Hey there, I suppose this is the closest forum to post this sort of thing, since it does technically involve some graphic design. Anyway, my grandfather has asked that I purchase him a laser etcher capable of semi-fine detailed work on small pieces of wood and antler.

He was previously using a company which by the look of it, was using about a $12,000 machine. It was the size of a queen sized bed. I'm hoping there may be a much cheaper option that we can purchase and use ourselves.

I will upload a photo of one of the more detailed designs. If anyone has any experience with this sort of thing, some information / recommendations would be much appreciated.

https://www.amazon.com/Engraver-Resolution-Engraving-Bluetooth-Protective/dp/B073TRJDPS/ref=sr_1_7?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1533329814&sr=1-7&keywords=laser%20engraver
It will do small stuff. everyone has a terrible time with it because they don't focus the lazer right. its not plug'n'play you have to assemble it and every time you etch you have to focus lazer and also buy new lazer heads. they're pretty cheap. if oyu decide to get it make sure you look up plenty of videos on how to use it.

again bad reviews only come from bad operators.

Edit/ Lifetime of Lazer heads depends on how long the Etching is and how many runs you do per. I used it up to like 100+ etches. its not the best but good for beginners.

This post was edited by DeadPixels on Aug 3 2018 03:00pm

Yeah that's what I assumed. Was looking at some of the CO2 lasers also. So many people complaining about how it set their stuff on fire because they have the laser set to 40 watts when they only need 5 lol. I guess now he's also decided he wants to do the wooden tops of creels (fish basket) so I have to find something a little larger than that, but I'm figuring it out now. Thanks

I've seen some good things about Glowforge but I can't speak personally about its quality.