattern the laser removes hairline thin strips of wood, much like a repetitive kerf in a bending board. The result is a sheet of ¼" thick plywood that bends in half like a notebook. If you want to see what develops with a vector cut plywood, look at these photos. Every cut made with a laser.

I decided to give it a go. After considerable computer time, I had my first pattern ready. I ran the files in the laser and it came out surprisingly well. Several modifications were yet to come, but the novelty of the living hinge was total excitement.
My son, dropped by after work to look at the living hinge I was raving about. Now it was his turn! He went wild and took the sample down to the local pub showing it around, where other business owners gathered. Word spread like wild fire, and folks were literally swarming into the shop wanting to see the living hinge they had heard about. A process to bend wood? Well, not quite but that was the rumor. One of the other businesses in our community saw the box and told us if we could bring it in under their budget, he would buy 175. We went to work on building a good working pattern. Two months and 12 days of laser time later, I am glad we took the job.
We made a video of the living hinge. It will give you a great visual on what is possible.

Next Part? Three facts about owning a laser

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

What I have learned by owning a laser engraver.

This is my second year of owning an Epilog Helix 24 X 18, 50 watt laser. In this blog I offer my experience and insight in helping woodworkers who are considering buying, or have just bought, a laser engraver. I am not the greatest wood worker-just an average guy with some tools.
When I saw a demonstration of the Epilog, I could see so many opportunities for wood working. Opportunities I never considered - until now. As a retired, disabled woodworker some tasks in the shop were a challenge, if not downright impossible.
In spite of a disabling cancer surgery, I still tackle some of the standard woodworking projects, but by a conservative estimate, I find I use the Epilog laser 50% of my shop time. Due to newfound capabilities, the laser is my favorite tool. With the laser in my shop, I was surprised to find my woodworking interests heading in unexpected directions. There are several limitations in laser work, but there are double the opportunities as well. Inlay, marquetry, and vector cutting are now part of the possibilities bringing, for me at least, creative fulfillment.
When I bought the laser I had hoped to help my son in his sign business. I was thinking in the right direction, but I was still limited in my horizons. Floundering about, it was discovered that no one was making patterns or plans for lasers. Most scroll saw pattern designers will not permit their art work to be used in any form with a laser. I blundered around until I came upon a more or less educational site "MakerBot Thingiverse" with Creative Commons licenses and open source thinking. Many of the patterns presented in Thingiverse are projects not really suited to woodworking. I was very discouraged to say the least.
While searching through the files at Thingiverse I found the living hinge. What a fascinating concept! A vectored line of hairline thickness, in a digital pattern, guiding the concentrated laser to burn through ¼" thick plywood. In such a pattern the laser removes hairline thin strips of wood, much like a repetitive kerf in a bending board. The result is a sheet of ¼" thick plywood that bends in half like a notebook. If you want to see what develops with a vector cut plywood, look at these photos. Every cut made with a laser.

I decided to give it a go. After considerable computer time, I had my first pattern ready. I ran the files in the laser and it came out surprisingly well. Several modifications were yet to come, but the novelty of the living hinge was total excitement.
My son, dropped by after work to look at the living hinge I was raving about. Now it was his turn! He went wild and took the sample down to the local pub showing it around, where other business owners gathered. Word spread like wild fire, and folks were literally swarming into the shop wanting to see the living hinge they had heard about. A process to bend wood? Well, not quite but that was the rumor. One of the other businesses in our community saw the box and told us if we could bring it in under their budget, he would buy 175. We went to work on building a good working pattern. Two months and 12 days of laser time later, I am glad we took the job.
We made a video of the living hinge. It will give you a great visual on what is possible.

Next Part? Three facts about owning a laser

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

What I have learned by owning a laser engraver.

