Saving time in lightburn- faster burns

I go over a couple of my latest finds in lightburn. Using these two options in lightburn resulted in 33% faster burns on my large orders. Thanks to the subscriber who brought it to my attention.
Please help me get payback on Maymay, here is the link / maymaymadeit
#paybackfromtheclackshack
For templates that I have made, check out my Etsy shop. I build files for projects and tools for laser engravers.
www.etsy.com/shop/TheClackShack
The links below are affiliate links that will direct you to the product in this video. If you use this link for a purchase, I will receive a commission from the purchase. I remain unbiased and honest in my assessment as always.
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D1 bundle that I have on Amazon:
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[@sannyassi73]

I absolutely love lightburn, it's such a great program. There are a few little features I wish they'd add but it's mostly all very minor stuff. The main thing I wish was a bit easier is picking up a job if for some reason the laser stops, it gets unplugged, maybe the computer crashes or whatever. For cuts it's not really a big deal since picking up a bit before the job stopped and double cutting a little bit isn't an issue but for engraves it's really hard to accurately pick up at a precise spot. Another great video, thanks for it :D Instead of chopping the ring/heart I'd probably go for an offset fill, that's perfect for thin fill lines like that or borders with a lot of white space. Chopping it up though, I hadn't thought of that and that method will certainly have it's uses in the future! The ctrl/alt/shift + arrow key settings- that's really handy, I'm learning a lot with this vid :D

[@TheClackShack]

Offset fill makes this engrave take longer and makes the burn lines different as it crosses the grain. Between adding time to the job and the effects, I do not like it for my projects. Offset fill only increases speeds sometimes depending on the design.

[@pattigoldrick6696]

Glad that these are ready. Yay!!!!

[@TheClackShack]

Maymay will have them Monday..

[@debschoen5581]

Thank you for your hard work and precious time! Very cool hearing how this stuff works , makes me appreciate it all the more. Thanks again!

[@TheClackShack]

My pleasure!

[@elpresley]

Your videos are a real eye opener and huge time saver. Thnx

[@TheClackShack]

Glad you like them. Thanks..

[@karenjeanbennett1626]

Great time saver. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@TheClackShack]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MsMrWiz]

39 min savings!!! That's awesome! This is so great Thank you for sharing.

[@TheClackShack]

You are so welcome!

[@AlienLeader4]

New to the laser world and the information that you pass on is mind blowing. Keep up the great work. Payback completed lol.

[@TheClackShack]

Thanks

[@bulentakyildiz543]

Thanks. Very educational video. 🙏🙏🙏

[@TheClackShack]

Thanks, I hope it helps.

[@surgev9951]

Great video! I'm learning a lot....

[@TheClackShack]

Thanks for watching

[@tguyette]

Great tips… thank you!

[@TheClackShack]

You are so welcome!

[@jcsmokinjoe2000]

Glad to see you saved time on the stove topper designs, and thank you for showing this tip for the boxes, it definitely helps alot, keep up the great work 👌

[@TheClackShack]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jcsmokinjoe2000]

@@TheClackShack I like for you to try on the heart demonstration, instead of cutting it into 3 different sections put it all on the same layer and use offset fill , see if that saves anymore time on your cut

[@TheClackShack]

@@jcsmokinjoe2000 ,I used flood fill and it is way faster. I made a video

[@jcsmokinjoe2000]

@@TheClackShack ok cool, thanks again for everything you do for the community 👍

[@ericeinsmann5559]

What an awesome video! I was just wondering about this very thing! I've done several boxes and thought that there should be a way to put the parts together and save time. You showed me how to do it! Thanks!

[@TheClackShack]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ericeinsmann5559]

@@TheClackShack any hints on how to get the lines to match exactly? So far, it has proven to be a challenge for me... 🤔

[@TheClackShack]

@@ericeinsmann5559 , zoom in until you cant anymore, move lines on top of each other

[@solsnapper2141]

Brilliant time saver! Probably a little late now, but you could fit 4 boxes on your sheet of ply, now that you have bunched them up. Thanks from the UK.

