Dear Samcraft, I have spent the last 3 hours in a state of hysteria trying to learn my brand new S1. I admit, I am newish to this realm but I did my research. This morning I started it up prepared to learn and within 10 minutes the frustration, confusion & overwhelm set in. I was frantically searching testing parameters & your voice popped up in one of the tabs....my hysteria turned to finding which of the 187 tabs you were in but once found it slowed down to a minor craze, the longer I listen the less overwhelmed I am. THANK YOU for being you & thank you for making this process infinitely easier for me.
I have the P2 and was sooo glad to stumble upon your tutorial. I purchased your test file and I wanted to thank you for creating it and teaching me how to work this thing, Much love and big hugs to you and your family!
You're making it feel less overwhelming. I ordered a D1 Pro a couple days ago, and immediately my anxiety started ramping up. You've managed to quell that a bit, and I don't even have it yet
Xtool honestly sucks for anyone trying to cut leather. I have the S1 and the 40W module, I can find no material settings for ANY vegtan leather. They only have settings for PU leather, which makes no sense to me, because cutting PU leather creates very toxic vapors. Not sure why they even sell PU leather, but then again, it is a Chinese company, so maybe they only care to make a profit. Quite disappointed, but I will think about getting the test pattern as an alternative.
I stumbled across your videos about a year ago when I got my laser. Since then it's been cool to see how far you've come in a year. I ordered the P2 and was gunna make this file, but now I'll purchase it from you to help support you and your awesome work. Keep up the awesome stuff bud.
Hi Sam! Great video and great test file! Im brand new to laser engraving/cutting and starting with the amazing xTool P2. Being a rookie, Im still learning what all of the settings are and how they apply to (and affect) different materials. In your first test on the video, the slate coaster pretty much melted in some areas (as you mentioned) and I only caught that remark about 5mins prior to running that test on 3mm Basswood, which would have been a probable disaster for me! LOL! Could you maybe add "suggested" materials for each test? Or maybe a "not recommended for _____" for the tests that are slow/super hot? For people such as myself who are true newbies, that info would help us to avoid disasters and get the results intended from your awesome test files. 😊
Sam, thanks so much for your channel. I purchased your test files, and I must say that they were so easy to use and are an invaluable resource for future projects. Some of the best money I've spent in a long time!
Sam, this is great. Thanks a lot! This helps when starting. My S1 came yesterday. Today I bought your test files and it works fine. Making the test sheets at this moment 🙂
Thank you very much for explaining the software, and how to use your files. I have been new to your channel for the last few days and everything you have put out there looks top-notch, and I am excited to learn from you.
Thank you sooooo much. I have been petrified to start using my F1. Your file and walk through video have been an absolute God send. Thanks, for getting me started !!!!!!
Your discount still works! Thank you! Now I'm going to use that savings and buy from your Etsy store. I can't wait to start using my F1! Even thought I don't have the machine yet, I've been watching your videos and you've already given me a head start. Please know that all your time and effort are very much appreciated. Thanks Sam !
Stumbled across your channel. Very nice test files. I designed something similar, but yours has much more finesse. Subscribing to your channel and purchasing your files off Etsy. Very impressed.
My xTool D1 Pro (10w, 40w package) is on its way! I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos, and I will definitely purchase the test files. I have been using a 3w and 7w module, chucked to the router collet on my Next Wave HD4. Because of the liminations for such low wattage lasers, I've found a lot of the "bottom margins" of successful burning, especially in pine and baltic birch plywood. What I have found is a significant amount of material variation in both of these woods. Pine has certain anomalies in grain that make the laser look like it totally shut down when passing over. Each side of the particular grain was burned well, but then there is just a void until the beam passes by that grain. Same way with baltic birch. I'm looking foward to having a lot more power, and also I'm looking forward to running several of your tests so that I'm not guessing anymore! Thanks so much!
I am very new to laser. Just got my S-1 in and set up. I figure I can’t go wrong with this so I purchased the set. Thanks for being helpful. Oh and I subscribed too.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video, so helpful I just bought the P2 and this is so helpful. Just purchased the file from you. Thanks again.
I just watched your very interesting video as I am a beginning my journey learning my laser engraving techniques. I loved the video and I bought your file that I am sure will be very helpful.
Hey Dude, Thank you for your very thorough videos, it was time for the first cleaning of my P2 and your P2 cleaning video was just what I needed. Just bought these test files. Appreciate you.
Very useful video and file set for a new XTOOL D1 Pro 10W user like me. If helpful to others as a starting point, here are the settings that seemed to work well on the 1/8" Basswood Plywood included in the explore pack from XTOOL. Engraving tests: 100% power text at 200 mm/s for one pass with a cutout at 80% power and 8 mm/s for two passes with 100 lines/cm Cutout tests: Same text and cutout settings with the line cuts at 60% power and 80 mm/s for one pass with 100 lines/cm Greyscale test: Same text and cutout settings with the image at 100% power and 200 mm/s for one pass with 160 lines/cm
02:56 This one got me. I set it to 3mm Basswood and the software reset every single square setting to 20%/200 ms, so there was no difference. Ugh. Great file, though. Well worth it!
THANK YOU - I have the M1, want to upgrade; however, until I can get this machine to consistently work, I don't want to invest more - I still couldn't get the test cuts to work. I'll see if I can find the calibration - I am not sure why it won't completely cut!
As I am watching this, I realize you could make videos for XCS. A lot of people are intimidated by Lightburn or don’t want to buy it. A lot of D1 users use it. By reading post in the xTool D Series official group
I've had good feedback from this video among XCS users. That and the P2 being locked into XCS for their advanced features is making me learn and use it more. I'll surely share as I go. :)
I tried to use the XCS material test file and it's not as intuitive as yours. Thank you! My D1 Pro 20w really needed this file. Thanks for all your great videos.