This is my second year of owning an Epilog Helix 24 X 18, 50 watt laser. In this blog I offer my experience and insight in helping woodworkers who are considering buying, or have just bought, a laser engraver. I am not the greatest wood worker-just an average guy with some tools.
When I saw a demonstration of the Epilog, I could see so many opportunities for wood working. Opportunities I never considered - until now. As a retired, disabled woodworker some tasks in the shop were a challenge, if not downright impossible.
In spite of a disabling cancer surgery, I still tackle some of the standard woodworking projects, but by a conservative estimate, I find I use the Epilog laser 50% of my shop time. Due to newfound capabilities, the laser is my favorite tool. With the laser in my shop, I was surprised to find my woodworking interests heading in unexpected directions. There are several limitations in laser work, but there are double the opportunities as well. Inlay, marquetry, and vector cutting are now part of the possibilities bringing, for me at least, creative fulfillment.
When I bought the laser I had hoped to help my son in his sign business. I was thinking in the right direction, but I was still limited in my horizons. Floundering about, it was discovered that no one was making patterns or plans for lasers. Most scroll saw pattern designers will not permit their art work to be used in any form with a laser. I blundered around until I came upon a more or less educational site "MakerBot Thingiverse" with Creative Commons licenses and open source thinking. Many of the patterns presented in Thingiverse are projects not really suited to woodworking. I was very discouraged to say the least.
While searching through the files at Thingiverse I found the living hinge. What a fascinating concept! A vectored line of hairline thickness, in a digital pattern, guiding the concentrated laser to burn through ¼" thick plywood. In such a pattern the laser removes hairline thin strips of wood, much like a repetitive kerf in a bending board. The result is a sheet of ¼" thick plywood that bends in half like a notebook. If you want to see what develops with a vector cut plywood, look at these photos. Every cut made with a laser.

I decided to give it a go. After considerable computer time, I had my first pattern ready. I ran the files in the laser and it came out surprisingly well. Several modifications were yet to come, but the novelty of the living hinge was total excitement.
My son, dropped by after work to look at the living hinge I was raving about. Now it was his turn! He went wild and took the sample down to the local pub showing it around, where other business owners gathered. Word spread like wild fire, and folks were literally swarming into the shop wanting to see the living hinge they had heard about. A process to bend wood? Well, not quite but that was the rumor. One of the other businesses in our community saw the box and told us if we could bring it in under their budget, he would buy 175. We went to work on building a good working pattern. Two months and 12 days of laser time later, I am glad we took the job.
We made a video of the living hinge. It will give you a great visual on what is possible.

Next Part? Three facts about owning a laser

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

Before You Buy A Laser

Before You Buy A Laser-There are three things to consider when selecting a laser:

Size Matters. A lot! The larger the bed the more copies of a piece you can make saving reload time. Also, many jobs need to be produced on a larger bed laser. The 18" X 24" is fine for a large percentage of the market. Some of the higher priced cabinet doors, skateboard decks, and furniture need to have a large bed laser. If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the largest unit Epilog makes.

Power Matters. A lot! The higher the wattage of the laser tube, the faster your speed when you cut or engrave. At the going national average rate of $1 per minute, every minute you can deduct from production time is that much more profit or margin available to compete on price. Using Epilog's own materials, they point out that one machine can engrave 22 sets in two hours and the other can produce 30. That is about $1.50 per unit difference. Even if I am just doing this as a hobby, the time for a project can be considerable. This living hinge box job was 175 boxes and it took 12 days at 10 hours per day. Not a lifetime but long enough to be boring once tedium sets in. The following photos are sampling of the boxes we have made using this laser.

Forget Faster and Easier. I mentioned earlier that we spent "considerable computer time" making the pattern. I had 20+ years of graphic design behind me, my son has the same, and both of us are expert in CorelDraw, and Adobe products. Many laser owners have to acquire at least some skill in a drawing program. My son started www.laserpatternwerx.com for the simple reason that computer time is, or can be, long and tedious to perform and to learn. Recovering the expense of computer software and time is a huge challenge. Many laser owners do not have the art background or time to develop new patterns. LaserPattern Werx.com has patterns that took 20 to 30 hours of computer time plus two or three test runs to make the item correctly.
What is the advantage of using a laser? You can make repetitive items in quantity whether you are tired, or feeling charged; the item comes out the same. Be sure that you will NOT compete with China and the volumes that their workers can produce. You will not put the scrollsaw or pyrography craftsman out of business. The laser products are not similar enough to pass one off as the other. You will be able to create products that have precision that is humanly impossible. Precise to .001 of an inch time after time, in my opinion is beyond human ability. Cutting a living hinge, in my opinion, is not possible by hand. Cutting box joints, by hand, tight enough that they snap together and do not require glue (though I use glue always) is not probable. If you have a product like a box and want to make the same thing, but with different alterations or decorations each time, the computer will save time on the repeat end, and the product can be made to the same level of workmanship. This video is of an Easter basket made of wood. Like the photo below. It will give you another idea of what can be cut and engraved on the laser.