[@TheClackShack]

I noticed it to after it was almost done

[@shawndostie6846]

I struggled to watch since I don't even have lightburn yet, but well worth the information. I was like... why?! Now I know, Thanks!

[@TheClackShack]

Glad it was helpful!

[@carloszelaya7650]

Thank you for a great video, I try your tip with a 400mm Heart, and I cut it up and also used a better way that does not need to cut it up. Original time = 4 hours ( Cut Time = 38:56 Mins) (Un-Cut original with "Flood Fill = ON" Time = 38:46 mins). The Flood Fill setting is in the Advance Tab in the Cut Setting Editor.

[@TheClackShack]

Cool

[@newmexicosolarmade]

Great tips. And I hit up MayMay.

[@TheClackShack]

Cool, Thanks...

[@richhflies]

This is a technique that I hadn't thought of, and it will definitely be handy. Thanks. I also use the Offset Fill on a number of things if it's a simple design. That isn't always the effect you want, though, since the laser will be changing directions, so it isn't the cure-all for cutting time. What you've shown us here is definitely a good tool to have in the toolbox. Thanks! The downside, though, of overlapping the box cuts is that you can make the box joints fit tighter if you separate the pieces, because the kerf will alllow some slack in the joints. I would have aligned the straight edges of those pieces that have straight edges, including having the fingers touch each other (but without overlapping), and then adjust the finger sizes to get a good fit accounting for the kerf.

[@TheClackShack]

These are glue up boxes. They will stay together without glue but to be used for their intended purpose, they will be glued. I have played with the snap together boxes but to me, they work better with glue.

[@bakyard1623]

If the Walmart shop vac doesn’t last get a ridgid shop vacuum they guarantee them for life and even the batteries. Keep up the great work. I can’t wait till I get my d1 pro finished setting up.

[@TheClackShack]

Good idea…thanks

[@craftsmadepersonal1096]

Thanks for sharing

[@TheClackShack]

Your welcome

[@dwightevans3352]

BTW thanks for showing us the tips in lightburn, I’m sure it will helpful when my wife’s laser shows up.

[@TheClackShack]

Maybe so, the wait is the worst

[@nctplarry]

UTTERLY Fantastic, Super Dave!! This reminds me of my days teaching Instructional Technology at MS State University when, in classes (graduate, especially) that involved students having to maximize screen space on product layouts was a real "stress maker" (for the students). This example you showed us would have been terrific! Hmmm. As I think about it, I think I'll share this episode with my son and daughter-in-law who teach in the Art Department (graphic design, advanced typography, advanced web design, etc.) at Jacksonville State University, 'cause this will be precious material for them to use. Now, I could just get them to drop a few coins into your tip jar when they do so, that'd be über cool! And, don't worry! My wife has been a MayMay follower for quite a while for making wreaths, etc., so we'll go over there and give her some "payback"!! So, thanks for yet another great job, sir. ~Dr. Larry S. Anderson • Tupelo, MS (birthplace of Elvis) [Follow-up: Payback bomb just left on Maymay's YT channel! Fun!]

[@TheClackShack]

Thank you sir. Appreciate it

[@rosswille4336]

I'm glad you were able to try out my idea and that it saved you so much time. And, thank you for sharing it with everyone! You could make your heart burn even faster by setting the Scan Angle to 90 degrees for the top layer of the heart. But, wood engraves a little differently when the laser scans parallel with the grain vs. cross grain, so you may not like the end result. Burn a smaller heart on some of that scrap wood and see...

[@TheClackShack]

Thanks, that was a good tip. I am still learning, if I can get time to experiment I will try that.

[@rosswille4336]

@@TheClackShack I just played with Flood Fill on a wreath design and it is a quick way to help reduce white space, but it still traverses more than it should. When I split the wreath into sections (like you did) I got faster times than using Flood Fill. So, Flood Fill is a quick way to eliminate most of the white space, but you can probably do better by splitting the image intelligently. If you're doing repetitive burns it may still be worth your time to optimize it manually.

[@TheClackShack]

@@rosswille4336 , yes, it’s hard to see how it could get much better than the results from cutting it up

[@rickhoguerealtor]

I did it on May May's Channel

[@TheClackShack]

Thanks for watching.

