Okay to Laser Engrave or Cut a Two-by-Four?

[Scott Memmer]

Hello, all. I have a need to laser cut a thin piece (1/8" thick) of two-by-four stock. I have a 30-watt Epilog Zing laser.

Is it okay to cut this particular type of wood on a laser? The Epilog manual lists Cherrry, Alder or Walnut, but it's my understanding that most two-by-fours are made from either Douglas fir or Hemlock?

Thanks for your advice.

Scott

[Bruce Volden]

Cut away!! Use good exhaust, might have some charring dependent on speed/power. Maybe mask it if
is of importance.

Bruce

[roger wiegand]

I'm a rank newbie at using the laser, but started practicing on pine. More smoke and tar than cherry or maple. Most interesting is because of the extreme density difference in the seasonal growth rings you end up with a ridged surface when you're doing a fill; so a bad choice if you don't want a heavily textured surface-- or a good choice if you like that effect.

[Scott Memmer]

Cut away!! Use good exhaust, might have some charring dependent on speed/power. Maybe mask it if
is of importance.

Bruce

Bruce, thanks, my friend. I have great exhaust system but I typically also wear an N-95 mask for such procedures.

A question on other kinds of "wood-y" things. I assume plywood can't be cut due to extra glues and binders in the layers, cusing toxic gases. I need a small sheet (12" x 12" or smaller) of something that is about .120" (3 mm), up to 1/4" max. Right now I'm using Acrylic, but ideally I'd like find a wood sheet, or wood substitue -- or a laserable plastic that's cheaper than Arcylic would also work, although wood is preferred. Excuse my ignorance of timber and wood products on a woodworking forum.

Thanks Much, Bruce,
Scott

[Scott Memmer]

I'm a rank newbie at using the laser, but started practicing on pine. More smoke and tar than cherry or maple. Most interesting is because of the extreme density difference in the seasonal growth rings you end up with a ridged surface when you're doing a fill; so a bad choice if you don't want a heavily textured surface-- or a good choice if you like that effect.

Roger, actually the surface is not an issue for my application, so worth a go. Thanks Much.

[Rich Harman]

I assume plywood can't be cut due to extra glues and binders in the layers, cusing toxic gases.

Cutting anything creates toxic gasses, my worst experience is cutting Delrin, absolutely, positively do not breathe that stuff.

Lots of plywood can be laser cut.

Baltic Birch ply is a favorite, and cuts very well leaving a golden edge.

Lite Ply also cuts well.

I have even cut 3/8" marine ply, but it leaves a charred edge.

The 1/2" plywood used to crate my laser cut like butter - not exactly quality material there.

Exterior plywood and marine plywood's are the worst - because of the glues used. If you do cut them, be prepared to sand the edges.

Other plywoods can also cut pretty well. Door skins and underlayments are inexpensive. I have cut a ton of underlayment, the main issue with it is the voids that have been filled with putty do not cut well so there is often some places that need to be freed using a utility knife.

[Glen Monaghan]

Bruce, thanks, my friend. I have great exhaust system but I typically also wear an N-95 mask for such procedures.

A question on other kinds of "wood-y" things. I assume plywood can't be cut due to extra glues and binders in the layers, cusing toxic gases. I need a small sheet (12" x 12" or smaller) of something that is about .120" (3 mm), up to 1/4" max. Right now I'm using Acrylic, but ideally I'd like find a wood sheet, or wood substitue -- or a laserable plastic that's cheaper than Arcylic would also work, although wood is preferred. Excuse my ignorance of timber and wood products on a woodworking forum.

When he said "use a mask" he didn't mean the N-95 sort of thing you use to protect your lungs, he meant a wide piece of tape that you put on the wood before lasering to keep the smoke and resins from sticking and staining the wood surface. All that gunk is caught by the tape/mask, which is peeled off after lasering.

You can get 1/8" or 3mm (usually not actually either of those, often around 0.119", but that's what they call it so verify before buying if the difference is important to you) 3-ply baltic birch, or 1/4" (6mm), half inch, etc. from wood suppliers. Some suppliers, especially retail woodworking stores, will sell you smaller pieces at higher price per square measurement, but the standard size is full 5'x5' sheets. The 3mm stuff is easily and cleanly cut with a 30-40 watt laser.

[Scott Memmer]

When he said "use a mask" he didn't mean the N-95 sort of thing you use to protect your lungs, he meant a wide piece of tape that you put on the wood before lasering to keep the smoke and resins from sticking and staining the wood surface. All that gunk is caught by the tape/mask, which is peeled off after lasering.

You can get 1/8" or 3mm (usually not actually either of those, often around 0.119", but that's what they call it so verify before buying if the difference is important to you) 3-ply baltic birch, or 1/4" (6mm), half inch, etc. from wood suppliers. Some suppliers, especially retail woodworking stores, will sell you smaller pieces at higher price per square measurement, but the standard size is full 5'x5' sheets. The 3mm stuff is easily and cleanly cut with a 30-40 watt laser.

Glen, thanks for the clarifying on the masking thing. I've been using a high-quality blue painter's tape. I assume this would be good, correct?

Another couple options: pressed wood or even clipboard material. It appears these might cut fine with laser. But the others are worth checking out too. This material will not be exposed to water at any time, so this is not a concern.

Thanks again,

sm

[Scott Memmer]

Surprisingly, Rockler seems to have the best price on the 1/8" Baltic Birch ply. They also have the 1/4" at a great price. Shipping charge is a killer of course, but I have one of their retail stores about 15 minutes from me, so I'll get out there by the end of the week.

https://www.rockler.com/1-8-baltic-b...AaAijmEALw_wcB

As usual, you gents have been exceptionally helpful. This is definitely one of the best forums online.

Will report back when I get the material.

Thanks Again,
Scott

[Glen Monaghan]

Glen, thanks for the clarifying on the masking thing. I've been using a high-quality blue painter's tape. I assume this would be good, correct?

Blue painter's tape is okay if it's wide enough for your substrate and sticks to it well enough. The main problem with using any tape that is too narrow is that you have to lay down multiple strips of it and, if you overlap the edges you might get a slightly different look where the laser burns through two layers while, if you try to butt them edge-to-edge, you spend an inordinate amount of time trying to avoid both gaps and overlaps. Depending on your substrate, you may also have adhesion problems. Actual transfer/masking tape is available in much wider rolls (I have a 12" wide roll because that's the widest I ever need) and tackiness ranging from low to very high.

I do like blue painter's tape for engraving oddly shaped items or things that I can't replace if the engraving isn't just right. In such situations, I apply the blue tape, trimmed and burnished to ensure the item shape is clearly visible, and then run the engraving job at a very low power. Instead of burning through the tape and engraving, the low power bleaches the surface of the tape to a white-ish color that makes it easy to verify exactly where the engraving will end up on the oddly shaped item. I've found it best, when satisfied with the positioning, to just engrave through the tape. That avoids the possibility of slightly shifting or rotating the item while removing the tape before engraving (wanna guess how I know? X^(