Frankly speaking, for $400 you can get yourself a bandsaw & belt sander. You are then not limited to material size, thickness, or density. And you'll find many more uses, and not have to worry about files, set ups, etc.. Print out your template, glue it to your sheet, and cut. Sand the edges smooth, then bevel them..
It's what I have, and I find it hard to justify a laser cutter, except for the coolness factor..
I do have a little hobby belt sander and it works ok. Don't have a band saw, but I'm pretty handy with a coping saw. Besides the "cool factor", I'd love to be able to accurately cut centering rings and such. Yes ... I
can cut them by hand, but it's time consuming and less precise.
I spent many years building model airplanes, and definitely can "get by" with with "traditional" tools. However, modern equipment does take it up a notch.
Also, can't cut painting masks and decals with a band saw
. I've made do with a computer, printer and x-acto knife in the past, but again ... fiddly, time consuming and imprecise.
The Hatch Makerspace we meet at charges no fees for our use of the space and tools (if anything would carry a charge, I'd think it would be the 3D printers as something is consumed there - laser cutting is free). We've only had one person try the laser cutter, so far, but his program didn't scale right; it was a great looking centering ring, just a little small.
I'd think twice about using a laser on vinyl. There could be some nasty gasses coming off of that.
See you at a launch or a meeting.
Looking forward to it! I better get busy with some software and figure out how this stuff works. Can you tell me a little about what goes on in the club meetings? I live real nearby in Newton, so definitely looking forward to attending one. Is the "no charge" only during club meetings, or can I go any time? Stop by and say "Hi" if you see me ... planning on going to the Amesbury launch with my son.
You're probably right about vinyl ... laser is overkill for that anyway. Looks like a lot of these CNC jigs can do a lot of stuff though, so a drag blade could replace the laser for vinyl cutting, and a router head can be swapped in for shaping bulk material. Be neat to CNC some balsa nose cones! All that for in the neighborhood of $600 seems like it might be worth the investment. Maybe I could start by building the frame, 3D printing the necessary stuff at a local makerspace, and use the "physical" cutting tools while I learn up on the laser stuff.
I also might look into a Cricut machine. That'd work for card stock and stencil cutting, and I
know my wife would put it to use for crafty pursuits. I should see if I can keep my eyes out for a used one.
Like all things, laser cutting does take practice; both in good designs that allow for the cut and in finding a good speed/power tradeoff for the engraving and/or cut given the material properties.
Our maker space has a materials guide with suggested starting values for speed/power and basic guidelines on using the software for design. Much like the learning I’ve been doing about rocket design and building, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying how to use the tools effectively (laser cutters, 3D printers, etc.)
Good luck in your choice and enjoy the journey.
I'm a software engineer by trade, and a hacker by nature, so fiddling with that stuff is right up my alley. Looking forward to playing with it. As you know, laser cutting has really taken the "balsa-based" hobbies to another level.
Also looking forward to getting into some 3D printing. My kids are definitely stumping for a 3D printer for their own hobby pursuits. When I put down my model airplane hobby a little over 10 years ago (too time consuming and spendy for a full-time professional and family man these days), 3D printing was
just becoming a consumer-level thing. I flew everything from small gas planes in the 80's and 90's all the way up to the more powerful electrics that are dominating the hobby these days. LiPO power and brushless motors had really
just taken the dominant (read: affordable) position for model airplanes when I had to put it down. I actually still have some "mid-build" projects I hope to pick up again some day when both kids are at a more "independent" age.
What I love about having found rocketry is I can easily throw together a decent model for a few bucks in a couple of evenings ... not not cry to hard when it "spontaneously disassembles:.
Not useful for balsa or basswood, or for cutting small centering rings out of 1/8" ply.
You can do it to a point. BT-60, sure. BT-50 and below ... watch your fingers. A hobby-sized scroll saw can get you pretty far in balsa, basswood and light ply ... not so much for card stock.