[@nigelknight1435]

Good video, my suggestion would be once you have your second box (the blue part of the Heart) done, you could just use mirror image tool for the third black box, which would save you time.

[@TheClackShack]

That is an option. Thanks

[@TexasHobbyGuy]

Love the time saving technique, thank you, i will use this idea. Just noticed that instead of doing 3 boxes per sheet, why don't you fill it up with about 1/2 a box more pieces, and do the other 1/2 a box on the 2nd sheet, that way you have less waste wood, and you will get an extra box out of every 2 sheets. cheers from Dallas Texas y'all

[@TheClackShack]

Because I was in a hurry, i work on other jobs while i am engraving. If I do another batch, I will likely add one.

[@miguelbou4008]

First- thanks awesome. Thanks. Second- save another 15% by deleting the single box on the right and copy paste the two boxes. Giving you 4 boxes on one sheet. Sorry for your buddy will get less scrap. LOL.

[@TheClackShack]

I have found many more ways to save time since this video… work in progress

[@billieb]

Thank you for sharing. I kept thinking there should be some way to overlap lines but like you, did not know enough about lightburn (yet!) Also, would you share what you charged for the boxes?

[@TheClackShack]

I just overlayed them and removed overlapping lines.

[@aussiejay6300]

Very helpful... would have been nice to see an assembled box and maybe the process in the design... I'll subscribe...

[@TheClackShack]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2PWe4h6h8iNbNU, thanks

[@jd1399]

Great video, ive just started following you. I was wondering if you had set you laser to not travel over the white area's that cuts down the travel time a great deal. i couldnt tell in the video. Thanks

[@TheClackShack]

It depends on the machine and the design. Sometimes I do

[@Zentient1]

Of course, you could consider turning on Flood Fill in the advanced tab of the fill layer... the heart time would drop dramatically

[@TheClackShack]

I will look into that as well... thanks

[@24Hobbes24]

I second this. The flood fill option cuts down a lot of time eliminating whitespace

[@insideout144]

Try flood fill.

[@nicky23981]

I thought he did have it on flood fill🤔, don't have anything up and running yet, getting set up, watching all i can... and in the mode section it said fill, is that something different? Thanks

[@robertprice9052]

Great tip. I have an old 4.2W laser on my Xcarve and I’ve built a few stove toppers. I complete the topper, use a table spoon of borax in warm water on the wood. When dry I stain the wood and then another coat of borax. I convert my image into a vector and burn on flood fill. It burns quickly, the borax gives me a black engrave. Spray with poly a few coats and everything’s good. I’m about to buy an Atomstack. I want a laser with good size and as much power as I can get for now. Thanks for the videos! Keep em’ coming.

[@BlueSkyCreativesAL]

FYI, By moving the right side box parts, up even with the top box on the left a large open usable wood area would remain on the bottom right quadrant instead of two smaller areas at top & bottom of right side above and below the right side box parts AND it should reduce the Cut time even further, I believe.

[@TheClackShack]

maybe

[@andigonecreative]

Thank you so much for teaching me how to adjust the distance the selected object goes with using keyboard arrows. As a tip to speed up your design chopping (which I'm so excited to implement), I would suggest editing the file in a different software that has a knife tool and then exporting it as a svg. I personally use my silhouette studio designer edition ($30ish flat fee for upgrade that allows svg export). It literally has a knife the will take the orginal object and slice it cleanly without the need to make duplicates of your object. (Make sure the solid object is selected top left) Then once you do that, group your cut sections together. Or use make compound path and that will make as of its one object. I'm sure you will figure out easy. I actually use that to design and port over to lightburn all the time. It's an easier designer software. Technically it's for my silhouette blade cutter machines, but I use it to design for all my stuff and port over to whatever software I need. Hope it helps

[@TheClackShack]

Another software might help but for now I am using what I have. I have found some new tricks to make it much faster to get the results. Thanks for watching...

[@andigonecreative]

I just Google it for you for a light burn fix. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4jVZ39mq65-p9E

[@lioneljules9607]

Nice work, you save even more time if you set it on offset fill. Eliminate white space

[@TheClackShack]

Not in every design. Some take longer with offset. I preview with each method to determine which one is best. Also, sometimes the laser lines look better without either setting.

