Reply with QuoteAt 2-4W, you'll either have to go really slow, or the engraving will be extremely light. Thats not a lot of power to work with, and it will probably be too little to make a mark in many materials even at ultra-slow speeds.
Drawing Laser
I've built a couple CNC wood routers - with my last one being the one I think I'll keep for awhile. I built it solid and it's just what I wanted and needed.
So that leave me with my older/slower/smaller first machine that I plan to rebuild with the info and experience I've learned.
I thought about rplacing the router with a laser for drawing exclusively on wood. Lookinf on eBay I find several 2 to 4 watt solid state lasers. I'm wondering if somthing along these lines would suit. I figure I'll need optics to focus to a small enough point to do fine line drawing.
What I'd like to do is perhaps carve on my larger machine and further decorate the item by drawing/scribing with the laser.
Can anyone point me to a source for info on a laser suitable for drawing?
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At 2-4W, you'll either have to go really slow, or the engraving will be extremely light. Thats not a lot of power to work with, and it will probably be too little to make a mark in many materials even at ultra-slow speeds.
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Have you considered using a hot point like the pyrographers use, instead of a laser ?
You could easily experiment by replacing your router on the slow m/c with a soldering iron equipped with a fine point bit. The variation in the burning color would have to come from a modification of your original carving Z axis commands.
As the rate at which you might want to add the decoration could be slower than the rate your faster m/c produces the carving, the slower m/c might be able to keep up, so the slow burning rate wouldn't be a limiting factor.
Just another of my crazy ideas to which you're most welcome
John
EDIT
Having returned and reread your original post, I can see that it might have been the scribing that was more important to you than the burning aspect that most lasers are going to give you.
However, if it was the addition of the darker line, then I'd still give it a try.
Last edited by greybeard; 06-07-2008 at 10:45 AM.
It's like doing jigsaw puzzles in the dark.
Enjoy today's problems, for tomorrow's may be worse.
Not a bad idea....
what I'm after is a cheap (like me) way of moding my router to toast wood with a line of reliable width and color. I figured a low power laser would do the trick. I saw the laser modules on eBay buning woods and popping balloons and that started me thinking...
I suppose I'm too chicken (and again- cheap) to try anything of substantial power.
I find lasers a bit economically challenging as well. Bought a soon to collapse co2 medical laser, 80watts with the optics on their last gasp, but it gave me some ideas.
One thing, the color of the 'burning' is a bit difficult to control, even with a powerful laser. It's going to vary a bit with wood grain and moisture, just like the pyrography tool does, but it just might be possible to get what you want after a bit of experimenting.
I fear it might be three shades - light, dark, and "O G*d, it's on fire".
John
It's like doing jigsaw puzzles in the dark.
Enjoy today's problems, for tomorrow's may be worse.
Last night I got in touch via email with a friend who's a physician and a dedicated garage tinkerer.
Told him about the laser idea, and he replied "wish I had known, the hospital here just ditched a working 80W CO2 laser (due to an upgrade) that you could have had for free!"
>>light, dark, and "O G*d, it's on fire".
Seems you and I are much alike. My wife keeps a fire extinguisher and first aid kit handy for the same reasons.
Originally Posted by Jerry In Maine
What can I say. Jaw drops, but no words come out.
Regards
John
It's like doing jigsaw puzzles in the dark.
Enjoy today's problems, for tomorrow's may be worse.
By the way, you're going to need a laser emitting in the infra red (10.6microns, if I've got my units right) if you want to burn wood. I hope you remember your school physics. Very useful, but you can find most things you'll need to know on the web. Alt.lasers is a good place to start if you're a bit rusty.
John
EDIT
I should have asked what were the lasers you saw on ebay ?
Last edited by greybeard; 06-07-2008 at 02:53 PM. Reason: units wrong
It's like doing jigsaw puzzles in the dark.
Enjoy today's problems, for tomorrow's may be worse.
Jerry,
Contact that friend and see if he'd be willing to check with the maintenance crew. Typically items like that are thrown in the trash, but due to their size they'll stay on the loading dock for weeks/months. It may still be on hospital grounds, and often those maintenance guys are happy to get rid of the stuff with no effort on their part (they'll often say "As long as you take it ALL").
Hi-TecDesigns.com -- Automotive Lighting Systems
