Laser Source

The teaser opens with Anthony dropping a small revelation about F-theta lenses: the number printed on the lens is a theoretical value, and in real life your focal height is often wildly different. That sparks a full discussion about what F-values actually mean and why autofocus often lands nowhere near the measurement stamped on the glass. From there the guys jump into a huge pile of new blanks from Johnson Plastics Plus, the upcoming “Bamboo Ultimate Guide,” and whether fire is guaranteed when defocusing a fiber onto butcher-block boards. There’s coaching talk, golf clubs, saw blades that refuse to black-mark, and the surprise win of a memorial stone that engraved bright blue using the UV. They wrap with listener Q&A, shop updates, filming tips, and a look at Bronson’s clean new engraving website.

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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The teaser clip sets the tone: this is where the pros separate from the churn-and-burn crowd. Once the show kicks in, the crew jumps straight into the breaking news of 104% tariffs on Chinese goods and how that hits every maker in the United States. They steer past doom-scroll panic and start laying out real strategies: buying used inventory, tapping secondhand wholesale groups, bartering with other small businesses, leveraging local woodworkers and shops, and reframing products with reclaimed storytelling that customers actually care about. There’s heavy talk about sourcing, scams, custom duties, Amazon warehouse realities, sublimation as a low-cost add-on, and why emotional value beats cheap volume. The entire conversation is a blueprint for surviving a painful pricing cycle without sacrificing creativity, quality, or profit.

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 team opens with chaos, April Fool’s jokes, and a fresh upload about ColorShop Woods that shows cutting techniques across multiple CO₂, diode, UV and fiber machines. That turns into a deeper chat about how color-drenched the material really is, why it’s better suited for cutting than marking, and how layered projects get their contrast. From there the conversation shifts to client work: Walnut watch boxes, depth vs anneal on expensive watches, and a 60-piece run of tiny keepsake knives that raises the question of how to do repetitive jobs without huge fixtures. Listeners get practical advice on fences, pegs, jigs, and why sometimes simplicity is better than a rotary table. The second half goes full Q&A: buying mistakes with tiny “portable” fiber lasers, lens compatibility traps, how to get a bright white on slate with a 100W MOPA, and when coated slate behaves differently than raw. Kyle closes the show teasing a video series about setting up his new shop and asks viewers what they want to see while he builds it from scratch.

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 crew starts with pudding-pack chaos and sponsor jokes before sliding into real shop talk. Everyone admits they hoard leftover material, especially those dreaded “L” pieces of acrylic and Romark, and they compare how scraps constantly bail out last-minute jobs. That leads into practical advice about engraving coins, good sources for quality blanks, why cheap “poo-tier” zinc coins are best for alignment practice, and how fiber marking black acrylic can save time and labor. Toward the end the conversation shifts into UV laser marking on enamel, MOPA vs non-MOPA deep engraving, pulse-width physics, reflection safety, EasyCAD 3 frustrations, and why the Laser Everything community is the best place for help. There is also an update on the UV parameter library and a reminder that the MakeArmy Wiki has a detailed article on laser heat and power density.

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:

This episode starts with the crew comparing beam combiner setups before Alex admits he’s officially done aligning red dots and is moving to SPT TR tubes with built-in combiners. Matt works on brass nameplates live and breaks down his batching workflow - why repeatable templates, grouping, and frame previews save hours. From there, the group dives deep into ammo can engraving (CO₂ vs fiber, smoke management, respirators), then pivots into material settings: scan offset adjustment, power scaling on corners, why small test squares lie, and how min/max power affects burn when machines accelerate or slow down. Several viewer questions lead to discussions of engraving plastics, circles vs squares for tuning, test grids, and pricing small design work - plus why quoting government jobs can become a nightmare of revisions.

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 crew checks in after a brutal dad-day at the trampoline park, which leads into a surprisingly deep small-business segment about profitable micro-orders - leatherette flasks, real-brass name badges, flexi-brass plastics, and margin stacking on fast, shippable work. From there: the slow winter slump finally breaking, slate video reactions, a teaser for the upcoming ColorShop Wood experiment, and a full mini-class on lens swapping, focal lengths, and why staying stuck on one lens is leaving money on the table. The second half becomes a powder-coat masterclass - CO₂ galvo vs fiber, why batch variation matters, what to charge, and why you never trust “mystery leatherette” from Amazon. Wrapped with Q&A on chrome, golf ball markers, tumbler pricing, and the golden rule: “lasering is like cooking - you can always add, but you can’t take away.”

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:

The crew opens with some light chaos (cat talk and missing-Matt jokes) before digging into a real small-business dilemma: a client cuts a bulk engraving order in half after finding a public maker space. They debate how to handle contracts, bulk pricing, and keeping relationships intact when customers try to DIY - and why many eventually come back. That rolls into a bigger conversation about maker spaces (especially publicly funded ones), fair-use and time-abuse, and who should enforce limits. From there: shop moves and how to avoid disaster (alignment, bubbles, Z-gantry checks, leaky hoses), a quick take on xTool’s “are they doing everything?” strategy and the rumored cutter/welder, the monthly Coin Challenge (’90s horror!), and a teaser for a community UV laser parameter library - plus reminders about the LE fediverse sites and community database.

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:

In this episode, we sit down with Cheryl from Resin Dragon to dive deep into the world of resin printing, molding, and 3D printing. From beginner tips to advanced techniques, Cheryl shares her experience, insights, and advice for makers looking to explore the resin side of the creative world. Whether you’re just curious or already experimenting with resin, this episode is packed with valuable info and inspiration.

In this episode, we’re answering questions and catching up with Boyce, who drops in for a chat! We dive into some fun topics, including getting black on steel, creative Easter project ideas, and troubleshooting inconsistent engravings on acrylic. Plus, we break down how to set your line interval correctly and answer a question about where to find the best laser settings—whether on Patreon or the LMA, both great resources! Join us for a laid-back Q&A session full of tips, tricks, and good conversation. Got more questions? Drop them in the comments or join us on the next episode of the Laser Source Podcast, happening every Tuesday.

In this episode, we break down why UV lasers are the best choice for engraving glass (even though fiber technically works), dive into the latest drama with Bamboo 3D printers and their software, and troubleshoot why your rotary engravings might be coming out a little… squished. Plus, we chat about UV resin printing, rusting issues, and answer a ton of your burning laser questions. All this and more on today’s episode of the Laser Source Podcast!