[@lioneljules9607]

@@TheClackShack you're absolutely right but offset work well with circles. Like your video though. Thanks

[@nicky23981]

Maybe i missed something, but how come you had the 3 sections of the heart, set to cut at different speed & power?. Also with the boxes, doesn't that mess the kerf line up? Do they still fit snug? Thank so much for your videos, you're easy to watch, very down to earth👊... & let me move my little head had me dying🤣💀

[@TheClackShack]

I cut the design into pieces and make them different layers. The boxes fit just fine, thanks for watching.

[@mikeswaim2670]

You may want to look in the Cut Setting Editor when doing a fill and make sure the Bi-Directional Fill is clicked on.

[@TheClackShack]

OK

[@BlueSkyCreativesAL]

Put all pieces on the same Layer if desired. If you do, click the Optimize button on the Laser Tab and process by Group. Each Heart part is a ‘Group’ and will burn separately and in an order of LB’s choosing. Verifiable in Preview.

[@TheClackShack]

yea

[@BlueSkyCreativesAL]

And the Male MayMay Made them… or MayMayClack Made It… LOL. 🎉😂 She needs a NEW Logo with YOUR picture on it…😂😂😂😊😊😊

[@TheClackShack]

maybe

[@TheFalconJetDriver]

Have you updated your lightburn software. Because I have a later version that lets me reduce the white space in other words the trace would not be in the traditional left tonight scan but follow the path of the burn.😁🛫

[@TheClackShack]

This is an older video, lightburn has changed slightly since then.

[@SwervingLemon]

Could have used your green heart piece to cut the excess off your other two layers before cutting those in half as well. Then you'd know for a fact that they were zero-overlap. Edit: Forgot to say thanks for posting, but I mean it. Love the helpful spirit of the LightBurn user base.

[@TheClackShack]

There is really no limit to what you can do. I wouldn't spend 20 minutes fixing to save 10. Just an illustration

[@GokouZWAR]

Flood fill would help. Alternatively use offset fill. You’d probably drop it down to 10 minutes with offset fill with the original. Look into it.

[@TheClackShack]

Not with this design. Some it does

[@Daemonforce-Gaming]

Hi what camera do you use for lightburn d1 pro laser thanks

[@TheClackShack]

I have several, I am moving into the fisheye lens now to make height less of an issue. If you search my content for "camera" you will find videos on the application of several.

[@Daemonforce-Gaming]

@The Clack Shack awsum thank you, fantastic videos by the way getting my 1st xtool which is the 5watt / 40watt bundle can't wait your videos are very helpful thank you

[@j4nch]

I'm curious, what is the advantage of cutting this in several part instead of doing an "offset fill" instead of a fill? Also, when "cutting 2 piece with one cut", do you have to adjust your file for the kerf or something? I'm curious, when doing those boxes, do you do anything to clean a bit the edge to prevent your customer to have some burned stuff on their finger?

[@TheClackShack]

It removed the travel area in the center. If you want to press lock the boxes yes, you have to allow for kerf. These are glue ups. That’s more of a preference thing.

[@j4nch]

@@TheClackShack Yeah I understand, but the "offset fill"(that you choose instead of "fill" in the engraving mode basically do only a continous perimeter, so you have no whitespace at all(well, one whitespace move between each filled element), it's only one click to activate and I'm curious if your method of splitting the object is still faster or not? Personally, switching from fill to offset fill did reduce drastically the engraving time.

[@TheClackShack]

@@j4nch , I will look into it. There are lots of mode settings that I haven't used.

[@j4nch]

@@TheClackShack Same here, brand new interesting world for me :)

[@johndeaux9987]

Is kerf offset not an issue when using only one line to cut? I'd think the joints would be loose, are they not?

[@TheClackShack]

It depends on what the intended use is. If glueing, it doesn’t matter. The machines that I run have a very small kerf and only on snap lock designs does it matter.

