Here is my first complete engraving on Baltic Birch plywood. It is for my son, who loves hippos.
8mA raster engrave at 100mm/s.
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Good to see a fellow laser crafter up and running 
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Looks nice, good work! 
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This one is for one of my daughters. I decided to vector cut it at the last minute. I had two spots where it didnāt quite make it all the way through. I should have let it go more but I didnāt realize it wasnāt cut before I took it out. Still turned out ok for my first time cutting plywood with the K40.
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Looks nice. Are you getting the cutting done in one pass?
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You will find that the glue in common plywood is not easily cut by the laser. Plywood can have voids filled with the glue that doesnāt cut easily. Usually just carefully trace it out from the back with a hobby knife. Get a brown sharpie and you can touch up the uncut area to match the cut area.
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The engraving, yes. Cutting, no. I found settings online saying 40% (which is about 10mA for me), 10mm/s and 10 passes. I thought the power was going to be too high. I did 8mA for 10 passes. Not enough. 10mA for 3, still not enough. 14 mA for 3 passes. Almost done except those couple spots.
I need to look at the suggested plywood suppliers. I bought this Birch at hobby lobby.
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What speed? (Nevermind I see)
Is that 1/8" or 1/4" ply?
1/8th. I am guessing my material was above the focal point. I have the stock bed.
Ah, ok then. For 1/8" ply you should be able to to cut it in one pass at like 8ma and 10mm/s when you have the height set right.
To get the best cutting I usually set the height of the piece so the focal point is halfway into the wood.
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I do not have an adjustable bed, sadly. Gotta figure that out. I like the idea of the spring adjustable ones.
Hereās a list of possible bed options.
You can also search the forum for a lot of other builds.
Hereās a quick an simple bed I did when I first got my laser.
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Excellent, thank youn
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Here is a collection of my K40 shop tips that you might find useful.
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can you let me know where you bought your laser or what person selling them on ebay?
I bought mine on alibaba. The seller seems good enough.
I cannot speak to the quality of the machine yet. I have only had it for four days.
US $422.75 5%OFF | Digital 3020 Woodworking 40W Engraving Cutting CO2 Laser USB Machine with Update Control Panel
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I think the simplest option for the moment is a lab jack. I know that there has to be stuff in here but all that I have really found is people asking about them, not in how to make them work with the k40.
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Hmmmā¦itās been awhile since Iāve seen anyone use a labjack. I think @funinthefalls may have used one at one point?
Essentially you will need to mount a bigger bed to the top of the lab jack platform. I think I remember someone using a metal plate mounted to the top of the platform. You would then want something to stand the work off the surface of the plate to avoid flashback on your workpiece and prevent buildup of oily wood residue. I think I remember the person using metal studs in the lab jack build? Canāt find the build in question. Might be able to use magnets as standoffs if your plate is steel.
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After more review, I donāt think a lab jack is a good idea. The adjustment knob moves in the vertical axis so you need a hole in the case that accommodates that.
Instead, I think that I am going to build or buy a manual z-axis table like this one:
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