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Josh Fleck
09-19-2011, 4:57 PM
I have a small woodshop and we are looking to buy a laser engraver. We will be using it to add engravings to our furniture pieces as well as make decorative plaques, small signs and woodcrafts. I would also be incorporating photographs. I was looking at the trotec speedy 300 with a 60 watt tube. I would probably buy coreldraw and one touch photo software. I have a few questions. First, which company makes the best machine? Second, who has the best service if something goes wrong? Third, is this a good choice of software or is there something better? I was also wondering where some good places are to get engraving graphics? Any other advice is welcome.

Tim Bateson
09-19-2011, 6:23 PM
Welcome to the forum Josh. You are going to get as many different answers as there are machines out there. I think 99% of the folks here love what-ever machine they use every day. ....Epilog has been fantastic for me, both performance and a superior support staff.

Jim Reinhard
09-19-2011, 6:26 PM
There are alot of posts on one laser vs another If you do a search you will come up with many older posts on the subject .Very informative,As far as my choice I am very happy with my laser pro .It has pass trough doors for larger pieces ,Might be a good choice for furniture .Price was less than others .I priced them all for months before I bought, and my rep is always Quick to respond to any Questions.As far as corel draw It seems to be the #1 choice on here.There are alot of grafics included with it.

Michael Kowalczyk
09-19-2011, 6:33 PM
Hey Josh,
Welcome to the Creek.

Since you say "ANY OTHER ADVICE IS WELCOME" at the end of your post, here you go....Here's what I suggest. Save yourself some time, money, space, maintenance and the life long learning curve of software and materials, the never ending quest for the right clipart or designs.

Just send everything to us and we will laser it for you. Just look below. We already have the 60 watt Trotec laser you are looking for. We have the Software you are looking at and much more. (Looked at the one touch but my trial ran out before I could give it a 100% test) You won't have to worry about who has the best service because we'll take care of that for you also. So what more can you ask for???:D.......................................... .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ...................
Oh the deafening silence:eek:.

That's right nothing I could think of either. So PM me your info and I'll send you the address to ship your stuff to or we might even have it in stock or could make it here for you also. That will save you some shipping costs then. Oh one other thing I did forget to mention, that we have is great shipping rates for pallet quantities. So don't be afraid to order a thousand or two of anything.

But in all seriousness you are on the right track in my opinion. Just search and read the posts here and you will find several other opinions, some of them even good ones;).

Man I just saw that Tim & Jim already posted while I was typing this novel. Oh well I will have to start typing with 2 fingers then so I can be twice as fast.:p

Once again welcome to the Creek and ...

Dan Hintz
09-19-2011, 6:59 PM
I you're looking to do 2.5D printing (faux-3D), expect to either spend a lot of time engraving or only doing small pieces. Otherwise, I would suggest a CNC machine and a V-bit.

David Fairfield
09-19-2011, 9:26 PM
Ditto what Dan said. Laser is cool for small stuff, extremely precise and can remove small amounts of material at a time, great for plaques and cutting paper and veneer and model making. But for hardwoods and relatively large surface areas and deep cuts, as you would be doing on furniture, I'd be looking at CNC. More of a fit in a woodworking shop and generally cheaper, too.

paul mott
09-20-2011, 2:45 AM
Josh,

Sounds to me like a CNC router would best suit your needs. Take a look at the Vectric.com site and some of their CNC woodworking examples.

Paul.

Josh Fleck
09-20-2011, 4:59 PM
Thanks for the advice. I dont know much about cnc routers. Can it do detailed engravings? How about pictures? What are good cnc router manufacturers that i can check out?

Dan Hintz
09-20-2011, 7:31 PM
What are good cnc router manufacturers that i can check out?
Same answer as Tim. I suggest spending some time in the forums reading old threads before asking the really basic stuff. You'll do yourself a big favor getting a feel for what's out there and save us the frustration of repeating the same stuff to every new person who walks through the door. Specific questions are always better than generic ones...

Michael Kowalczyk
09-20-2011, 8:13 PM
or Josh can just reread my post and then he'll have lots of time to play golf or go fishing :D

Dan, Josh never mentioned doing 2.5D stuff. I think he was just looking to add value to what he is already doing.

Josh can you explain more specifically what you are trying to accomplish? or post a picture or just send me the order ;).

Thanks and

Josh Fleck
09-20-2011, 10:29 PM
I did a little research and i think i will go with the laser. I am just looking to engrave some of our furniture pieces to personalize them for the customer. I want to be able to put basic designs on panels and other parts of the furniture. I am not really looking to do very detailed carving and 2.5D. We will also use it to make wooden clocks, and other small woodcrafts. I think the laser will be more than capable of what i need and also give me many more options of creating other products.