New guy with some initial generic questions :)

[Brent Franker]

Hello!

I'm a new guy here and to laser engraving but just wanted to stop in and say Hello :D

Just a little info... I've had a Epilog Legend 36EXT 75 watt laser for several months and haven't even had a chance to get it hooked up yet. I have a full time + job which has been taking up all my time lately but am going to attempt to get my laser up and running in the next couple weeks. I've been doing vinyl graphics for years so am familiar with graphics, vector design, etc. related to that. I had been wanting a laser machine to expand my capabilities for many years and finally pulled the trigger.

In several Google searches I've done I get directed to Sawmill Creek so this looks to be the place to be for the laser people :)

I do have a couple very generic questions (with more to come later I'm sure! LOL) to hopefully help get me started. I really have no "live" person/friend to turn to with my laser machine questions because I think I'm the only guy in town with one and I don't know hardly anything about this myself. Kinda just dove in head first. Haha

1) Any recommendations on where to by materials? Acrylic, anodized aluminum, etc. I have found many places via searches but I like hearing from guys and gals like yourself and who you have had good experiences with. One material, specifically that I'm interested in, would be a material like a mouse pad. One of my ideas is in my car there is this foam rubber pad in the cup holders. It is black. People like to modify these cars so I'm thinking of a simple use of my laser would be to cut out these cup holder shapes in different colors for people to match the color of their car. Sounds like a simple project to get me started but I have no idea where to buy mouse pad like material in a 4'x8' sheet or whatever bulk size it might come in.

2) Another thing I'd like to do is cut items out of acrylic and sell these with a 3M double sided sticky tape stuck on the backside. I did some searching for 3M sticky tape "sheets" to purchase but as you can imagine, way too many hits of the wrong stuff. I actually don't even know for sure the concept behind this but I've seen it on products and I presume you'd cut the acrylic shape and then cut the 3M tape shape slightly smaller... but that's just a guess. Any recommendations or links you might be able to point me to to get me started?

3) Is there a good reference out there that I can read just to begin to understand the basics of laser cutting/engraving... like Lasering for Dummies or something like that. LOL I'd rather not waste the time of the experts (you guys) with super basic questions if there is some good reading available I can do first. I've read through many pages here on different topics but in most cases everyone already knows what they are doing and the questions are very specific.

Thanks much for any pointers you might be able to give the new guy :cool: Looks like you guys have a great community here and I look forward to participating and maybe even one day being able to answer a few questions instead of just asking them. LOL

[Dee Gallo]

Welcome to the Creek, Brent! If you start reading posts here starting from the beginning, you will learn more than any book or tutorial will teach you. Plus you will see some of the evolution in techniques and materials from lots of different people in different parts of the country and world. Where are you from? There may be someone near you that you don't know about.

You'll be able to find answers to your basic questions and beyond.

cheers, dee

[Rodne Gold]

Welcome , do what Dee said.
As to the double sided tape , you will waste time and money by providing full coverage tape and cutting it , just use a few strips of whats called a VHB touble sided tape..(Very high bond)
As to purchasing supplies , the first place I would try is your local signage supply house..In fact a good strategy might be to go to the various signage co's and beg for offcuts to practice with and then try to get em to use your services for various signage related items they do as well as for them to refer customers to you in terms of jobs they don't wish to or can't tackle.

[Dan Hintz]

Or if you're really lazy and find yourself cutting a lot of plastic that needs tape on it, the major supply houses offer the sheets with the tape already on it for a few $s more.

[Larry Bratton]

Welcome to the Creek Brent. You must be a hugely patient guy, how in the world did you last that long without hooking up a great machine???? Most folks can't wait to get them up and running. Here are a couple of suggestions from another Epilog EXT owner.

