Start A Laser Business NOT On Etsy! Think Services! 

Yep safety is paramount!

Oh awesome! Thank you very much! If your starting up a new business I would also recommend watching my how to start a woodworking business video, it it very different from this one but completely applies over to laser engraving business. Good luck on your new venture! ✌️🇧🇷

Glad it was helpful!

Glad it was helpful!

Glad you like them!

Thanks Wayne!

Awesome! Thank you! Im sure you will have a lot of fun with it!

You bet!

You are so welcome!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks! Much appreciated!

Glad you liked it!

Thanks! Yea they really are way more useful than I had thought before getting them. Going to a birthday party today and just engraved on all the cookies my wife made, always gets a big reaction lol

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks Jim!

Oh sweet! Well that made the blurb all worth it then! Have fun with it!

Thanks! Hope I can keep giving you good content!

lol well as a p2 owner as well I can’t blame you 😂

😂😂😂 Exactly the same... But it's a great machine! I'm obsessed with it.

This comment is way too relatable…

Wow thanks very much!

Agree 👍

Oh that’s great to hear 👍

Thanks!

Oh awesome! What size do you need to be able to engrave / cut? Right now I’m running 4ft boards through my enclosed p2 (19in wide) for a parade float. (Bileve other than larger industrial machines 19 in wide with infinite width is the largest size

@@BitnerBuilt Ahh 19" seems quite a good size for our needs. We started doing the layered city maps years ago before there was a race to the bottom on Etsy price wise so now do more bespoke options. The biggest issue I have had doing multiple layers in larger pieces of wood is making sure they are all referenced properly so that they all match up correctly when put together. Its much easier to have a large frame so I don't have to slide a board through helf way through a cut.

Glad you think so!

Wow David! Thanks so much! Really appreciate it!

Thanks! yes there is Modular Drill Storage & Charging Station - FREE FILES! - Small Shop Series ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Dj1Mhb71Ygo.html

@@BitnerBuilt Thanks!

Glad you like them!

Exactly, the customers going to dictate the thing they want to you, you don’t need to worry about coming up with that “thing” that your going to sell on mass. Good luck with it!

Thanks so much! Well, you definitely gonna need to stop and clean at some point if you’re talking all day these machines get quite dirty as you use them and even with good Erik extraction, it’s going to get a little smoky if you’re using it all day otherwise not a big deal doing a full day at work with these machines

That’s great! Yeah I had done the same that’s why there’s that wooden lid with orange plexi above my S1. It was originally my viewing window for my 40 W open gantry Laser I had. If I was a betting man, I would expect xtooll to put out. A modified version of the D1 within an enclosure at some point soon. They just introduced the 10 W S1 at 899.

You're welcome!

I’m totally there with you, more interesting to do lots of varied projects to keep it interesting even if that might be a batch job it not the same batch job every day forever

Nice yea I love mine as well, great machine!

Thanks very much! I didn’t know how much I would like it or utilize it until I got one. We were going to a birthday party today so I even threw in some of my wife’s cookies she had made and engraved the birthday girls name on them in just five minutes for the whole tray, went over big when we got there that we brought customized stuff for them. I really like that it’s fast to accomplish a lot of stuff so it’s not a huge ordeal to throw some things in there and get it done when I want some thing. Prob the most attractive part of it

👏👏👏

Oh boy so many options. 99% of CRM is built for larger organizations that are going to be paying for it, it’s a big money game (coming from someone who has had to deploy software for my company with 35 locations and the employees to go with it) if your a small operation / yourself. I would say go with something like Airtable free. It’s a web based database with crm capabilities. I personally like solutions like this because I can custom make everything the way that I want to and not have to work in the way that the software programmer set everything up in a lot of the other CRM solutions. And since it’s web-based, you can collaborate with another business that you’re working with. They can add in the new client, deposition it as a new job, attach artwork and any files put in a job, start date and due date and then you’re getting all of that live at your location. It is a little bit more work than a premade solution, but it would only take an afternoon to really get everything set up the way you’d want it.

Yea honestly when I started with lasers I figured wear your glasses or make an enclosure but once I started using units with built in enclosures it became apparent there was a big difference.