Keep following this blog for more updates, I will keep focusing on woodworking and using a laser. I will cover adhesives, inlay, alternate materials and more.
Until next time!

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

Before You Buy A Laser

Before You Buy A Laser-There are three things to consider when selecting a laser:

Size Matters. A lot! The larger the bed the more copies of a piece you can make saving reload time. Also, many jobs need to be produced on a larger bed laser. The 18" X 24" is fine for a large percentage of the market. Some of the higher priced cabinet doors, skateboard decks, and furniture need to have a large bed laser. If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the largest unit Epilog makes.

Power Matters. A lot! The higher the wattage of the laser tube, the faster your speed when you cut or engrave. At the going national average rate of $1 per minute, every minute you can deduct from production time is that much more profit or margin available to compete on price. Using Epilog's own materials, they point out that one machine can engrave 22 sets in two hours and the other can produce 30. That is about $1.50 per unit difference. Even if I am just doing this as a hobby, the time for a project can be considerable. This living hinge box job was 175 boxes and it took 12 days at 10 hours per day. Not a lifetime but long enough to be boring once tedium sets in. The following photos are sampling of the boxes we have made using this laser.

Forget Faster and Easier. I mentioned earlier that we spent "considerable computer time" making the pattern. I had 20+ years of graphic design behind me, my son has the same, and both of us are expert in CorelDraw, and Adobe products. Many laser owners have to acquire at least some skill in a drawing program. My son started www.laserpatternwerx.com for the simple reason that computer time is, or can be, long and tedious to perform and to learn. Recovering the expense of computer software and time is a huge challenge. Many laser owners do not have the art background or time to develop new patterns. LaserPattern Werx.com has patterns that took 20 to 30 hours of computer time plus two or three test runs to make the item correctly.
What is the advantage of using a laser? You can make repetitive items in quantity whether you are tired, or feeling charged; the item comes out the same. Be sure that you will NOT compete with China and the volumes that their workers can produce. You will not put the scrollsaw or pyrography craftsman out of business. The laser products are not similar enough to pass one off as the other. You will be able to create products that have precision that is humanly impossible. Precise to .001 of an inch time after time, in my opinion is beyond human ability. Cutting a living hinge, in my opinion, is not possible by hand. Cutting box joints, by hand, tight enough that they snap together and do not require glue (though I use glue always) is not probable. If you have a product like a box and want to make the same thing, but with different alterations or decorations each time, the computer will save time on the repeat end, and the product can be made to the same level of workmanship. This video is of an Easter basket made of wood. Like the photo below. It will give you another idea of what can be cut and engraved on the laser.

Keep following this blog for more updates, I will keep focusing on woodworking and using a laser. I will cover adhesives, inlay, alternate materials and more.
Until next time!

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

Before You Buy A Laser

Before You Buy A Laser-There are three things to consider when selecting a laser:

Size Matters. A lot! The larger the bed the more copies of a piece you can make saving reload time. Also, many jobs need to be produced on a larger bed laser. The 18" X 24" is fine for a large percentage of the market. Some of the higher priced cabinet doors, skateboard decks, and furniture need to have a large bed laser. If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the largest unit Epilog makes.