There are lots of places to buy materials. You don't say where you are located, so I'll be basic in my response. One of the first places I used when I started a few years ago was Laserbits. http://www.laserbits.com/. I bought materials from them and also bought a subscription to their Laser University training. It costs about a $100 and is well worth it for someone just starting out with this endeavor. You might also look at Johnson Plastics, they are a great source of Rowmark engraving plastics and other materials and supplies. http://www.johnsonplastics.com/ JP has a pretty wide assortment of tapes for use by engravers, just check out what they have. The VHB tapes that Rodney mentions are good, but they are also expensive. JP has one in their stock that is a less expensive alternative.
This forum is a huge resource. Some people read it from the first post, that goes back several years to date. To me, that requires a lot of time and I personally like things that are packaged up like the Laser University thing. Epilog Laser's site has a lot of info on it, check it out also. If you get in a jam, their tech service is very good and gets top ratings here with the membership.

Hope this helps, and have good luck with your machine.

[Richard Rumancik]

If you want a 3M tape I would suggest something like 3M 467MP or 468MP. There are other variations out there and you have to read the data sheet for detailed info. It depends on what you will be sticking the acrylic part to as well. For rough surfaces a .005" thick tape is better. Otherwise .002" is okay. If you want to adhere to "low surface energy" materials (hard to stick to) you will need a LSE (low surface energy) tape. I recommend that if you are manually applying tape you just buy rolls of factory cut 1" wide or 2" wide rolls. I keep both on hand and it works well. If you try to apply a wide strip you need proper fixturing and you can waste tape AND the substrate if you get a wrinkle. You won't get the tape off anytime soon to try again. With Rowmark you will likely ruin the sheet before you get it off. I can apply adjacent strips of 2" tape fairly accurately without special dispensers, applicators etc. I bought a roll of 6" wide tape which was a mistake. I could never get it to apply well. Also, it was cut from a wider roll by my distributor, not by 3M. This left a lot of smeared adhesive coming out the edges of the roll which causes big problems. Some distributors might be able to do a better job but I was unhappy as this adhesive tape won't unroll well.

3M is expensive but it works. For industrial applications it is often warranted. There may be cheaper adhesives for low-tech applications. If you buy PSA tape store it in a cool place FLAT or else the rolls will telescope.

Look in the yellow pages under "adhesives". If there is a sign supplier (that sells vinyl etc to sign shops) they will probably have PSA tape.

Here's a 3M reference:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/electronics/home/productsandservices/products/TapesAdhesives/AdhesiveTransferTape/

[Martin Boekers]

Welcome aboard! Where are you located?

Check out the trade shows, ARA (the Mother of Award & Recognition trade shows)
NBM a smaller but viable show as it includes signage & printwear. It has various
sites stateside through out the year.

Check out Epilog's website they do have supplier info.

Engraver's Journal is nice too as it has digital magazines and a suppliers listing also.
This will get you started.

Do you do dye sub?

Marty

[Brent Franker]

Thank you all for the great welcome and recommendations!


Welcome to the Creek, Brent! If you start reading posts here starting from the beginning, you will learn more than any book or tutorial will teach you. Plus you will see some of the evolution in techniques and materials from lots of different people in different parts of the country and world. Where are you from? There may be someone near you that you don't know about.

You'll be able to find answers to your basic questions and beyond.

cheers, dee

Start from the beginning and start reading... 11,000+ threads :eek: LOL

I'll definitely read random old threads as I can but I might not have time to do that all at once. ;)


Welcome , do what Dee said.
As to the double sided tape , you will waste time and money by providing full coverage tape and cutting it , just use a few strips of whats called a VHB touble sided tape..(Very high bond)
As to purchasing supplies , the first place I would try is your local signage supply house..In fact a good strategy might be to go to the various signage co's and beg for offcuts to practice with and then try to get em to use your services for various signage related items they do as well as for them to refer customers to you in terms of jobs they don't wish to or can't tackle.

Thanks for the recommendation on the tape. I do high quality automobile vinyl right now and am thinking about making some of my items out of acrylic rather than vinyl. Some of the smaller non rectangular stuff may require custom fit tape but I'll definitely try to get around that if I can.

I also live in a smaller town so there are, unfortunately, no sign supply places and I'm pretty sure nobody around here even does lasering so my options are pretty limited.


