StevieB
Nordic Pine
My name is Steve and this is my confession. About a year ago I started to become somewhat obsessed with lasers. It started, as many such obsessions do, with YouTube. We have all done it, watched a video that makes something look so easy, sells the benefits without any of the downsides, has a fancy 'unboxing and set-up' or demo video and before you know it you are hooked. You do the research, toy with different possibilities and then eventually hit the 'buy' button because if you procrastinate any more you might just explode. This is how I came to be the owner of a Sculpfun S9 laser cutter. This is a low level entry into the world of lasers, shipped direct from China in a box that you then need to assemble yourself.
You know it will take a bit of fettling, and building an enclosure for it is a must as you only have 2 eyes and are quite attached to them. Then you are off and hooked. Sure, it takes a long time to cut out a piece of wood, but you are impressed by the 0.1mm level of accuracy and finally have the chance to produce the accurate cuts you have always dreamed of. You can engrave, cut shapes, make signs and stencils and although you are limited to approx 3mm thickness of timber, this is a serious bit of kit that has potential. A brief foray into requests from no 2 son and soon his friends are requesting their first orders - bespoke boxes to hold Magic The Gathering Cards (no, I didn't know anything about it either)
If it was just a little faster you could potentially make a business on the side out of this, there must be a market for things cut out of wood, or an Etsy store at least...... a quick search suggests yup, but you are not alone in trying to exploit this interesting new tool. It is also clear that you are going to need a bigger tool. Much bigger. In fact a diode laser from China is not going to cut it (excuse the pun) you are going to need a CO2 laser. A big boys laser. One that comes in a crate and is impossible to hide from SWMBO. You also need some serious cash, or, in my case, some serious saving. 9 months saving to be precise. Then the big day arrives, and finally, with much trepidation and excitement, a delivery.....
It goes through a doorway on its side, it is however delicate, and no 1 son and no 2 son are required to help with the logistics of unboxing and installing until finally, with a bit of rearranging of the workshop, its in!
Now what to make..... what to make...... lets start with something for the workshop! But first, upgrade the fan to stop the workshop filling with smoke, and get hold of some distilled water (don't even think about complaining about the price of distilled water!) and we are off - an 80w CO2 laser that will cut through wood like a knife through butter......
You know it will take a bit of fettling, and building an enclosure for it is a must as you only have 2 eyes and are quite attached to them. Then you are off and hooked. Sure, it takes a long time to cut out a piece of wood, but you are impressed by the 0.1mm level of accuracy and finally have the chance to produce the accurate cuts you have always dreamed of. You can engrave, cut shapes, make signs and stencils and although you are limited to approx 3mm thickness of timber, this is a serious bit of kit that has potential. A brief foray into requests from no 2 son and soon his friends are requesting their first orders - bespoke boxes to hold Magic The Gathering Cards (no, I didn't know anything about it either)
If it was just a little faster you could potentially make a business on the side out of this, there must be a market for things cut out of wood, or an Etsy store at least...... a quick search suggests yup, but you are not alone in trying to exploit this interesting new tool. It is also clear that you are going to need a bigger tool. Much bigger. In fact a diode laser from China is not going to cut it (excuse the pun) you are going to need a CO2 laser. A big boys laser. One that comes in a crate and is impossible to hide from SWMBO. You also need some serious cash, or, in my case, some serious saving. 9 months saving to be precise. Then the big day arrives, and finally, with much trepidation and excitement, a delivery.....
It goes through a doorway on its side, it is however delicate, and no 1 son and no 2 son are required to help with the logistics of unboxing and installing until finally, with a bit of rearranging of the workshop, its in!
Now what to make..... what to make...... lets start with something for the workshop! But first, upgrade the fan to stop the workshop filling with smoke, and get hold of some distilled water (don't even think about complaining about the price of distilled water!) and we are off - an 80w CO2 laser that will cut through wood like a knife through butter......