Power Matters. A lot! The higher the wattage of the laser tube, the faster your speed when you cut or engrave. At the going national average rate of $1 per minute, every minute you can deduct from production time is that much more profit or margin available to compete on price. Using Epilog's own materials, they point out that one machine can engrave 22 sets in two hours and the other can produce 30. That is about $1.50 per unit difference. Even if I am just doing this as a hobby, the time for a project can be considerable. This living hinge box job was 175 boxes and it took 12 days at 10 hours per day. Not a lifetime but long enough to be boring once tedium sets in. The following photos are sampling of the boxes we have made using this laser.

Forget Faster and Easier. I mentioned earlier that we spent "considerable computer time" making the pattern. I had 20+ years of graphic design behind me, my son has the same, and both of us are expert in CorelDraw, and Adobe products. Many laser owners have to acquire at least some skill in a drawing program. My son started www.laserpatternwerx.com for the simple reason that computer time is, or can be, long and tedious to perform and to learn. Recovering the expense of computer software and time is a huge challenge. Many laser owners do not have the art background or time to develop new patterns. LaserPattern Werx.com has patterns that took 20 to 30 hours of computer time plus two or three test runs to make the item correctly.
What is the advantage of using a laser? You can make repetitive items in quantity whether you are tired, or feeling charged; the item comes out the same. Be sure that you will NOT compete with China and the volumes that their workers can produce. You will not put the scrollsaw or pyrography craftsman out of business. The laser products are not similar enough to pass one off as the other. You will be able to create products that have precision that is humanly impossible. Precise to .001 of an inch time after time, in my opinion is beyond human ability. Cutting a living hinge, in my opinion, is not possible by hand. Cutting box joints, by hand, tight enough that they snap together and do not require glue (though I use glue always) is not probable. If you have a product like a box and want to make the same thing, but with different alterations or decorations each time, the computer will save time on the repeat end, and the product can be made to the same level of workmanship. This video is of an Easter basket made of wood. Like the photo below. It will give you another idea of what can be cut and engraved on the laser.

Keep following this blog for more updates, I will keep focusing on woodworking and using a laser. I will cover adhesives, inlay, alternate materials and more.
Until next time!

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

Before You Buy A Laser

Before You Buy A Laser-There are three things to consider when selecting a laser:

Size Matters. A lot! The larger the bed the more copies of a piece you can make saving reload time. Also, many jobs need to be produced on a larger bed laser. The 18" X 24" is fine for a large percentage of the market. Some of the higher priced cabinet doors, skateboard decks, and furniture need to have a large bed laser. If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the largest unit Epilog makes.

Power Matters. A lot! The higher the wattage of the laser tube, the faster your speed when you cut or engrave. At the going national average rate of $1 per minute, every minute you can deduct from production time is that much more profit or margin available to compete on price. Using Epilog's own materials, they point out that one machine can engrave 22 sets in two hours and the other can produce 30. That is about $1.50 per unit difference. Even if I am just doing this as a hobby, the time for a project can be considerable. This living hinge box job was 175 boxes and it took 12 days at 10 hours per day. Not a lifetime but long enough to be boring once tedium sets in. The following photos are sampling of the boxes we have made using this laser.

Forget Faster and Easier. I mentioned earlier that we spent "considerable computer time" making the pattern. I had 20+ years of graphic design behind me, my son has the same, and both of us are expert in CorelDraw, and Adobe products. Many laser owners have to acquire at least some skill in a drawing program. My son started www.laserpatternwerx.com for the simple reason that computer time is, or can be, long and tedious to perform and to learn. Recovering the expense of computer software and time is a huge challenge. Many laser owners do not have the art background or time to develop new patterns. LaserPattern Werx.com has patterns that took 20 to 30 hours of computer time plus two or three test runs to make the item correctly.
What is the advantage of using a laser? You can make repetitive items in quantity whether you are tired, or feeling charged; the item comes out the same. Be sure that you will NOT compete with China and the volumes that their workers can produce. You will not put the scrollsaw or pyrography craftsman out of business. The laser products are not similar enough to pass one off as the other. You will be able to create products that have precision that is humanly impossible. Precise to .001 of an inch time after time, in my opinion is beyond human ability. Cutting a living hinge, in my opinion, is not possible by hand. Cutting box joints, by hand, tight enough that they snap together and do not require glue (though I use glue always) is not probable. If you have a product like a box and want to make the same thing, but with different alterations or decorations each time, the computer will save time on the repeat end, and the product can be made to the same level of workmanship. This video is of an Easter basket made of wood. Like the photo below. It will give you another idea of what can be cut and engraved on the laser.