Or if you're really lazy and find yourself cutting a lot of plastic that needs tape on it, the major supply houses offer the sheets with the tape already on it for a few $s more.

That's great! When you (or anyone else do this) do you just make one cut where plastic and tape are the same shape/size? I've seen products done like this but I've also seen them where the tape is contoured about 1/16" to the inside of the edge of the plastic. Can this be done with a laser machine like mine or can we only do the single cut same size plastic/sticky tape?


Welcome to the Creek Brent. You must be a hugely patient guy, how in the world did you last that long without hooking up a great machine???? Most folks can't wait to get them up and running. Here are a couple of suggestions from another Epilog EXT owner.

There are lots of places to buy materials. You don't say where you are located, so I'll be basic in my response. One of the first places I used when I started a few years ago was Laserbits. http://www.laserbits.com/. I bought materials from them and also bought a subscription to their Laser University training. It costs about a $100 and is well worth it for someone just starting out with this endeavor. You might also look at Johnson Plastics, they are a great source of Rowmark engraving plastics and other materials and supplies. http://www.johnsonplastics.com/ JP has a pretty wide assortment of tapes for use by engravers, just check out what they have. The VHB tapes that Rodney mentions are good, but they are also expensive. JP has one in their stock that is a less expensive alternative.
This forum is a huge resource. Some people read it from the first post, that goes back several years to date. To me, that requires a lot of time and I personally like things that are packaged up like the Laser University thing. Epilog Laser's site has a lot of info on it, check it out also. If you get in a jam, their tech service is very good and gets top ratings here with the membership.

Hope this helps, and have good luck with your machine.

LOL! Yes, that helps greatly and I'll be checking those links out soon. THANKS! I am a pretty patient guy... actually, I'm just overly busy with not much free time. But, it is going to be hard to pay for that machine if I don't at least get it plugged in so I need to get crackin! haha

One other thing I'd like to do, is engrave the layered dual color plastic. Many years ago at my job I worked with an engraving machine and made signs and labels. I have read a little about doing this with a laser. Seems like a bit of trial and error to get the right power, speed, etc. and I'll just have to dig in and do some practicing and experimenting :)


If you want a 3M tape I would suggest something like 3M 467MP or 468MP. There are other variations out there and you have to read the data sheet for detailed info. It depends on what you will be sticking the acrylic part to as well. For rough surfaces a .005" thick tape is better. Otherwise .002" is okay. If you want to adhere to "low surface energy" materials (hard to stick to) you will need a LSE (low surface energy) tape. I recommend that if you are manually applying tape you just buy rolls of factory cut 1" wide or 2" wide rolls. I keep both on hand and it works well. If you try to apply a wide strip you need proper fixturing and you can waste tape AND the substrate if you get a wrinkle. You won't get the tape off anytime soon to try again. With Rowmark you will likely ruin the sheet before you get it off. I can apply adjacent strips of 2" tape fairly accurately without special dispensers, applicators etc. I bought a roll of 6" wide tape which was a mistake. I could never get it to apply well. Also, it was cut from a wider roll by my distributor, not by 3M. This left a lot of smeared adhesive coming out the edges of the roll which causes big problems. Some distributors might be able to do a better job but I was unhappy as this adhesive tape won't unroll well.

3M is expensive but it works. For industrial applications it is often warranted. There may be cheaper adhesives for low-tech applications. If you buy PSA tape store it in a cool place FLAT or else the rolls will telescope.

Look in the yellow pages under "adhesives". If there is a sign supplier (that sells vinyl etc to sign shops) they will probably have PSA tape.

Here's a 3M reference:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/electronics/home/productsandservices/products/TapesAdhesives/AdhesiveTransferTape/

Thanks for that trial and error advice so now I won't make the same mistake :) Since I'll be doing mostly smaller high end automobile stuff with this, I'm primarily looking to stick these items to paint. Sounds like you are doing larger signs maybe where you are using the strips? I'm thinking that for smaller letters and emblems I may need to buy the plastic with the tape already on it but will look at these links and see what they have to offer.


