How to Cut Wood With a Laser - NEJE 3 Max and E40 Laser

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Question of the week: What is the most technical and/or favourite laser wood cutting video and why?

[@Steve.Garrison]

I've watched several reviews of the Xtools D1 laser which has 20 watt beam energy, and it's the best I have seen so far. It cut through 3/4" spruce fairly well.

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

@@Steve.Garrison Thanks for letting me know Steve. do you know how much charring occurred through 3/42 spruce?

[@Steve.Garrison]

@@RayWhitbyCreations Here's one that showed a good test of cutting thicker wood: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGfUdKOihK-GsNk I also read somewhere that the air assist needs to blow just enough to clear the smoke. Too much air causes the wood to catch fire - I wonder if CO2 instead of air would further reduce charring by keeping free oxygen away from the cut?

[@fatbellymarksshed4522]

Ray, to be able produce quite accurate inlays like that is quite impressive. I haven't looked into laser engravers before as I thought they could only engrave, for me to make inlays like that on my CNC router would only be possible by using a V bit cutting tool so that the male and female parts have a 45 degree chamfered edge allowing them to fit tightly together. The smallest cutter I have used on my CNC is 1mm in diameter with a max depth of 10mm and do not allow for sharp inside corners to be cut as they are round. In the future I might have to get a laser to fit to the CNC and try it for myself. Thanks Stu.

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Hi Stu. thanks for your feedback. I had wondered what the limitations would be for CNC and would still love to get one to play. I was inspired by the work done by Broinwood and the level of detail he got was impressive. I recon there are vastly more positives to the CNC router system and if I could ever get a 5-axis version, I would be very happy!

[@glencrandall7051]

I cannot answer your question of the week but I can say I enjoyed this video. I thought is a quite good demonstration of the NEJE 3 Max and E40 laser system. I was very impressed with the cutouts in the thinner woods.

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Glad you enjoyed it Glen! Appreciate your honest feedback. Now to cut thicker wood with similar accuracy...

[@Kun373]

That's pretty cool, the stability of the E40 laser module is excellent.

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Indeed! I shouldn't be surprised, but a lovely little laser.

[@hbwoodturning17]

Hello Ray, that's a nice addition to your workshop, I like it. The dragon is my favorite of the projects you showed. Cheers, Hans Stay safe and keep turning

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Thanks Hans! Appreciate your feedback on the designs. All the best. Ray

[@JiggsysShed]

That's a great piece to have in the workshop. Love the cube

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

It has been useful, although doesn't always fit into woodturning, but definitely useful for woodworking!

[@ThePapa1947]

Very cool Ray and a great demo of what the laser can do. I love the inlays you did. Gary

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Thanks Gary! I've now got Ortur company trying to send me things. I think there's a big push for lasers this season!

[@ThePapa1947]

@@RayWhitbyCreationsJoin the club Ray!! LOL

[@dfu1685]

Very well done! I thoroughly enjoyed watching your video. I had no idea that lasers could do anything other than point at objects. Therefore, this was very exciting to myself.

[@Steve.Garrison]

Good review, Ray. I'm hoping the diode lasers will soon become good enough to use for cutting thicker wood. A few years ago I used a 2.8 watt blue laser diode that was barely able to cut veneer so this is a step in the right direction. I think they'll need a longer focal length lens to do what I want.

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Hey Steve! This one was 11W and they are preparing to send me a 20W end of this year, which will be perfect for 1 particular project I have in mind that needs depth. Apparently NEJE's A40640 can go up to 18mm, but that's only 12W. I'm a little shocked at how easy it is to use these kits. All the best. Ray

[@Steve.Garrison]

@@RayWhitbyCreations I've got another question: How much sanding is needed to remove the char from the edge of a thick cut? Judging by the edges it doesn't appear to be very deep.

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

@@Steve.Garrison I'm looking at this through some additional cutting trials and I think it varies so much on the type of wood.

[@richards7909]

I think you’re going to enjoy this tool especially with its ability to be precise! MakersMuse did a video about laser cutters recently. A couple of things he and others have pointed out about these type of non-enclosed laser cutters though is safety. You might find it interesting :)

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Thanks Richard! Appreciate the note. I have done some laser safety training when I supervised research using a 266nm laser a couple of decades ago, plus I'm exceptionally safety conscious... at least with things that I cannot contain. I have no desire to experience anything like Bugorski (all the safety protocols failed him and he ended up putting his head in the path of a 76 GeV proton beam... somehow survived!). I'm also in an fp3 mask until i get a decent ventilation system. All the best. Ray

[@richards7909]

@@RayWhitbyCreations Just read about Bugorski. Wow, he's a lucky guy!

[@raydriver7300]

So interesting Ray. Ken Moon and his friend have experimented with3D printers and laser cutters recently and my Granddaughter’s response to his latest video was: “Oh, you and Uncle Paul.” as the theme was ‘two idiots with…..’ as my Son persuaded me to buy a 3D printer. Talking of granddaughters, one loves dragons and the other is a talented artist. Maybe I could send you a couple of her creations to play with? 🌞

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Hi Ray. Please do send some images through. Would love to see, though cannot promise I can do anything with them at present. My daughter is studying A level art, so I've taken a keen interest. Also had to study up on A level maths too, but that's another story!! All the best. Ray

[@JasperMulder100]

So many reviewers doing laser machines, but so few who actually know anything about what to look for and how to actually test a machine. They focus more on the machine as a whole whereas the capabilities of the laser module is what really matters. In your case, you approach it regards the wood you intend to cut. I like that .. as this is what I use it for. Now some gems you missed: the feeler gauge ... you could have mentioned the thickness. The quality of the laser is about spot pattern and the spread of such through the material. In this case, the laser looks really bad. Neje claim "Focus: 0.03x0.04mm （10000W/m²）" which based on your video is absolutely nonsense. Not seen any laser, not even the Sculpfun S9 can achieve that. In your test, you should have depth cut both axis's. What good is it if the laser can cut say 8mm deep in 'X' and only 6mm in 'Y' This test would quickly reveal if your spot pattern is anything approaching square. (in your video is does appear that the x is finer than the y axis) Your inlays look nice .. first video I have seen of somebody doing this. Well done Sir.