Keep following this blog for more updates, I will keep focusing on woodworking and using a laser. I will cover adhesives, inlay, alternate materials and more.
Until next time!

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

Before You Buy A Laser

Before You Buy A Laser-There are three things to consider when selecting a laser:

Size Matters. A lot! The larger the bed the more copies of a piece you can make saving reload time. Also, many jobs need to be produced on a larger bed laser. The 18" X 24" is fine for a large percentage of the market. Some of the higher priced cabinet doors, skateboard decks, and furniture need to have a large bed laser. If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the largest unit Epilog makes.

Power Matters. A lot! The higher the wattage of the laser tube, the faster your speed when you cut or engrave. At the going national average rate of $1 per minute, every minute you can deduct from production time is that much more profit or margin available to compete on price. Using Epilog's own materials, they point out that one machine can engrave 22 sets in two hours and the other can produce 30. That is about $1.50 per unit difference. Even if I am just doing this as a hobby, the time for a project can be considerable. This living hinge box job was 175 boxes and it took 12 days at 10 hours per day. Not a lifetime but long enough to be boring once tedium sets in. The following photos are sampling of the boxes we have made using this laser.

Forget Faster and Easier. I mentioned earlier that we spent "considerable computer time" making the pattern. I had 20+ years of graphic design behind me, my son has the same, and both of us are expert in CorelDraw, and Adobe products. Many laser owners have to acquire at least some skill in a drawing program. My son started www.laserpatternwerx.com for the simple reason that computer time is, or can be, long and tedious to perform and to learn. Recovering the expense of computer software and time is a huge challenge. Many laser owners do not have the art background or time to develop new patterns. LaserPattern Werx.com has patterns that took 20 to 30 hours of computer time plus two or three test runs to make the item correctly.
What is the advantage of using a laser? You can make repetitive items in quantity whether you are tired, or feeling charged; the item comes out the same. Be sure that you will NOT compete with China and the volumes that their workers can produce. You will not put the scrollsaw or pyrography craftsman out of business. The laser products are not similar enough to pass one off as the other. You will be able to create products that have precision that is humanly impossible. Precise to .001 of an inch time after time, in my opinion is beyond human ability. Cutting a living hinge, in my opinion, is not possible by hand. Cutting box joints, by hand, tight enough that they snap together and do not require glue (though I use glue always) is not probable. If you have a product like a box and want to make the same thing, but with different alterations or decorations each time, the computer will save time on the repeat end, and the product can be made to the same level of workmanship. This video is of an Easter basket made of wood. Like the photo below. It will give you another idea of what can be cut and engraved on the laser.

Keep following this blog for more updates, I will keep focusing on woodworking and using a laser. I will cover adhesives, inlay, alternate materials and more.
Until next time!

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

Before You Buy A Laser

Before You Buy A Laser-There are three things to consider when selecting a laser:

Size Matters. A lot! The larger the bed the more copies of a piece you can make saving reload time. Also, many jobs need to be produced on a larger bed laser. The 18" X 24" is fine for a large percentage of the market. Some of the higher priced cabinet doors, skateboard decks, and furniture need to have a large bed laser. If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the largest unit Epilog makes.

Power Matters. A lot! The higher the wattage of the laser tube, the faster your speed when you cut or engrave. At the going national average rate of $1 per minute, every minute you can deduct from production time is that much more profit or margin available to compete on price. Using Epilog's own materials, they point out that one machine can engrave 22 sets in two hours and the other can produce 30. That is about $1.50 per unit difference. Even if I am just doing this as a hobby, the time for a project can be considerable. This living hinge box job was 175 boxes and it took 12 days at 10 hours per day. Not a lifetime but long enough to be boring once tedium sets in. The following photos are sampling of the boxes we have made using this laser.