Welcome aboard! Where are you located?

Check out the trade shows, ARA (the Mother of Award & Recognition trade shows)
NBM a smaller but viable show as it includes signage & printwear. It has various
sites stateside through out the year.

Check out Epilog's website they do have supplier info.

Engraver's Journal is nice too as it has digital magazines and a suppliers listing also.
This will get you started.

Do you do dye sub?

Marty

I'm located in Inverness, FL (central part). There is a huge show in Orlando every year or two which I've gone to for my vinyl stuff but did see Epilog setup there. I'll definitely be trying to make it to the next one!

I don't do any dye sub. Most everything I do is smaller cut vinyl graphics which I mail to customers. I don't do any local large "signage" unless it is for a friend or something. I do have a 54" printer/cutter and laminator to do vehicle wraps and such but my printer heads are clogged at the moment because I let the machine sit too long without being used :( ARGH! Hopefully the laser won't get messed up from lack of use and if so, I'm in trouble. LOL

Thanks all for the recommendations and starting points. I'm going to try and get the machine hooked up next week and play around with a few items to get a feel for it. If I find myself too lost I may just need to call the local Epilog rep and have him come down and give me some pointers. I called them several months ago and they'd do that... for a pretty penny of course so if I can I'll try to figure it out on my own first :)

[Dan Hintz]

Start from the beginning and start reading... 11,000+ threads :eek: LOL

I'll definitely read random old threads as I can but I might not have time to do that all at once. ;)
I started at the first thread a couple of years back... took me a solid 6 weeks of nearly 40-hr weeks to get to the present. It was a haul, but the info I garnered was amazingly useful.

[Brent Franker]

I started at the first thread a couple of years back... took me a solid 6 weeks of nearly 40-hr weeks to get to the present. It was a haul, but the info I garnered was amazingly useful.

Wowza, Dan! While I'd love to be able to do that, it just isn't possible. I do this vinyl and lasering stuff on the side for fun and a little extra money. I work probably 50+ hours a week at my 'real' job plus do a couple online things so that just isn't an option for me. In my down time though I will definitely be reading here as I can see there is a wealth of information available that I know will help me greatly!

[Larry Bratton]

"Thanks all for the recommendations and starting points. I'm going to try and get the machine hooked up next week and play around with a few items to get a feel for it. If I find myself too lost I may just need to call the local Epilog rep and have him come down and give me some pointers. I called them several months ago and they'd do that... for a pretty penny of course so if I can I'll try to figure it out on my own first :)"

My Epilog rep came in, helped set up the machine, checked out everything and got us going. He then waltzed out the door with the 50% balance I owed him and that was the last I saw of him. Since that time, he has been totally useless. That's been about 4 years ago. So, your just as well off learning it on your own or with the help of tech support and of course this forum.

[Brent Franker]

My Epilog rep came in, helped set up the machine, checked out everything and got us going. He then waltzed out the door with the 50% balance I owed him and that was the last I saw of him. Since that time, he has been totally useless. That's been about 4 years ago. So, your just as well off learning it on your own or with the help of tech support and of course this forum.

That is very good to know. Thank you. I recall it was $700 for them to come down and basically check it out and go over the machine and spend some time with me answering questions. That will definitely be a last resort.

[Larry Bratton]

That is very good to know. Thank you. I recall it was $700 for them to come down and basically check it out and go over the machine and spend some time with me answering questions. That will definitely be a last resort.

If it is a new machine and he sold it to you, that is bull. He needs to do that for free.
How long has this machine been sitting in your location? I am wondering what kind of effect it is having on the laser tube. Its not good for these machines to sit idle for long periods of time. I hate to think about having to replace a 75 watt Epilog tube. Normal warranty is two years, but remember, the clock is running on it. I replaced mine under warranty right under the two year anniversary.