[@johndeaux9987]

@@TheClackShack are these boxes glued? I'm new to this and using a Xtool D1 pro 20w, just trying to figure it all out! I made some pallet coasters just playing around and they definitely needed to be glued, no tightness at all....that's what started me down this kerf rabbit hole LOL....thanks for the reply! .... I will say that I tried this technique on the palate coaster and it cut the time from 42 to 26 min per coaster! I solved the kerf problem by using kerf offset just in the holes vs.tabs

[@TheClackShack]

@@johndeaux9987 , if you want them tight. Add kerf. If you forget to add kerf, add glue.... lol. I glue some and others I build as snap together.

[@robmyers316]

Great Video but, been tryin' for 2 days, and I can't seem to get it - would you be so kind as to gimme a step by step rundown, Please

[@TheClackShack]

I can try when I have a chance. Sorry

[@chucklenz9011]

Now that is some serious constructive machine time reducing elements. I think ur finally getting into the element of the industrial engineer. They tell u the fastest way to cut, deburr, assemble, paint and ship the product. In the short form 1. Eliminate all waste motions in burning. 2. Do as much of the side labor elements while the machine is cutting. 3. Do as much of the support labor elements during the machine cycle time. Like rubber banding the pieces after the machine starts cutting ur next parts. If u spend 2 minutes removing and bundling the pieces while the machine waits for u your not very efficient. There’s a whole industry designed to eliminate wait time.

[@TheClackShack]

I maximize as much as i can...thanks

[@steenstavnshoj1967]

To me it looks like you could fit in four boxes on that single sheet jut by moving the box on the right side upwards and make one additional box below that...

[@TheClackShack]

It may be possible but I didn't want to push it. I may modify the burn but and hour works out great for timing the reload.

[@prestonclark6472]

Doesn't "offset fill" accomplish the same thing by eliminating the laser from crossing over the white space?

[@TheClackShack]

Not exactly, it does help with time but makes random engrave lines based on shape

[@michaelklews9412]

Could you put a fourth box on your jig?

[@TheClackShack]

Could but my 16x16 panels are tough to make it fit. Faster with3

[@rodneymontague9987]

You’d think that would be built into the software?

[@TheClackShack]

It is, you just have to set it up right in design.

[@jimmcdevitt1565]

Try offset fill instead of fill. The laser follows the shape with no white space. the heart you cut up will take about 10 minutes to burn, without cutting it up

[@TheClackShack]

I have tried it but didn't like the look of the burn lines. Thanks though

[@signptr]

Cutting your boxes, have tried or considered cutting four at time? To save even more wood.

[@TheClackShack]

With that setup, 3 was what fit without worries of alignment. This wood cost me $2 a sheet and the waste is minimal

[@BlueSkyCreativesAL]

Curious… Why not put the Split Heart in your Art Library as ‘Heart - Split’ or ‘Heart - Segmented’ as opposed to saving a Template? Just a preference or is there a Filing System involved? TIA. I use a 7TB WDMYCLOUD for a NAS very similar to your “Clack Share” mapped G: drive but I don’t have it mapped. I just use the \\Network-resource-name\ to access files. Forgot you could mapped to Drive letters this way… 😂 👍

[@TheClackShack]

I segment my frquently used designs. Most of the time, the art files are used to add other graphics in the creation of new graphics. It would all get welded back together in the process.

[@UnitTx1953]

Lightburn have a fast whitespace scan. Have you tried it? Go to edit, device settings, Look in the middle of page. Check it and enter 7000 in the box. Each time Lightburn finds Whitespace it will zoom over it fast. Set it one time and it will do it all the time.

[@TheClackShack]

Yea, I run that already. It helped but alone just wasn’t enough.

[@TrevorMatthews]

I get it in concept but I'm having trouble actually understanding. I tried replicating the exact same design with a heart. If I draw it as a shape it follows the path and completes in minutes. If I use a SVG, it still follows the Line. If I bring it in as a PNG then it wants to process it as an image and would take over an hour, but would I ever really do that or would I just Trace the image which brings it back down to minutes. I'm just not sure of the scenario where I'd add some line art and let it process like an image? I think I just don't understand the initial scenario

[@TheClackShack]

Removing white space makes them go faster. Trace it and make it a raster

[@chrisrowley4732]

Simpler way is to use flood fill, this automatically does what your forcing it to do (use fill then in layer pop up select advanced tab then turn flood fill on)

[@TheClackShack]

Flood fill time was longer. Also the burn pattern was not to my liking

[@chrisrowley4732]

@@TheClackShack yes it is slightly longer, not by much, but you keep the job much simpler. especially for complicated designs

[@BlueSkyCreativesAL]

If the Heart ❤️ is symmetrical, you should be able to dupe then flip the Blue piece Horizontally and move it over the black piece. Easier & faster than using cropping again on the black layer.