Forget Faster and Easier. I mentioned earlier that we spent "considerable computer time" making the pattern. I had 20+ years of graphic design behind me, my son has the same, and both of us are expert in CorelDraw, and Adobe products. Many laser owners have to acquire at least some skill in a drawing program. My son started www.laserpatternwerx.com for the simple reason that computer time is, or can be, long and tedious to perform and to learn. Recovering the expense of computer software and time is a huge challenge. Many laser owners do not have the art background or time to develop new patterns. LaserPattern Werx.com has patterns that took 20 to 30 hours of computer time plus two or three test runs to make the item correctly.
What is the advantage of using a laser? You can make repetitive items in quantity whether you are tired, or feeling charged; the item comes out the same. Be sure that you will NOT compete with China and the volumes that their workers can produce. You will not put the scrollsaw or pyrography craftsman out of business. The laser products are not similar enough to pass one off as the other. You will be able to create products that have precision that is humanly impossible. Precise to .001 of an inch time after time, in my opinion is beyond human ability. Cutting a living hinge, in my opinion, is not possible by hand. Cutting box joints, by hand, tight enough that they snap together and do not require glue (though I use glue always) is not probable. If you have a product like a box and want to make the same thing, but with different alterations or decorations each time, the computer will save time on the repeat end, and the product can be made to the same level of workmanship. This video is of an Easter basket made of wood. Like the photo below. It will give you another idea of what can be cut and engraved on the laser.

Keep following this blog for more updates, I will keep focusing on woodworking and using a laser. I will cover adhesives, inlay, alternate materials and more.
Until next time!

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

Before You Buy A Laser

Before You Buy A Laser-There are three things to consider when selecting a laser:

Size Matters. A lot! The larger the bed the more copies of a piece you can make saving reload time. Also, many jobs need to be produced on a larger bed laser. The 18" X 24" is fine for a large percentage of the market. Some of the higher priced cabinet doors, skateboard decks, and furniture need to have a large bed laser. If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the largest unit Epilog makes.

Power Matters. A lot! The higher the wattage of the laser tube, the faster your speed when you cut or engrave. At the going national average rate of $1 per minute, every minute you can deduct from production time is that much more profit or margin available to compete on price. Using Epilog's own materials, they point out that one machine can engrave 22 sets in two hours and the other can produce 30. That is about $1.50 per unit difference. Even if I am just doing this as a hobby, the time for a project can be considerable. This living hinge box job was 175 boxes and it took 12 days at 10 hours per day. Not a lifetime but long enough to be boring once tedium sets in. The following photos are sampling of the boxes we have made using this laser.

Forget Faster and Easier. I mentioned earlier that we spent "considerable computer time" making the pattern. I had 20+ years of graphic design behind me, my son has the same, and both of us are expert in CorelDraw, and Adobe products. Many laser owners have to acquire at least some skill in a drawing program. My son started www.laserpatternwerx.com for the simple reason that computer time is, or can be, long and tedious to perform and to learn. Recovering the expense of computer software and time is a huge challenge. Many laser owners do not have the art background or time to develop new patterns. LaserPattern Werx.com has patterns that took 20 to 30 hours of computer time plus two or three test runs to make the item correctly.
What is the advantage of using a laser? You can make repetitive items in quantity whether you are tired, or feeling charged; the item comes out the same. Be sure that you will NOT compete with China and the volumes that their workers can produce. You will not put the scrollsaw or pyrography craftsman out of business. The laser products are not similar enough to pass one off as the other. You will be able to create products that have precision that is humanly impossible. Precise to .001 of an inch time after time, in my opinion is beyond human ability. Cutting a living hinge, in my opinion, is not possible by hand. Cutting box joints, by hand, tight enough that they snap together and do not require glue (though I use glue always) is not probable. If you have a product like a box and want to make the same thing, but with different alterations or decorations each time, the computer will save time on the repeat end, and the product can be made to the same level of workmanship. This video is of an Easter basket made of wood. Like the photo below. It will give you another idea of what can be cut and engraved on the laser.

