I’m interested in taking the laser classes but before I take them, I want to know if you can use hard woods in those lasers like walnut. Maybe as thick as 1/2”? Thanks in advance!!
River
Thick materials can be hit-or-miss. Some wood just ablates away with a clean edge and can go very deep. Others tend to char and really don’t do thick sections. The tendency to flare up and catch fire actually seems to be a different feature, one of the cheap plywoods that is bad about this actually does cut pretty quickly.
I’m not sure where walnut lies on that spectrum. Spruce, poplar, and common board cut very well, which are low density woods, but I’ve had some high density woods cut well too.
Overall, 1/2" wood isn’t very challenging, I would say chances are good this will work fine
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@JOSEGAYTAN is likely to have some great insight on this.
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I agree with Danny it should cut it the only problem i see is that most walnut sold at the lumber yards is steamed. Which at times can leave pockets of oil in crevices or fractures. Particularly around knots. Most times i have seen it, just flares up with a high flame but never actually catches on fire. I have never cut walnut in Tarkin. Only Poplar, maple (hard & soft), blood wood, red alder, and Padauk. Padauk also has oil that flares up. I have cut 3/8" Walnut on Pearl and it did OK but it was quartersawn clear air-dried Walnut. Very slow but clean cut. Start with the birch 1/2" plywood settings. Good luck!
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