[Brent Franker]

If it is a new machine and he sold it to you, that is bull. He needs to do that for free.
How long has this machine been sitting in your location? I am wondering what kind of effect it is having on the laser tube. Its not good for these machines to sit idle for long periods of time. I hate to think about having to replace a 75 watt Epilog tube. Normal warranty is two years, but remember, the clock is running on it. I replaced mine under warranty right under the two year anniversary.

I bought the machine used and it is 4 years old so out of warranty and why there would be a charge from Epilog to come check it out. I was told that it wouldn't hurt the laser to sit and not get used... maybe that is because I told them it is in an air conditioned room? I too hate to have to think about replacing that tube so hopefully I won't and it sitting in the climate controlled room won't be a problem. I'm really hoping you're talking about letting it sit like in a garage or something. LOL Fingers crossed :)

[Larry Bratton]

Well maybe. I would still get it plugged up and at least be sure it is firing ok. I try not to let my machine go over a week without running it. I don't know exactly what happens to them, maybe Dan can chime in here and elaborate, I just know it's not a good practice. It's good that it is in an air conditioned room. Epilog voids the warranty if operated in 90 degrees or above.

[Dan Hintz]

Climate-controlled is the biggest plus here. The biggest "killer" is running it for an hour, then leaving it sit for an hour, then running it again, etc. The changing heat/cool cycles allow for changing seal conditions as different parts of the cartridge heat/cool... this means minor leaks until temp equalizes. Not running it for long periods of time allows the gas inside to disassociate faster (though the rate is in question, IMO), so that's something else to consider. My system can go for long periods of time without use while I'm working on other things, but after two years everything appears to be fine (though I really need to run another test to make sure nothing is dropping in power).

[Larry Bratton]

Thanks Dan for bringing us up to date on that. Once he gets the machine in operation, it would probably be a good idea to rent the power checker and see exactly where he is. I would bet he isn't at a full 75 watts, given the fact that it was 4 yrs old when he got it and more time yet has past. That would be interesting to know.

[Brent Franker]

Thanks very much for the info, guys. I will let you know how it goes. I know the tube had been replaced at least once. The laser is in very good shape and well cared for but was in a very active shop and used daily. I watched it in action prior to loading it up so know it did work.

I'll check into the power checker gizmo. I have no idea what that is or how to go about renting one but I'll do some digging once I get everything up and running.

Thanks!

[Larry Bratton]

Laserbits rents them. Just check on their site.

[Tony Daurio]

Welcome fellow SMC newbie. Laserbits is a great source for laser engraving items. Also JDS and Marco Plastics. Roy Brewers' site engrave.ca has alot of useful lasering information. You would also be surprised how many Youtube videos there are about the graphics software in general, and lasering.

[Martin Boekers]

Reading all the posts is the most invaluable tool available, consider it "free education",

I'll wager you will find things that some of us have toyed with that you may never have thought
of.

If you decide against it, please make use of the forum's search engine as most anything you'll
have a question about has been addressed here at one time or another.

You'll see that when someone new comes on board the first thing that will be recommended is to
read the posts.

Consider those hours reading as a "right of passage" and part of your investment in yourself.;)

[Nestor Fernandez]

I'm also a "new guy", but I've had my laser for many years now. I used it to make control panels for a portable amp I used to manufacture, but a house/office/manufacturing facility fire caused me to put all that on hold. My wife and I have since been ramping up a new website for sales of laser etched items and have been lucky enough to have an acrylic distributor (E-T Plastics) near me (35 miles away), so this cuts down on the price of materials. I checked out their website (http://www.e-tplastics.com/html/locations.html) and they have a facility in Ft. Lauderdale. I'm not sure how far that is from you, but it might be worth a trip to pick up materials from them. I have a Epilog Mini 24 (35W) laser, which has a 12 x 24 bed, so I had them cut a 4 x 8 sheet into 16 pieces for me. The total cost came in under $8.00/sheet for 1/4" cell cast acrylic. The paper coating peels off very easily and the etching is FANTASTIC! I had never tried cast acrylic before (never even knew it existed), but after reading a whole lot of posts here I thought I had to try it. VERY glad I did. I've got a looong way to go with preparing photos for engraving, but I'm getting there. I also agree with the Engravers Journal comment. They have a lot of very helpful articles that can get you rolling as well.