Ah good idea, yea there’s alll sorts of good stuff a contractor could add on so it also doesn’t seem like just a “here’s my info”

Thanks! Yea this is a machine you can invest in to have fun and make some good money with it, especially if you think “openly” about a bunch of different aspects you can follow rather than just this one thing I’m going to make. Hell I made a full parade float last week using the xTool p2, I fed 4ft boards through it cutting out logos and dragons etc (it’s for my kids Kung fu school when we do the chineese new year parade in nyc) added colored backers and then poured in resin to make it look glassy, you never know what type of business will come your way once people know you have a machine that can do things they want!

Thanks so much! So there are a million CRM options out there. I like custom making my own stuff in airtable (free for 5 users) but if you wanted a more already put together solution that would be easier for the average user, I have seen Monday.com quite a bit (also free for 2 users)

I included it in a recent laser video but not “how” to do it. I will add it to my to do list!

😂😂 thanks - hopefully sold you on making more money in different areas 😆

@@BitnerBuilt def ! Your approach is nice and totally agree on the etsy comment.

They sell a version of it that can be used with most lasers but there must be an enclosure of some sort. When the c02 releases it starves the fire of oxygen in a confined space putting it out. If it’s an open laser it won’t work. It also adds fire detection sensors and a WiFi plug so it kills the power to stop the laser when it detects fire and then extinguishes it. It’s a nice piece of kit. Here’s a link www.xtool.com/products/fire-safety-set?ref=5nhxhssx&

Apart from the affiliate thing, I honestly like the xtool machines far and above the other consumer stuff. (xtool currently doesn't make any of the crazy big laser systems) I personally have the S1 and P2 as my personal machines. And yes they are great for beginners as the hardware and software is bundled so it easily works! I haven't actually tried the f1 yet (I will soon) They are very different in that the f1 is a galvo laser. What that means is it has a rapid moving mirror that directs the laser without having the laser head move, (makes it incredibly fast in comparison). So big plus there. BUT Even with the attachments you can get for it I think you will be hard pressed for doing a full wine bottle and larger tumbler engraves. The f1 in my view is a great portable laser, being able to engrave on something that's already in place, or take to events to sell custom engraved item to customers. Since you're saying you're looking to do mostly bottles, glasses, mugs, I would do a full machine WITH A RISER BASE to fit those larger objects. That way you can have an effective easy setup that's going to accomplish the job without having to move the items mid engrave etc. My p2 is what I use for glass and acrylics as it's a c02 laser and that's what its really go at but I understand that might be too pricey. The s1 is a fantastic machine just know as a diode you will need to use a marking agent on the glass first before you engrave so it takes, you can then remove it after.

Kaizen foam is what I usually use. I actually have a big pile from items shipped to me, if there’s a decently large piece I keep it for later use (3d printers and laser printers usually come packed in it) the main this is it’s just glued layers of foam so once you cut it you can pull out some of the layers of the middle but not all on Amazon here’s one plain type FastCap Kaizen Foam Sheet for Tool Box Organizers and Storage - Perfect for Professional Contractors and Technicians - 30mm Thickness, 2' x 4' Sheet Size, Black. And here is a colored type, black on the outside and colored inside. ECONO FOAM ™ Black 24" x 48" Layered Foam for Kaizen Projects (Black/Red)

@@BitnerBuilt Thank you for the feedback and amazon info. Very helpful..

Thanks that’s a great idea for a video I will add it to my to do list! Hmm so first I’ll say my order of purchase was cnc, laser, 3d. They all actually work well as compliments to each other, all using a similar structure (gantry moving tool to add or remove) they serve different purposes though. What you’re interested in creating really would be the most important question to ask. Cnc is great for large format, cutting out full woodworking pieces, cabinet doors etc. lasers (desktop lasers) are faster but smaller format, can’t cut as thick of material but excellent for making templates, layered goods, engraving (cnc can’t do) and working with a wider range of materials than cnc. 3d printing is more for parts, solutions, some cool toys and decorations, and is very different than the other two. Of course this is a very short descriptive list of what they can do but looking at what you want to have done what you want to make is really the determiner. You can make a business off of any of them, but your interests will drive you to be more successful, so go with the thing that you are most interested in and you’ll find a way to make it profitable.

So I’m a big fan of lightburn I’ve used it with the stacks of other lasers that I’ve tested. I have connected my S1 to Lightburn, but the software that they provide with it has honestly been really great and I haven’t felt the urge or need in a process that I personally use to need to switch over. In lb it doesn’t support 100% of the features particularly there’s some newer stuff that xtool has like the curved surface burn that is not functional in light burn yet but again my honest opinion is I’ve found myself not using light burn just because of the ease of using the xTool software.

Thanks!

Here’s a link to mine. I actually did a review of six different aprons on the channel. I would say mine is second best but the best one made a squeak noise in my microphone, so I personally couldn’t use it amzn.to/3Lmdy6U

Here’s the link, I actually reviewed 6 aprons on the channel, mine is good but I like the eco better. I can’t use it though because it makes a leathery squeak noise and it get picked up on the microphone but that’s a me problem! amzn.to/3Lmdy6U

So the additional cover should be ignored. I had built that cabinet to hold an open laser engraver I had prior to getting the s1. I then just adapted it for the s1 until I’m ready to remake the whole thing. I have a p2 as well now and no you don’t need anything outside of what the machine already has. Sorry for the confusion!

Sure here’s the size I used amzn.to/3VlTFSy

Yes I have a longmill cnc and did not get the laser add on for that reason. You can build your own enclosures for them and try to make them as safe as possible, which is what I have done with the open gantries I’ve had in past. My longmill cnc is in an enclosure so I could have swapped the plexi for laser safety glass and vented it BUT no fire detection or suppression, no auto shutoff if someone opens the lid etc I also have kids at home. So for me I am now personally endorsing factory built enclosed machines because of those features.

Yeah I figured. I guess the issue is if I have a 4x4cnc and have larger projects it would be nice to be able to employ the laser too. I guess I would just be limited to the capacity of the CNC to do the engraving. I'm new to it it so just doing some due diligence and making sure I understand as much as possible prior to making any equipment investments.

⁠​​⁠ yeah the larger engraving area is the benefit as well as not having to use up more shop space for two machines. I would just caution that if you go that route make sure that you build a quality enclosure for it and use tested laser glass that’s rated for your lasers wavelength. The real stuff is going to be several hundred dollars for a decent window size. (A 12x24 is around $150) I have a video on the channel on my CNC enclosure build as well as another video where I specifically compare lasers with enclosures to open gantry lasers so you can see all the differences

Thanks! Sometimes the easy common sense stuff is the thing that gets overlooked

Thanks for the recommendation!

Why do you say they discontinued it? It’s for sale and I don’t see any articles about discontinuing it?

@@BitnerBuilt it was hyperbolic. After the riser I don’t think they added much to it. Am stuck with the 10w module that’s really bad and XCS features don’t seem to be supported, like that x,y square position tool

The bottom of the s1 is removable (it obviously removes the no glasses safety) and then you can place that on wood blocks (as you would with the d1) for something taller that wouldn’t fit with the riser. So that solves the height issue. When you don’t have to do that larger item it can go back to a fully enclosed safer unit.

So it’s what you’re engraving not the laser itself. Obviously when engraving on wood it makes smoke similar to a camp fire. But other materials can release carcinogens, lead, chromium, cadmium, engraving on pvc releases chlorine gas (very bad don’t engrave pvc) that is why an enclosure that your venting outside is really important! I actually in a video engraved on a metal tumbler with an open laser that I didn’t cover so I could get a good camera shot, omg the smell that came from it I had to hit the emergency stop and run from the room. Went back in with a respirator, opened the door and vented the room.

I thought you could not laser foam because it creates a bad gas that could kill you? Hmm what foam did you use?@@BitnerBuilt

You can laser cut several foams, I cut PE or Eva foam, this is the same foam that a lot of machines come packed in which is also laser cut directly for that tool, I usually save large pieces that are rectangles and don’t have a lot of holes in them for my own uses later

Oh, I am sorry what is PE foam? @@BitnerBuilt

Here’s a whole page breaking down lasering foam you can read www.xtool.com/blogs/xtool-academy/laser-cut-foam

Oh wow! It’s uncommon here as well but I know of some in New York City and in Pennsylvania. My father’s side is German / Italian.

@@BitnerBuilt my fathers side are polish my grandad come to the uk during ww2 he was part of the polish army

thanks for letting me know, I just updated them. The trade in program is over and I guess they changed some page links but all working now!

@@BitnerBuilt No worries. Thanks for your videos! If I do buy one.. it will be from your links.

@@DarksouIjah awesome much appreciated! Those commissions help fund all these build projects! In all honesty too I really love the actual products, I sold all my other stuff and just have their lasers in the shop now

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