I bought a cheap laser engraver to sign my work, do some lettering etc. This laser isn't actually powerful enough to cut anything, but the engraving seems to work pretty well.
It's a very simple design that just moves on the X and Y axis. That's also the reason it can't really cut, the moment you go deeper than a millimeter or so the beam is out of focus.
As with jointers, planers, band saws, 3D printers, capacity matters. What's nice about this model is that for large pieces, you can simply put it on top of the work piece and engrave anywhere . But most of the time I expect to work on smaller items, e.g. a cutting board or jewelry box.
Apart from the laser light being dangerous, these things produce a ton of smoke. So I figured I'd build an enclosure. Nothing more than a simple box with a fan.
I created some air in take holes on the opposite side of the fan. The covers are 3D printed, and I figured the angled louvers would help block any reflected light.
To manage the wire mess, I cut some holes in the back for the laser power cable, USB cable, and fan power cable. I bought a USB port I can mount in the case, to make it easy to plug in a laptop.
The lid was a bit of a disaster. I had glued it onto the top with the idea to then cut it free on the table saw. Great plan, but my fence must have been off a bit because the lid was about 1/16 to 1/8 off. Fun fun. But after some sanding it fit nicely without gaps. The lid is attached with a piano hinge, and since I want this thing to be tight I mortised all along the back. That's why there is a middle panel glued in temporarily, to ensure I could run it on the router table.
Picture with the laser inside, just to check the dimensions.
(to be continued....)
It's a very simple design that just moves on the X and Y axis. That's also the reason it can't really cut, the moment you go deeper than a millimeter or so the beam is out of focus.
As with jointers, planers, band saws, 3D printers, capacity matters. What's nice about this model is that for large pieces, you can simply put it on top of the work piece and engrave anywhere . But most of the time I expect to work on smaller items, e.g. a cutting board or jewelry box.
Apart from the laser light being dangerous, these things produce a ton of smoke. So I figured I'd build an enclosure. Nothing more than a simple box with a fan.
I created some air in take holes on the opposite side of the fan. The covers are 3D printed, and I figured the angled louvers would help block any reflected light.
To manage the wire mess, I cut some holes in the back for the laser power cable, USB cable, and fan power cable. I bought a USB port I can mount in the case, to make it easy to plug in a laptop.
The lid was a bit of a disaster. I had glued it onto the top with the idea to then cut it free on the table saw. Great plan, but my fence must have been off a bit because the lid was about 1/16 to 1/8 off. Fun fun. But after some sanding it fit nicely without gaps. The lid is attached with a piano hinge, and since I want this thing to be tight I mortised all along the back. That's why there is a middle panel glued in temporarily, to ensure I could run it on the router table.
Picture with the laser inside, just to check the dimensions.
(to be continued....)