Anyway, the address I found for E-T Plastics in Florida is:

E&T Plastics of Florida, Inc.
2830 NW 55th Court
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
(800) 234-4525
(954) 735-8777
Dade (305) 940-2519
fax: (954) 735-8907

I hope this helps. Good luck to you!

Also, I'm not sure as to the rules of Sawmill Creek regarding posting website addresses. I would love to get some opinions on what my wife and I have done, but I don't want to break any rules here. Can someone fill me in on such rules? Don't want to start off on the wrong foot. :-)

Thanks,
Nestor

[Nestor Fernandez]

btw, just looked it up. Looks like that ride to E&T Plastics would take you about 4 1/2 hrs. (according to google maps). I guess it depends on the quantity of material you are looking to buy.

[Dan Hintz]

Also, I'm not sure as to the rules of Sawmill Creek regarding posting website addresses. I would love to get some opinions on what my wife and I have done, but I don't want to break any rules here. Can someone fill me in on such rules? Don't want to start off on the wrong foot. :-)
The short and skinny of the Golden rule is no posting links to any company you have a direct affiliation with... certainly your own, but that also typically includes companies that you have a vested interest in (kickbacks, profit sharing, etc.). If you're happy with the service of a company and wish to share the good news, or you believe it is directly helpful to a question posted by another member (and it doesn't conflict with the Golden rule), links are welcome. There are always gray areas, but let your conscience decide... if it's advertising for your own sake, don't do it, plan and simple.

[Nestor Fernandez]

Thanks for the info Dan. And.... for the record.... I have no affiliation with E&T Plastics, other than they are taking my money in exchange for acrylic. :D

In keeping with proper forum etiquette (not to hijack thread), I guess I'll just post some of the pics I've taken for the website in a new post to get opinions.

[Dee Gallo]

Nestor,

Feel free to put your website address on your profile page, so anyone who wants to go there can find the address without you posting inside a thread or in your signature. Seriously consider splurging $6 a year to be a contributor here on SMC, so you can take advantage of the classifieds and other features available.

cheers, dee

[Nestor Fernandez]

Dee,

That sounds like a stellar idea... where do I sign up?? I'm good for $6 a year.:D


EDIT:
Nevermind.... I noticed the DONATE button at the top of the page the second I clicked POST.

[Dee Gallo]

Good going, Nestor! Welcome to the club! This place is worth every penny and then some, great people and great ideas here.

[Martin Boekers]

Dee,

That sounds like a stellar idea... where do I sign up?? I'm good for $6 a year.:D


EDIT:
Nevermind.... I noticed the DONATE button at the top of the page the second I clicked POST.

Or you could jump in at the Big Buck level (I believe it's $50 a year) as a Friend of the
Creek where you are allowed a link in your signature block. You also get access to
other areas on the site as well as a listing of what you do. Believe it or not people do
search this site to find an engraver.;)

[Dan Hintz]

Or you could jump in at the Big Buck level (I believe it's $50 a year) as a Friend of the
Creek where you are allowed a link in your signature block. You also get access to
other areas on the site as well as a listing of what you do. Believe it or not people do
search this site to find an engraver.;)
<nod> My FOTC "donation" paid for itself within the first month via an SMC member's project. It doesn't improve your company's Google ranking from hotlinks, let's be clear about that misconception, but it's still well worth the price of admission if even one project comes your way (Google finds the content of your posts, so become an expert in a subject matter, write up a how-to, and become rich and famous like the rest of us.... well, maybe just famous...).

Oh, and then I went and won the 4th of July raffle last year for a CNC router and accessory package worth over $6k (thanks, Keith!). :D

[Nestor Fernandez]

Will definitely keep that in mind, but, for now we need to stop hemorrhaging money. My wife has also caught the "hey, we can etch that!" bug, so we are rapidly loading up with "samples". Combine that with the rest of the expenses that go with a start-up.... and not having made sale #1 yet... :(

But I have faith it will be alright. We've been through a lot worse.