Keep following this blog for more updates, I will keep focusing on woodworking and using a laser. I will cover adhesives, inlay, alternate materials and more.
Until next time!

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

Before You Buy A Laser

Before You Buy A Laser-There are three things to consider when selecting a laser:

Size Matters. A lot! The larger the bed the more copies of a piece you can make saving reload time. Also, many jobs need to be produced on a larger bed laser. The 18" X 24" is fine for a large percentage of the market. Some of the higher priced cabinet doors, skateboard decks, and furniture need to have a large bed laser. If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the largest unit Epilog makes.

Power Matters. A lot! The higher the wattage of the laser tube, the faster your speed when you cut or engrave. At the going national average rate of $1 per minute, every minute you can deduct from production time is that much more profit or margin available to compete on price. Using Epilog's own materials, they point out that one machine can engrave 22 sets in two hours and the other can produce 30. That is about $1.50 per unit difference. Even if I am just doing this as a hobby, the time for a project can be considerable. This living hinge box job was 175 boxes and it took 12 days at 10 hours per day. Not a lifetime but long enough to be boring once tedium sets in. The following photos are sampling of the boxes we have made using this laser.

Forget Faster and Easier. I mentioned earlier that we spent "considerable computer time" making the pattern. I had 20+ years of graphic design behind me, my son has the same, and both of us are expert in CorelDraw, and Adobe products. Many laser owners have to acquire at least some skill in a drawing program. My son started www.laserpatternwerx.com for the simple reason that computer time is, or can be, long and tedious to perform and to learn. Recovering the expense of computer software and time is a huge challenge. Many laser owners do not have the art background or time to develop new patterns. LaserPattern Werx.com has patterns that took 20 to 30 hours of computer time plus two or three test runs to make the item correctly.
What is the advantage of using a laser? You can make repetitive items in quantity whether you are tired, or feeling charged; the item comes out the same. Be sure that you will NOT compete with China and the volumes that their workers can produce. You will not put the scrollsaw or pyrography craftsman out of business. The laser products are not similar enough to pass one off as the other. You will be able to create products that have precision that is humanly impossible. Precise to .001 of an inch time after time, in my opinion is beyond human ability. Cutting a living hinge, in my opinion, is not possible by hand. Cutting box joints, by hand, tight enough that they snap together and do not require glue (though I use glue always) is not probable. If you have a product like a box and want to make the same thing, but with different alterations or decorations each time, the computer will save time on the repeat end, and the product can be made to the same level of workmanship. This video is of an Easter basket made of wood. Like the photo below. It will give you another idea of what can be cut and engraved on the laser.

Keep following this blog for more updates, I will keep focusing on woodworking and using a laser. I will cover adhesives, inlay, alternate materials and more.
Until next time!

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

Before You Buy A Laser

Before You Buy A Laser-There are three things to consider when selecting a laser:

Size Matters. A lot! The larger the bed the more copies of a piece you can make saving reload time. Also, many jobs need to be produced on a larger bed laser. The 18" X 24" is fine for a large percentage of the market. Some of the higher priced cabinet doors, skateboard decks, and furniture need to have a large bed laser. If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the largest unit Epilog makes.

Power Matters. A lot! The higher the wattage of the laser tube, the faster your speed when you cut or engrave. At the going national average rate of $1 per minute, every minute you can deduct from production time is that much more profit or margin available to compete on price. Using Epilog's own materials, they point out that one machine can engrave 22 sets in two hours and the other can produce 30. That is about $1.50 per unit difference. Even if I am just doing this as a hobby, the time for a project can be considerable. This living hinge box job was 175 boxes and it took 12 days at 10 hours per day. Not a lifetime but long enough to be boring once tedium sets in. The following photos are sampling of the boxes we have made using this laser.

