Getting there!
Focus seems good, but X/Y are mirrored
so, 3.8w banggood laser, can cut vinyl and 2mm balsa on 2 pases @ 100%, probably it will cut it with less power. I think that it will be impossible to cut mdf.
+Peter van der Walt, will do!
I am using this glasses, not cheap but they have good values: https://www.lasertack.com/en/laser-safety-glasses-arg
Regarding your initial list of materials, my understanding is Vinyl is on the no-go list for laser cutting. It puts off chloride gas which is highly toxic as well as bad for the machine.
This hacker space wiki has some good info on materials. Granted they have a 60w laser.
@Carl_Fisher Do you know of affordable vinyl alternatives?
@enhydra drag knife style setup
I’m loooking for laser cuttable foil. 