Laser Source

This week’s show jumps between chaos and good shop talk in true Laser Source fashion. The crew starts joking about AI monkey photos and cats pulling lasers, then moves into serious ground—why “leather” basketballs are dangerously toxic to engrave, when not to trust “genuine” labels, and why safety beats experimentation. From there, the conversation widens to deal-hunting, from Amazon Prime Day steals on engravers and Brilliance inks to CO₂ Galvo vs gantry pros and cons. Between laughs, they cover wiring fires, glass engraving myths, and the ever-growing LE material safety database - plus some community ideas that might reshape the site.

Learn to Laser Everything™ with new episodes of the Laser Source Podcast EVERY WEEK. We cover laser parameters, settings, techniques and more for CO2, Fiber, Diode and UV Lasers! We believe in free and open maker resources. Check out some of ours below:

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Anthony’s back, and with big life changes. The crew dives into what happens when family priorities collide with small-business grind: closing a shop, moving back home, and finding new balance without losing momentum. They talk about working from a garage, rebuilding client trust, and rediscovering purpose through family and community. Matt’s kids get their first taste of entrepreneurship with a summer street-fair booth made entirely from scrap, Kyle updates his home-shop setup, and everyone swaps notes on staying flexible when life throws curveballs.

Learn to Laser Everything™ with new episodes of the Laser Source Podcast EVERY WEEK. We cover laser parameters, settings, techniques and more for CO2, Fiber, Diode and UV Lasers! We believe in free and open maker resources. Check out some of ours below:

Check out the NEW MakeArmy Maker Dashboard!

The Laser Database: https://makearmy.io

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The crew takes an unexpectedly deep dive into AI, creativity, and the shifting maker landscape. What starts as banter about bamboo projects, new glasses, and 3D scanning coins turns into a full-blown discussion about Etsy’s new design policies, AI art legality, and whether “real art” still matters when anyone can prompt an image. Between laughs, they touch on using AI as a tool vs. a crutch, small-shop marketing, and planning efficient workspaces without losing your sanity - or your ventilation. A surprisingly thoughtful episode about how makers adapt when the tools change faster than the rules.

Learn to Laser Everything™ with new episodes of the Laser Source Podcast EVERY WEEK. We cover laser parameters, settings, techniques and more for CO2, Fiber, Diode and UV Lasers! We believe in free and open maker resources. Check out some of ours below:

Check out the NEW MakeArmy Maker Dashboard!

The Laser Database: https://makearmy.io

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Michael Mullins (Laser Engraving 911) joins the crew to break down the new ACCELaser - a hybrid fiber/diode system that’s got the maker world buzzing. They dig into how it blends fiber-laser speed with gantry precision, what makes its “no-stitch” flying-galvo tech different, and how its partnership with LightBurn could redefine usability for complex jobs. The talk expands into production realities: batch work, shop automation, and what kinds of engravers this machine is (and isn’t) for. Plus, a look at Kickstarter pricing, market competition, and why transparency between developers and LightBurn might finally make “flying galvos” viable for everyday users.

Learn to Laser Everything™ with new episodes of the Laser Source Podcast EVERY WEEK. We cover laser parameters, settings, techniques and more for CO2, Fiber, Diode and UV Lasers! We believe in free and open maker resources. Check out some of ours below:

Check out the NEW MakeArmy Maker Dashboard!

The Laser Database: https://makearmy.io

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Between new gear, half-finished edits, and a six-foot plywood Bigfoot, the team juggles a busy week in the shop. Alex talks about carving the massive Yeti stencil in sections on the Mira 9, testing a 3D scanner for an upcoming review, and helping Rheannon film the Ultimate Guide to Engraving Bamboo—including a gorgeous 55-minute UV run no one will ever replicate for profit. They trade lessons about learning curves, flood-fill mishaps, and why every laser library is just a starting point. The conversation drifts into what makes a good next machine, whether combo lasers ever make sense, and how to price bulk orders without hating yourself by the end.

Learn to Laser Everything™ with new episodes of the Laser Source Podcast EVERY WEEK. We cover laser parameters, settings, techniques and more for CO2, Fiber, Diode and UV Lasers! We believe in free and open maker resources. Check out some of ours below:

Check out the NEW MakeArmy Maker Dashboard!

The Laser Database: https://makearmy.io

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JPPlus’ Aaron Stout joins the crew to connect apparel roots with laser work, then maps out what is selling right now. The talk lands on tri-layer patches, signage that survives the elements, why the Rowmark swatch book closes deals, and how free appointment-based support helps small shops move faster. The team also breaks down CO2, UV, and sublimation acrylic in plain terms, with realistic starter paths like Epson F170 or F570 and where Flux machines fit.

