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Laser satisfaction

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 6:27 pm
by Pavel
Absolutely love my Shark Pro Plus, and have used it on plaques, signs, and other projects with carvings and etchings.
I am thinking of buying the Next Wave Laser. Only want it for photo projects on wood with additional lettering. I have been told that there has been some "doctoring" to images in advertisements for the laser attachment. Since I have retired funds for toys are limited, so I need input from actual users. Is the Next Wave Laser satisfactory for my intended use or should I invest in a dedicated bench top machine?

Re: Laser satisfaction

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2018 9:13 pm
by bmcgill930
Just visited the Next Wave booth at the International Woodworking Show in Atlanta and was told a new 7 watt laser was coming out for the Shark. Was told it would roughly $1000.00

Re: Laser satisfaction

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 11:43 pm
by Jim Kent
I am very new to the CNC world, just bought the Shark HD Extended about a month ago. I went all in when I ordered and bought the laser with the machine right away. I have been playing around with the laser for about two weeks and have mixed emotions about it. The burn is inconsistent on my projects. I just messaged support tonight since I have a customer that wants a poem on a plaque and I cannot sell what is coming off the machine right now. I have seen some nice looking engravings that claimed to be done on the Shark so I am assuming I am doing something wrong. I'll let you know what support has to say and if my results improve with their assistance.

Re: Laser satisfaction

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 12:31 am
by Kulikon
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I have made several items over the last year and I have found that the laser is similar to carving in that different materials require different feed rates and laser power. I usually use the cross hatch with a 45 degree setting. In some cases a second run may even be required. I do have the 2 watt laser. I always test on a sample of the material to determine the best settings. The design needs to be clean vectors. The hairline width of the laser will make a jpg look like a Minecraft image.

On some projects it burned through my finish and did not burn the material below. After I showed the client the sample piece, I was able to make adjustments for the final run. In this case the client was looking for a weathered look on the surface, but liked the finished wood look for his logo.
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On this dinosaur job it only turned the paint to dust. I used multiple coats of sprayed poly to turn the dust into a stable image. This run took almost 24 hours for the laser work.
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Re: Laser satisfaction

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 12:41 am
by Kulikon
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While working on this piece I found that the laser was off by .003 from my cuts on the Y axis. Since then I do a small test spot to determine the adjustment if I am going to carve and burn a piece.

I have had the best luck with hard maple. The image almost looks like printers ink.
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