On another note, as far as Google ranking, I've installed a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) module on our website's shopping cart software which removes all the nonsense from the URL and clearly defines each product page with a distinct address. This has helped our ranking tremendously and we have starting appearing on pg. 2 of a google search in just under a month. There are quite a few things one can do to help your ranking. Some involve more work than others, but most are well worth it.

[Martin Boekers]

Will definitely keep that in mind, but, for now we need to stop hemorrhaging money. My wife has also caught the "hey, we can etch that!" bug, so we are rapidly loading up with "samples". Combine that with the rest of the expenses that go with a start-up.... and not having made sale #1 yet... :(.

Take her by the dollar store and everything will be ok! :-)

[Nestor Fernandez]

Take her by the dollar store and everything will be ok! :-)

Sounds like a great idea... in theory. Unfortunately, her "dollar store", at the moment, is Michael's.

[Dan Hintz]

This has helped our ranking tremendously and we have starting appearing on pg. 2 of a google search in just under a month.
Yes, but what are you using for search terms? If I Google my company name, I come up first... that's easy. If I Google LEDs underbody lighting, well, not so much. No SEO was done...

[Nestor Fernandez]

Yes, but what are you using for search terms? If I Google my company name, I come up first... that's easy. If I Google LEDs underbody lighting, well, not so much. No SEO was done...

As strange as it might sound, believe it or not.... "black polished river rock prices". This showed up two days ago, using google analytics, as a referral from a google search that came from Amarillo, TX.

[Josiah Gallo]

Welcome! I've been in industry for 8+ years but am fairly new to sawmill. For tape, JDS is great - comes in rolls of different widths.

[Brent Franker]

Thanks to all the additional comments. I've been hard at work but not hard at work getting my laser up and running :( Maybe I can make some headway on it this week. I just need to get my ducting and air lines run. Was going to try to do it all at once but I think I'll tackle it in stages since I don't seem to have an entire day free anymore. LOL Thanks for the great ideas and recommendations thus far!

[Brent Franker]

Reading all the posts is the most invaluable tool available, consider it "free education",

I'll wager you will find things that some of us have toyed with that you may never have thought
of.

If you decide against it, please make use of the forum's search engine as most anything you'll
have a question about has been addressed here at one time or another.

You'll see that when someone new comes on board the first thing that will be recommended is to
read the posts.

Consider those hours reading as a "right of passage" and part of your investment in yourself.;)

Hey Martin! I definitely understand what you are saying and do agree with it. And, I definitely will read posts here on my free time to learn more. I just wanted a little starting point, mostly on supplies, from the experts :)

I moderate a very active and popular car board (but haven't been too active in the last few years though due to my job) and have over 15,000 posts there where 99+% of them are answering questions and helping others so I definitely know the value of the search tool for the new guy :D I will definitely use it here!

[Brent Franker]

I hope this helps. Good luck to you!



Yes, that did help for sure. While too far away for me to drive to, it is good to know of a distributor fairly close by in case I need something quick! Thanks!

[Brent Franker]

Welcome fellow SMC newbie. Laserbits is a great source for laser engraving items. Also JDS and Marco Plastics. Roy Brewers' site engrave.ca has alot of useful lasering information. You would also be surprised how many Youtube videos there are about the graphics software in general, and lasering.

Thanks, Tony! Is this the link you are talking about for JDS?

http://www.jdsindustries.com/homepage.htm

I saw in another post somebody talking about "JDS" and some products they were buying from them but when I went looking on the above site for the products they were talking about I didn't see it so I'm not sure if I have the correct JDS?

As for the YouTube videos, I have watched several and agree they are very interesting and valuable for a new guy. I ran across some where they were lasering their fingernails with designs... definitely not recommended but interesting to watch :D

[Larry Bratton]

Brent:
You have the right JDS link. However, they are a wholesaler and require a tax number to get set up with them. Once that happens you have access to pricing and they send out their huge catalog and price list.