This wood is amazing for 1” layers

Space Teams LASERS
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I’ve been trying to use up my stock of scrap wood, and I’ve got a bunch of building signs to make. So, experiments!

I got this 1x6 board from Lowe’s. It’s SPF lumber, meaning “spruce/pine/fir”. You’re not guaranteed a particular wood, just a particular density and build quality.

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I put this wood on Tarkin at 100% max & min power, 5% speed, with the tip of the laser 1/16” above the board’s surface. And I got AMAZING results. Absolutely clean cuts, minimal ash, and no burn. And I repeated that with two other boards! The sign below is as it came out of Tarkin — no cleaning, no sanding. The grain moves right through the sign. I’m definitely repeating this in the future.

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Nice results!

Did you have to plane the board to get a flat surface? Any other kind of prep work?

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None. These flat boards are sold to be used directly for framing and painting projects, so they’re sanded, really straight, and at 1”, they aren’t prone to warp if stored right.

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@Stephen-L-M Thanks for sharing.