Learn to Laser Everything™ with new episodes of the Laser Source Podcast EVERY WEEK. We cover laser parameters, settings, techniques and more for CO2, Fiber, Diode and UV Lasers! We believe in free and open maker resources. Check out some of ours below:

Check out the NEW MakeArmy Maker Dashboard!

The Laser Database: https://makearmy.io

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Alex breaks down why “percent speed” is useless without the real mm/s behind it, and how converting those numbers makes shared settings actually work. Rhiannon’s shortcuts video lands its first thousand views, and the crew shows off new database upgrades—cleaner settings pages, quick filters, multi-fill support, and the rebuilt projects library with simple, one-click downloads. Live questions turn into a mini-lesson on making one-piece word cuts that don’t fall apart, whether you’re in LightBurn or Inkscape. They wrap with a teaser for a compact 3D scanner that could help turn real objects into grayscale engraves and printable fixtures.

Learn to Laser Everything™ with new episodes of the Laser Source Podcast EVERY WEEK. We cover laser parameters, settings, techniques and more for CO2, Fiber, Diode and UV Lasers! We believe in free and open maker resources. Check out some of ours below:

Check out the NEW MakeArmy Maker Dashboard!

The Laser Database: https://makearmy.io

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This episode centers on material safety and the debut of our community material database. We demonstrate the new status system, hazard tags, and search, then dig into why vinyl/PVC is a hard no, why some woods are not as harmless as they seem, and how coatings change the risk profile. We talk practical shop safety, ventilation that actually works, what “caution vs dangerous vs critical” really means, and how overrides are used for widely accepted materials like acrylic. We also preview how the materials database will tie into settings, lasers, and coatings so you can research safety and then jump straight to usable parameters.

Learn to Laser Everything™ with new episodes of the Laser Source Podcast EVERY WEEK. We cover laser parameters, settings, techniques and more for CO2, Fiber, Diode and UV Lasers! We believe in free and open maker resources. Check out some of ours below:

Check out the NEW MakeArmy Maker Dashboard!

The Laser Database: https://makearmy.io

Even more of our FREE resources:

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The teaser sets the tone: if you are still bouncing back to EZCAD, stop. LightBurn now covers the entire galvo workflow so you never need to reinstall drivers or juggle two apps. From there the crew drops a beta release of the UV parameter library, then gets practical about why UV sources behave so differently, how pulse width direction can invert between INGU and JPT, and why lens size matters far less than you think. Expect frank talk about safe materials, community contributions for 10-watt conversions, alignment tricks for glass and photos, and when a fiber or a big CO₂ gantry still beats UV. Sponsor shout to Johnson Plastics Plus, a bamboo engraving sneak peek, and a quick tour of the in-progress materials hazard database and the revived Buying Guide.

Learn to Laser Everything™ with new episodes of the Laser Source Podcast EVERY WEEK. We cover laser parameters, settings, techniques and more for CO2, Fiber, Diode and UV Lasers! We believe in free and open maker resources. Check out some of ours below:

Check out the NEW MakeArmy Maker Dashboard!

The Laser Database: https://makearmy.io

Even more of our FREE resources:

Support Our Show, Sites, Services, and Videos:

Alex is trying to pee in peace when someone yells “Laser guy!” from the hallway. A painter’s assistant wants a nine-foot plywood Sasquatch cut out on the spot, and that launches the entire episode into a chaos spiral of shop stories, sick-day confessions, and sunburn complaints. From there the crew catches up on Q&A success from the golf-club training episode, how simple coaching questions can save weeks of trial-and-error, and why Max’s 6,000-pass deep engraving shocked everyone. They unpack strategies for faster turnaround, talk through when to adjust power or speed, and explain how UV settings are nearly ready for the community database. Disc golf awards, broken lenses, Bigfoot yard ornaments, projectors vs jigsaws, and a whole lot of banter fill out the runtime.

Learn to Laser Everything™ with new episodes of the Laser Source Podcast EVERY WEEK. We cover laser parameters, settings, techniques and more for CO2, Fiber, Diode and UV Lasers! We believe in free and open maker resources. Check out some of ours below:

Check out the NEW MakeArmy Maker Dashboard!

The Laser Database: https://makearmy.io

Even more of our FREE resources:

Support Our Show, Sites, Services, and Videos: