Whats your favourite handy gadget for your Laser ?

[Bruce Volden]

I too use magnets but my go to seems to always be my dial calipers. Seems nothing I buy from the warehouses is "perfect" so I double check (twice and engrave once). I also bought a sheet of galvanized metal to my bed size for the magnets to stick.

Bruce

[Kev Williams]

My NH rep loaned me a twin to my ULS once, he had the table covered with black/gold laser-steel for magnet use...

[Keith Colson]

I really like this gear generator program if you like to make gadgets that need gears chains and racks and pinions etc.

Cheers
Keith

[Rodne Gold]

With a loupe , you can see exactly what the laser is doing , for eg you can see of the bi directional firing is out of alignment , you can see the dot or path structure , whether there is a lot of melt , whether the beam is "burning" or vaporising and generally inspect the quality of engraving

Helps you diagnose machine/bream/processing issues

I like the alcan foil tray idea and the dental pick as well as the dish rack thing and the extra LED lights... will implement em

Regards
Rodney

[David Somers]

Rodney,

Thanks!

Are there any documents or publications out that you are aware of that might show what those things look like? I have been a bit surprised so far to note there is very very little in the way of published stuff on lasers given how long they have been around, and how little they have changed relatively over the years. Most of the resources seem to be in forums like this one. Curious.

Dave

[Greg Bednar]

I use golf tees as suggested by Frank Corker, to elevate the work piece from the vector table when cutting. I use it for acrylic so the piece doesn't have the tick marks from the reflection of the beam on the honeycomb surface of the cutting grid. Cheap, disposable, re-useable and does the job.

[Mike Null]

I use a jeweler's loupe occasionally, https://www.google.com/search?q=jewe...w=1920&bih=943

I also use a slotted 2 x 6 x 24 to hold engraved metal plates waiting for assembly. this was made on the table saw. I have a couple of other items I use to hold leather, baseball gloves, baseball bats.

I also use a dental pick and more often a draftsman's triangle to align items to the table rulers.

[Tim Bateson]

I use golf tees as suggested by Frank Corker...

Sorry for the "off-topic"... but where is Frank - I haven't see him here for a long time?

[Jerome Stanek]

I like my non contact thermometer to check the temps of my water supply hoses/

[Brian R Cain]

Having considered this at some length now, I shall have to say that my favourite laser accessory has been my secretary who was kind enough to painstakingly weed out the bits we didn't need in laser cut samples to give away at trade shows.

One year, I recall, we did a show aimed at schools and I designed and cut out hundreds of acrylic Vernier callipers to give away and inspire teachers with what a laser could do. They went down a storm at the show and none of the competition had anything close as good, but my word, they were tedious to assemble and she served me well doing it.

I can tell you that had I a supply of secretaries like that to give away as freebies with every laser I sold, I'd have cleaned up the market for machines forever.

[Greg Bednar]

Sorry for the "off-topic"... but where is Frank - I haven't see him here for a long time?

He's been lately watching the World Cup. Soccer, of course, is quite big in the UK.

[Jeff Belany]

++ on the magnets -- the only thing I do different is to epoxy them into a recess in small wood blocks. IMHO it makes them much more useful.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin