I've been watching two and a half years and not only been inspired but enjoyed every bit of it. You're having way too much fun and soon you may have to knock out a wall or two to make more room. You are doing it right. I think I'm finally sold on the Thunder units. Thanks for all of your hard work.
The best part is no sawdust. Helps keep your shop clean. I thought the thunder had pass through. Thanks for the demo. It answered my question about that feature.
That is awesome. But if I was going to batch out sheets like that I think I would set up a jig and use a cheap skill saw with a fine tooth blade, and save that tube.
Eh. You could cut an entire pallet at 100% power in less than an hour of operation. For tubes rated at over 4000hrs that’s .025% of your overall hours of usage. Even with the cheap Chinese tubes rated at 1000-2500 hours that’s still .4-1% of your hours used. And that’s an entire pallet. lol
That's why I bought the 51! You can laser a full size sheet of plywood with the pass thru. Of course I can no longer fit my car in the garage, but sacrifices must be made!
I can totally feel the excitement of getting a new machine. We are getting the Bosslaser 3655. Can hardly wait for it to get here. 160 watt and it cuts 18ga steel.
That is a nice feature to have. To be able to slide in a piece and run a cut or if it is for your smaller one maybe two or three cuts then you have stock ready for upcoming jobs is game changer. That Thunder looks amazing
it would be nice to see a conveyor belt work with the unit like xtool just put out so that runs on the Y axis like a rotary and then you can continually feed through the machine while engraving. That would allow you to engrave at 48" to infinity. Maybe Thunder has that
That is saweeeet!!! But 2 points deducted for rubbing salt in my wounds for not living close to Menard's! 😛 Edited to add: Ya even one-upped me on those stackable totes too! Maybe I need to road trip up North for some shopping. 😀
What about safety when the door is open? Even when you have the lid closed on the wood, I think there might be some question as to not having a true safe enclosure as the laser might be emitting harmful rays into your shop? Perhaps safety glasses would be necessary? I am not sure , just taking the questions.
I think I made me a comment on your channel a couple of years ago to buy a Thunder. Glad you did! I have 3 of them, still need to get more work for them.
The main problem with a large bed is that the laser is significantly weaker the closer you get to the bottom right corner. You won't notice it if you're not cutting at the fastest speed, but it's noticable even on my Nova 35. This is why full sheet lasers will have the laser source on the moving gantry.
Love it. I'm upgrading to a Thunder Laser soon. I'm currently running an OMTech Polar in my garage but we're leasing a new shop space and I'm going to upgrade. I really love your venting set up, I will need to do that to the new shop. Sure wish you were in BC Canada I'd get ya to drop by and give me some advise ;) Love your channel.
Nobody will give me a straight answer so maybe you can. What’s the measurement on the 51 off the wall front to back. Trying to see if it’ll fit in my garage or not. Couldn’t get any help from the Facebook groups either. I want to know the distance with ducting and all that jazz.
Hey Matt! I know some of my friends use their smaller laser permanently set up for tumblers. This way they don't have to keep changing the rotary in and out. Always makes a great spare as well, in case you pop a tube and need to wait for a new one to come in. Just a though. Keep up this awesome channel. 🙂
Thanks for the video! Definitely worth it! I cannot get settings figured out on our 51/130 to laser/cut 1/2 or 3/4 inch plywood. Purchased cabinet grade AB 1/4 Baltic birch and it barely cuts it and makes a ton of soot. Words of wisdom? Also, do you have a supplier for fiber laserable placement medals with ribbons? Appreciate your work and encouragement
Hey Matt, been watching your videos as I try to grow my laser business. Thanks for all the info you have shared, it's been very helpful! I actually upgraded to the Aeon NOVA 14 (it's in transit still) and this was the exact reason I wanted a larger laser. Where did you get the Maple MDF Core sheets? Was it an online purchase or a local supply?
Nice. One thing I noticed is the lid doesn't open all the way. If kinda opens half way and at an angle. I don't have a thunder but i've used one. On my chinese laser, i'm constantly banging my head on the lid. Really damn annoying. I'm on the taller side and wear headphones most of the time as well but the front lip of the lid is The key thing is also annoying. Like I can't imagine a scenario where you would actually need to lock a laser down like that. Schools maybe? They could have made the lock an optional/additional mechanism.
Mmm, I wonder if it's really worth to shorten the laser tube lifespan for just cutting wood panels with straight lines. If one wants no sawdust inside the shop, wouldn't it be more convenient to go outside and use a plunge saw with a straight guide bar? I would understand if the laser was used to cut many acrylic panels or many wooden panels but with a curved or complex cutting line different from a straight line. Personally, I would never use a laser and "waste its CO2" to cut straight lines on wooden panels. Anyway, good luck with your work!
50 seconds on a 4000 hour tube I think it’s OK to do it and it’s $400 for a new tube. I think you need to raise your prices if you’re worried about the tube. I live in Minnesota and when it’s raining snowing sleeting cold I’d rather be in my shop doing it. 😃
@@laserengravingwithmatt 50 seconds are for a single cut, don't forget you have to to multiply them by how many cuts you will make! As for prices, to stay in the competitive game, it's generally preferable to reduce operating costs where possible, in order to be able of reducing the final costs for the customer and, at the same time, keeping the same or a similar profit for you. I'm going to exaggerate but, if we don't take this into consideration, it would be like charging $10 to cut a panel because you decided to cut it with the Dremel and it takes you an hour! As for the laser, the operating costs of a laser machine are not directly and immediately tangible, but they are there. Moreover, it's not only about laser tube lifespan, it's also about electronical, mechanical and optical parts which will need maintenance and/or replacement. I'm not saying that your method is absolutely wrong, because you have your own needs based on the area you are in, but, speaking in general, I think it's not the smartest solution to use a laser machine for cutting wood panels, if one have another "woodworking" room for simply cutting them with a plunge saw.
What size is the plywood sheet before you cut it? What type of species of what is it? Where do you find the best quality and price materials? I have an omtech laser on order it's a 55x 36 in cutting area but it does not have a honeycomb bed available Is there a recommendation on a company that has really good honeycomb beds?
how thick is that ply, and what speeds did you cut it at? I'm almost at the point of wanting to get into the Nova 51 (upgrading from a desktop laser we've long since out grown!)
Hey Matt! Through the magic of video, it was hard to tell the size of that thing until you went to spin it. Wow! You definitely need to make the ACME Garage Spreader your next purchase, reach out to Leno for the specs 🤣 Do you know what the air pressure is on the Thunder? When I cut big box ply, the the glue really makes a mess w/ my 90w.
A selfless favor to you, if you ever need a new home for that XTool laser that’s just getting full of dust, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be more than happy to give it a new home 😂
nice laser. That said you need to think outside thew box to make REAL production. With a track saw and stacking sheet to full depth of cut you would be 10 million more times productive. You need to use your tools for the benefit's they provide. Laser is great for fine detail. Not processing in straight lines.
I've been watching two and a half years and not only been inspired but enjoyed every bit of it. You're having way too much fun and soon you may have to knock out a wall or two to make more room. You are doing it right. I think I'm finally sold on the Thunder units. Thanks for all of your hard work.
Thanks. I think you are right. 😃
The best part is no sawdust. Helps keep your shop clean. I thought the thunder had pass through. Thanks for the demo. It answered my question about that feature.
That is awesome. But if I was going to batch out sheets like that I think I would set up a jig and use a cheap skill saw with a fine tooth blade, and save that tube.
Eh. You could cut an entire pallet at 100% power in less than an hour of operation. For tubes rated at over 4000hrs that’s .025% of your overall hours of usage. Even with the cheap Chinese tubes rated at 1000-2500 hours that’s still .4-1% of your hours used. And that’s an entire pallet. lol
That's why I bought the 51! You can laser a full size sheet of plywood with the pass thru. Of course I can no longer fit my car in the garage, but sacrifices must be made!
😆 I haven’t been able to put a car in my garage for 9 years 😄
I can totally feel the excitement of getting a new machine. We are getting the Bosslaser 3655. Can hardly wait for it to get here. 160 watt and it cuts 18ga steel.
🥹 that sounds amazing
Im excited. I am about to purchase the exact same laser!! Thanks for sharing!!
That is a nice feature to have. To be able to slide in a piece and run a cut or if it is for your smaller one maybe two or three cuts then you have stock ready for upcoming jobs is game changer. That Thunder looks amazing
Thanks it’s been a big game changer for sure
it would be nice to see a conveyor belt work with the unit like xtool just put out so that runs on the Y axis like a rotary and then you can continually feed through the machine while engraving. That would allow you to engrave at 48" to infinity. Maybe Thunder has that
They do not. But that would be AWESOME !
That is saweeeet!!! But 2 points deducted for rubbing salt in my wounds for not living close to Menard's! 😛 Edited to add: Ya even one-upped me on those stackable totes too! Maybe I need to road trip up North for some shopping. 😀
😂 you should make a list and make it a road trip.
Love your Bolt infeed table!
😄
Definitely an awesome machine and I'm sure is going to pay for itself in no time. Thanks for sharing.
What about safety when the door is open? Even when you have the lid closed on the wood, I think there might be some question as to not having a true safe enclosure as the laser might be emitting harmful rays into your shop? Perhaps safety glasses would be necessary? I am not sure , just taking the questions.
I think I made me a comment on your channel a couple of years ago to buy a Thunder. Glad you did! I have 3 of them, still need to get more work for them.
3 wow that’s awesome. Yeah I definitely agree they are awesome.
The main problem with a large bed is that the laser is significantly weaker the closer you get to the bottom right corner. You won't notice it if you're not cutting at the fastest speed, but it's noticable even on my Nova 35. This is why full sheet lasers will have the laser source on the moving gantry.
Sweet machine Matt. We are looking to replace our China-Fu 100W with a Thunder.
That’s awesome
Hey Matt, I have plenty of room in my shed for boxes that are in your way!
Love it. I'm upgrading to a Thunder Laser soon. I'm currently running an OMTech Polar in my garage but we're leasing a new shop space and I'm going to upgrade. I really love your venting set up, I will need to do that to the new shop. Sure wish you were in BC Canada I'd get ya to drop by and give me some advise ;) Love your channel.
Congrats 🎉😃😃
I have the 51 and those screws were in just for transport. Thanks again for your videos. Oh and why haven't I been doing this? lol
Makes sense. Thanks. Yeah you should. 😃
New laser is very cool. Wish I had room for a large laser, and of course, the work to make it worthwhile.
😃
Very well done Matt. Way to go. Kind regards Gavin
Thanks 😃
Nobody will give me a straight answer so maybe you can. What’s the measurement on the 51 off the wall front to back. Trying to see if it’ll fit in my garage or not. Couldn’t get any help from the Facebook groups either. I want to know the distance with ducting and all that jazz.
64” from the wall and left to right is 74”
Thanks! @@laserengravingwithmatt
5,8 isn't short. Greetings from Germany my big king.
Hey Matt! I know some of my friends use their smaller laser permanently set up for tumblers. This way they don't have to keep changing the rotary in and out. Always makes a great spare as well, in case you pop a tube and need to wait for a new one to come in. Just a though. Keep up this awesome channel. 🙂
Thanks. 😊 I think it will be sticking around.
Thanks for the video! Definitely worth it! I cannot get settings figured out on our 51/130 to laser/cut 1/2 or 3/4 inch plywood. Purchased cabinet grade AB 1/4 Baltic birch and it barely cuts it and makes a ton of soot. Words of wisdom? Also, do you have a supplier for fiber laserable placement medals with ribbons? Appreciate your work and encouragement
I heard a bigger air compressor helps. Jds or Johnson plastic plus
So when you setting up that bolt
🤔
Gonna start a new shop trend of top mounted chiller 😆
😂 hey it works 😄
Is the cooler that is mounted higher than the laser working fine?
Yup 👍
What settings did you use to cut this?
20 and 90
And now no sawdust to keep cleaned up. Great idea
Hey Matt, been watching your videos as I try to grow my laser business. Thanks for all the info you have shared, it's been very helpful! I actually upgraded to the Aeon NOVA 14 (it's in transit still) and this was the exact reason I wanted a larger laser. Where did you get the Maple MDF Core sheets? Was it an online purchase or a local supply?
Menards
What about putting two above each other, can you canfigure the laser to get through that too without a problem?
I don’t know. 🤷♂️ I will have to try it.
Nice. One thing I noticed is the lid doesn't open all the way. If kinda opens half way and at an angle. I don't have a thunder but i've used one.
On my chinese laser, i'm constantly banging my head on the lid. Really damn annoying. I'm on the taller side and wear headphones most of the time as well but the front lip of the lid is
The key thing is also annoying. Like I can't imagine a scenario where you would actually need to lock a laser down like that. Schools maybe? They could have made the lock an optional/additional mechanism.
😄 I am short so if it goes any higher I wouldn’t be able to reach it 😂🤣. Yeah I wish they made them latches
Sam sent me LOL. Great idea. Thanks for the video.
😄👋
where did u get the wood
Menards
@@laserengravingwithmatt thanks
Mmm, I wonder if it's really worth to shorten the laser tube lifespan for just cutting wood panels with straight lines.
If one wants no sawdust inside the shop, wouldn't it be more convenient to go outside and use a plunge saw with a straight guide bar?
I would understand if the laser was used to cut many acrylic panels or many wooden panels but with a curved or complex cutting line different from a straight line.
Personally, I would never use a laser and "waste its CO2" to cut straight lines on wooden panels.
Anyway, good luck with your work!
50 seconds on a 4000 hour tube I think it’s OK to do it and it’s $400 for a new tube. I think you need to raise your prices if you’re worried about the tube. I live in Minnesota and when it’s raining snowing sleeting cold I’d rather be in my shop doing it. 😃
@@laserengravingwithmatt 50 seconds are for a single cut, don't forget you have to to multiply them by how many cuts you will make!
As for prices, to stay in the competitive game, it's generally preferable to reduce operating costs where possible, in order to be able of reducing the final costs for the customer and, at the same time, keeping the same or a similar profit for you.
I'm going to exaggerate but, if we don't take this into consideration, it would be like charging $10 to cut a panel because you decided to cut it with the Dremel and it takes you an hour!
As for the laser, the operating costs of a laser machine are not directly and immediately tangible, but they are there. Moreover, it's not only about laser tube lifespan, it's also about electronical, mechanical and optical parts which will need maintenance and/or replacement.
I'm not saying that your method is absolutely wrong, because you have your own needs based on the area you are in, but, speaking in general, I think it's not the smartest solution to use a laser machine for cutting wood panels, if one have another "woodworking" room for simply cutting them with a plunge saw.
How Sweet it is!
SWEET 😃
Missed you Matt! Was just thinking about you yesterday wondering what you’ve been up to.
😃
Magnetic hook for the keys. That’s how mine hang on my BossLaser
Thanks 😊
Are you using one Thunder as the outfeed for another? 😊
No only if I need too
What size is the plywood sheet before you cut it?
What type of species of what is it?
Where do you find the best quality and price materials?
I have an omtech laser on order it's a 55x 36 in cutting area but it does not have a honeycomb bed available Is there a recommendation on a company that has really good honeycomb beds?
4x8 mdf maple. I go to Menards. I would look on amazon or go through the company
@@laserengravingwithmatt awesome thank you
130w can engrave?
Yup
What kind of Thunder is yet to be unboxed?
🤷♂️
how thick is that ply, and what speeds did you cut it at? I'm almost at the point of wanting to get into the Nova 51 (upgrading from a desktop laser we've long since out grown!)
I said it in the video. 1/4” 25 - 90
Hey Matt! Through the magic of video, it was hard to tell the size of that thing until you went to spin it. Wow! You definitely need to make the ACME Garage Spreader your next purchase, reach out to Leno for the specs 🤣
Do you know what the air pressure is on the Thunder? When I cut big box ply, the the glue really makes a mess w/ my 90w.
😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣. I have heard of people using 90 psi to cut in one pass though 1” black walnut
You should start a materials supply service an cut custom sizes for the rest of us! lol
😄
Dude…you rock.
😃 thanks
Cleaner workshop no more sawdust and quieter too. And the edges no more splinters
Absolutely 😃
Matt, that is insane. .
That's one expensive table saw! Defiantely should be nice for you in the future though with this setup.
Good video
A selfless favor to you, if you ever need a new home for that XTool laser that’s just getting full of dust, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be more than happy to give it a new home 😂
😆
nice laser. That said you need to think outside thew box to make REAL production. With a track saw and stacking sheet to full depth of cut you would be 10 million more times productive. You need to use your tools for the benefit's they provide. Laser is great for fine detail. Not processing in straight lines.
Go big or go home 👍she’s a beauty
$$$ ... nice tax write off too. looks heavy. i bet its a dream to run
It’s awesome
You need to shave man start to look like bigfoot😂
Maybe when winter is over. 😃