[@TheClackShack]

I use the duplicate to get it done faster now.

[@BlueSkyCreativesAL]

@@TheClackShack OK, cool. Just thought I would mention it since it’s saved me lots of time in certain situations.

[@woodknack1]

Wouldn't it be easier to just go into your cut settings and click on flood fill?

[@TheClackShack]

Still takes longer

[@BeamSmith-xo6ws]

yes it works but by round shape like a mandala what is filled inside I can't find a way how to improve the engraving time

[@TheClackShack]

Sometime, there isn't much you can do

[@BeamSmith-xo6ws]

@@TheClackShack any idea how i can switch from trucking 10 to 14days on road to full time laser engraving with income of 4000$net needed?have the same atezr p20 laser as you have.would like to have the money for a CO2 laser but so expensive.

[@TheClackShack]

Each situation is different and how much you can make varies. Mine is a side hussle and not my main income, it has also taken me 3 years to get it built to where I am. @@BeamSmith-xo6ws

[@BeamSmith-xo6ws]

@@TheClackShack What is your main income and do you have a plan from your enclosurezilla what you could share with me?Try to build a enclosure and yours looking really great.

[@BeamSmith-xo6ws]

@@TheClackShack good thing takes always a lot of time and effort but it's worth the journey

[@deborahwhitman5828]

Well…… I don’t have a laser yet but I’m looking and have found a 10 w for 500

[@TheClackShack]

There are lots of good ones out there..

[@chrisrowley4732]

Couldnt you mirror the first 2 and get 4 on a sheet

[@TheClackShack]

Assuming that each sheet of plywood was exactly the same size, you might. The plywood isn’t all the same size so no. Also, the time it would take to move pieces with every burn would cost me more than the wasted material.

[@chrisrowley4732]

​@@TheClackShack sorry the stack in the background looked like your raw materials and all looked the same size, shame on me for trying to save you waste.

[@TheClackShack]

@@chrisrowley4732 they are close but vary 1 to 2 inches

[@jimbauer6822]

Just use line fill without all this work

[@TheClackShack]

You do it your way, I will do it mine.

[@cavinriddle]

Looks like you could have got 4 per piece.

[@TheClackShack]

Maybe, not worth the trouble when the sheets vary.

[@northseacowboy]

I'm not saving much time waiting for you to get to the point 😂

[@TheClackShack]

Well maybe the video just isn't for you. Good day

[@Chucka1463]

Why not just trace it and turn it into a vector file. Then there is zero white space and there's no reason to cut up the image.

[@TheClackShack]

It is a vector but there is a large blank area in the middle that it has to cross.

[@Chucka1463]

@@TheClackShack If you change it from Fill to Offset Fill it goes around the outside and doesn't cross the white space at all.

[@geraldlamothe6091]

You don't have to do all that...Just turn on flood fill and voila!A 5hrs44min job with flood fill off, with flood fill on...Bam!44minutes,,,There...I just saved you more time...Loll

[@TheClackShack]

Wow, I tried that setting and it really does make a difference on hollow designs. Thanks..

[@TheClackShack]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5Wlha2mpdB6l8U, thanks. Gave you props..

[@Tom-xn9kx]

Literally none of this is necessary, just use flood fill

[@TheClackShack]

Compare the results, it is necessary to get the times that I get. Flood fill changes the burn pattern and will not give the same results.

[@ipod1575]

I like you work but you talk to much just to explain something simple

[@TheClackShack]

I think that I talk just enough… thanks

[@dwightevans3352]

Done brother, I posted on one of Maymay’s videos #paybackfromtheclackshack

[@TheClackShack]

Thanks…