Forget Faster and Easier. I mentioned earlier that we spent "considerable computer time" making the pattern. I had 20+ years of graphic design behind me, my son has the same, and both of us are expert in CorelDraw, and Adobe products. Many laser owners have to acquire at least some skill in a drawing program. My son started www.laserpatternwerx.com for the simple reason that computer time is, or can be, long and tedious to perform and to learn. Recovering the expense of computer software and time is a huge challenge. Many laser owners do not have the art background or time to develop new patterns. LaserPattern Werx.com has patterns that took 20 to 30 hours of computer time plus two or three test runs to make the item correctly.
What is the advantage of using a laser? You can make repetitive items in quantity whether you are tired, or feeling charged; the item comes out the same. Be sure that you will NOT compete with China and the volumes that their workers can produce. You will not put the scrollsaw or pyrography craftsman out of business. The laser products are not similar enough to pass one off as the other. You will be able to create products that have precision that is humanly impossible. Precise to .001 of an inch time after time, in my opinion is beyond human ability. Cutting a living hinge, in my opinion, is not possible by hand. Cutting box joints, by hand, tight enough that they snap together and do not require glue (though I use glue always) is not probable. If you have a product like a box and want to make the same thing, but with different alterations or decorations each time, the computer will save time on the repeat end, and the product can be made to the same level of workmanship. This video is of an Easter basket made of wood. Like the photo below. It will give you another idea of what can be cut and engraved on the laser.

Keep following this blog for more updates, I will keep focusing on woodworking and using a laser. I will cover adhesives, inlay, alternate materials and more.
Until next time!

Click to expand...

philphoto said:

Before You Buy A Laser

Before You Buy A Laser-There are three things to consider when selecting a laser:

Size Matters. A lot! The larger the bed the more copies of a piece you can make saving reload time. Also, many jobs need to be produced on a larger bed laser. The 18" X 24" is fine for a large percentage of the market. Some of the higher priced cabinet doors, skateboard decks, and furniture need to have a large bed laser. If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the largest unit Epilog makes.

Power Matters. A lot! The higher the wattage of the laser tube, the faster your speed when you cut or engrave. At the going national average rate of $1 per minute, every minute you can deduct from production time is that much more profit or margin available to compete on price. Using Epilog's own materials, they point out that one machine can engrave 22 sets in two hours and the other can produce 30. That is about $1.50 per unit difference. Even if I am just doing this as a hobby, the time for a project can be considerable. This living hinge box job was 175 boxes and it took 12 days at 10 hours per day. Not a lifetime but long enough to be boring once tedium sets in. The following photos are sampling of the boxes we have made using this laser.

Forget Faster and Easier. I mentioned earlier that we spent "considerable computer time" making the pattern. I had 20+ years of graphic design behind me, my son has the same, and both of us are expert in CorelDraw, and Adobe products. Many laser owners have to acquire at least some skill in a drawing program. My son started www.laserpatternwerx.com for the simple reason that computer time is, or can be, long and tedious to perform and to learn. Recovering the expense of computer software and time is a huge challenge. Many laser owners do not have the art background or time to develop new patterns. LaserPattern Werx.com has patterns that took 20 to 30 hours of computer time plus two or three test runs to make the item correctly.
What is the advantage of using a laser? You can make repetitive items in quantity whether you are tired, or feeling charged; the item comes out the same. Be sure that you will NOT compete with China and the volumes that their workers can produce. You will not put the scrollsaw or pyrography craftsman out of business. The laser products are not similar enough to pass one off as the other. You will be able to create products that have precision that is humanly impossible. Precise to .001 of an inch time after time, in my opinion is beyond human ability. Cutting a living hinge, in my opinion, is not possible by hand. Cutting box joints, by hand, tight enough that they snap together and do not require glue (though I use glue always) is not probable. If you have a product like a box and want to make the same thing, but with different alterations or decorations each time, the computer will save time on the repeat end, and the product can be made to the same level of workmanship. This video is of an Easter basket made of wood. Like the photo below. It will give you another idea of what can be cut and engraved on the laser.

Keep following this blog for more updates, I will keep focusing on woodworking and using a laser. I will cover adhesives, inlay, alternate materials and more.
Until next time!

Click to expand...