So I decided that the trade balance wasn't great enough so last year I purchased a 15W laser DIY Laseraxe cutter that rides on a 1000 mm square (40" x40") aluminum frame from China.
Thus, I needed a large flat space that I set up as a large folding shelf in my garage. Telling my wife that it will FOLD-UP and therefore be out of the way. So far it has not been folded up.
First, a 15-watt laser may seem high compared to a laser pointer and is fine for engraving wood, metal, leather, etc. but when cutting wood not so great.
Second, although the Chinese makers claimed it would cut 3mm ( 1/8) plywood; sure after 10 passes at the lowest speed of 28m(m)ps but to do that the laser chars the wood so that the design becomes a small crispy critter. Plywood has glue that inhibits a clean burn, so it's better to cut pure Poplar or other clean grain wood sheets at 2mm thickness.
Third, the Laseraxe software ( see you-tube) is for the most part in Chinese. I wish they had stolen better American Software than trying to write it themselves. It's not good or well written. Even in the latest edition that was just released , the pull-down menus are cut-off at the bottom buttons.
So I was forced to overcome these flaws. And I got the cutter to work cutting multiple and exactly the same small truss pieces and engraving "extremely straight" control joints in Masonite sidewalks both thru a bit of trial-and-error.
Their CNCC software ( last version) will take any .jpeg file and convert it to G-Code to try and minimize cut time. It is not GOOD G-CODE that uses the various G-Code mnemonics to create circles or arcs but instead creates x/y coordinates that do a good job to simulate a circle or arc at a resolution of 0.1 mm.
As to SMELL OF BURNING WOOD; well the Laser has a fan that will dissipate the odor but I do keep the garage doors open.