[@Tinatortoise]

Looking forward to seeing what comes next x

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Me too Tina! Lots of ideas, almost too many, not sure which to focus on next.

[@grammybear4226]

🐼 Big Panda Bear Hugs from a 69 yr old grandma in Texas, USA. 🐼 ❤ 🎀 👍 🧚‍♂ 🐈 🧚 🍀 💐 🌸

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Hello 👋

[@WoodenItBeNice]

Great video Ray. It looks a great Laser. My favourite is the Dragon. Take care mate. Cheers, Huw

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Thanks so much Huw. Definitely agree with you about the favourite inlay! All the best. Ray

[@rat8356]

Hello, can you tell me if the E40 can cut 1.5mm single layer cardboard?..not the currogated type....just one layer kinda like a cereal box cardboard but a little thicker..will it cut it perfect and perfect edges with decent speed?

[@summerstorm5652]

What an amazing system. If only the small crafter could afford it. Not to mention all the little projects it could do... including signs, more lettering for signs.

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

It's an accurate summary Summer Storm! I think it could pay for itself, but with so many people using these systems one would have to have some very unique/bespoke ideas to really stand out. I'm so happy I could play with one. Take care. Ray

[@stefanpiechocki9265]

Ray what did you find was the most optimal focus point, its fixed focus unline the 40640 but what did find was best focus distance

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Hi Stefan, for engraving it's 5mm and for cutting it's 3mm. That's for the E40 system. I didn;t realise that the protective lens needed cleaning (especially for cutting), so i was underwhelmed by the laser module until someone told me what to do to clean it!

[@Simo_Bigs]

I recently bought a neje 3 max with E40 module. I find it difficult to get the cuts I see in your video. PLYwood 8mm, I need 3 passes 80mm/m 100% to cut, however on the back of the material, the cut is a bit burnt and not as sharp as on the top. Weird thing is I did about 8 cuts in 2 passes, then I was trying different modes of air pressure and focus height to improve scorching and it stopped cutting me in 2 passes, I had to increase it to 3. Initially I thought it was the dirty lens, but I took it apart and cleaned but nothing. That the module has lost power only after a few minutes of use? I also read a post on reddit where they said there was a bug in the firmware and advised to set the $30 value to 255, but it doesn't change anything. While MDF 5mm is absolutely not cut in one pass.

[@drferry]

To borrow a phrase from a surgical friend of mine who used a baseball metaphor, what you showed here seems like a long run for a short slide. Way too much assembly required. Try a commercial Epilog laser system which has this all down cold. They have a video of them cutting an intricate flower pattern into some wood from a vector-based pattern (like from Illustrator), then automatically shrinking the pattern by .001 inch and cutting out the same pattern from a composite sheet of blue abalone shell and dropping the abalone into the space in the wood. Looks fabulous.

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Hi Anduril Designs. You are right. I think I'm already too late to this game, but had to see how easy this system was for the kind of work I want to get round to doing. I note that the Epilog lasers also have the CO2 module which sounds more like what I'm after. Alas, unless Epilog send me a system to try, I'm going to be looking longingly for some time! thanks for the heads up!

[@annettehawkins8467]

Amazing as always! Great video

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Thank you Annette! Cheers!

[@raydriver7300]

Hi Ray. It’s great to hear back from you. How do I send you the pics we discussed? Best wishes 🌞

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Apologies Ray, I've just sent a response to you through another video. I'm totally washed out of late. It's like long covid and 2+ years later, I'm slowing down more and more. No excuse for my not responding to you, just the reason why :-)

[@willsparklin]

Good demo. Do you have any suggestions for feedrates when engraving and cutting the thinner stock (like for the reverse inlays)?

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Hi Will. Not tried really thin veneers, but would definitely need to anchor those pieces down so they don't blow away.

[@MegaSoyaMan]

hi, thanks for the video, is it possible to know the speed of your cut in mdf? thanks

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Hiya! The speed was quite low (I think about 100mm/min) and the power nearly full. Way too much for MDF!

[@martinmacklin3050]

Ray do you have a tutorial on how to do those inlays on lightburn or point me in the right direction.Thanks

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Hi Martin. This video is not the most enigmatic but at least will convey the right idea: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJypaKt3ZtCLe7s. At 4:20 in that video you can see the kerf setting needed to do inlays. Might take a couple of attempts to get the right fit. If you have any questions, I can try and answer them!

[@martinmacklin3050]

@@RayWhitbyCreations Many Thanks Ray..

[@Hamit_HMT]

The Dragons are cool.

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

complete agreement!

[@vladimir7370]

have this module 4 pin ? is compatible with atomstack A10 pro ?

[@marcelolaurini9462]

hello. I have bought a Neje E40 module. I'm going to use it to cut mdf. What height of the module with the wood do you recommend? The module came with a small instruction manual in Chinese and if I don't misinterpret it, it would be 5 mm.

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Hi Marcelo. Yes 5mm separation between the bottom of the laser module and the top of the MDF is correct. It's not very critical, depends on the thickness being cut. Be careful how much power you put into MDF. At 100% power and slow speed it caused issues with MDF: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGi3pZKMir-qjbM

[@marcelolaurini9462]

@@RayWhitbyCreations gracias

[@BlissfulBloom992]

nice

[@RayWhitbyCreations]

Thanks so much!