Brother, this has been a very informative video. Earned another subscriber. Also, I will be purchasing your test files- I am trying to get my wife and I to self employed status with this business, so I fully support what you are doing. Thank you!
Informative video. I look forward to viewing more. Waiting on my machine. How would one read the results? What is the best way to choose "optimal" settings? Appreciate your time.
Cheers Man, as a supposed-to-be retired General Contractor with an old-school Italian wife I have to really watch my tool-buying addiction (for example trying to switch from team blue to team red this year, she was only seeing drills/saws/batteries, and I was totally busted for cosmetic upgrades) 40 years in the trades and mobility is an issue, I love working with my son in our various shops, and I have always wanted to add a CNC to the mix, but with the advances in C02 lasers I have to wonder if I got that CNC and a C02 (looking at that P2 or a ThunderBolt), and was mostly working with wood 3/4" and less if that CNC was going to start gathering dust like yours. Cause in my house expensive tools gathering dust can get pages added to my honey do-it-now list. P.S. Love your videos, you have a really easy way of talking with almost 0 wasted words. I find your one of the few people I can listen to on std speed instead of 1.5 or 2
Hey Sam. I just bought some jigs and test files. I have the F1 ultra. Grey test worked great. My question is what about a color test file for stainless steel.
Sam I loved the cut file I bought from you it was this one but just wanted to say how easy you made it upload download and popped up right into my LightBurn SUPER EASY!!
I purchased your awesome test file, and printed my first and second ever prints on my xTool P2 with the cut and etch. Worked great for the included Basswood and gave me confidence to print some fun items. Question: let's say you have a material, like a slice of bread, that you wanted to draw something on. What would your methodology be for engraving on something that you'd never experienced before? I realize that you want to be careful with items like vinyl, but lasered bread should be safe. Thoughts?
Thank you for the video, I have subscribed to your channel. I set up my D1 pro 20w yesterday, and of course already ruined the wood! I understand the basics of the Test file, but Im not sure how to choose the setting after the test file. I will look through your videos, and hopefully find that also.
For some reason I put the download into my d1 but it registered everything as if it was set for the machine used in the video ( the newer model)but when I switch to my d1 it resets all the settings and just leaves the template. Still great just have to input my stuff manually- but what you’ve done here is his amazing Sam thank you !! This download helped me understand the software better. Can’t thank you enough
Same issue here. Opened the D1 Pro 2.0 file and suddenly my connected machine was asking to connect, once I choose the machine, all the template settings defaulted to no individual square settings. 0 power on every square.
Hello Sam, thank you for the tutorial, I'm a beginner with this new hobby, this has been very informational, my question in the files the MM is for ranges of MM that was being presented, 3mm - 7mm, cut test, the material would be for this between 3mm -7mm to use these settings, as an example? Sorry If I'm not making sense
18:10 when you say must have hit an anomoly inside the wood. Can you give any tips or make a video about ways to deal with that? this is what I struggle with the most BY FAR! thanks. I suspect they're voids that were naturally filled with the glue when ply was made ply. At least this is what I'm thinking. Just looking for strategies tackling this crappy thing!
Great video! Going to purchase your files. I have a question about acrylic, do you need to do a test cut for every color/type (plain, single color; fancy, multi-color, glitter, mirror, etc) of acrylic? I just got the P2 today, excited to get set up and try this out tomorrow!
I like to. I've found that some colors absorb energy at different rates and don't want to risk ruining customer jobs because I didn't want to do my initial cutting/engraving tests. :)
Thank you taking the time to make these videos. They are extremely helpful and easy to understand. I have one question, not sure if I missed the info... is there a list of supplies need for these tests? If yes, where might I find it? Thank you again. You make starting out less intimating (recvd my d1 pro 20w last wk, assembling today). 🤯😊
I think I am confused on the wood tests. Aside from the 9mm thick board you used, did you use 3mm on all the other tests or do I need various thicknesses? I understood the 2 different thicknesses on acrylic. I appreciate the files you made and did buy it. :)
Hi Sam, thanks for selling your test chart for cheap, it’s very useful. I would like to ask…..do you know how to rename or delete a user defined setting? Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks
In case you haven't figured this out yet - I was struggling with the same thing when yesterday I noticed that if I hovered over the user defined setting I'd created, a small "delete" trash can appeared to the right. Hope this works for you.
Thank you! Just got a P2 and was pulling my hair out. Is there a way to explain what or where to go with the results? I tried the engraving on the xtool 3mm basswood and it burnt right through on most of the first squares lol! I did use Xtools suggested setting the start with. TiA!
I bought your test file but I received the XTool D1 Pro 2.0 and I can not get it to work because it resets all the parameters every time I connect my printer. Is there a way to fix this?
I see an issue with how their software does the cuts at about 18:44, it's doing the outer rim BEFORE doing the inner cuts. I'm assuming that you were using the xTool software doing these, and not Lightburn, correct? They definitely need to address that, and have the perimeter cuts done AFTER any interior cuts, or you're not going to get completely accurate cuts on the center parts, since the piece drops down just a bit after the perimiter is done. I'm assuming that's something you could likely address in the process though (in Lightburn you could make the perimeter cuts a seperate layer, and put it further down the cutlist to be certain, not sure if xTools stuff can do that, but I'm assuming so?). It looked like it dropped enough that it definitely could affect the cuts that would have been marginal, since that part isn't in perfect focus anymore (I usually try to do my cuts at a step or 2 above the first 'perfect' cut on my Co2, to hopefully account for any inconsistencies in the wood layers). I'm also assuming that's Makerstock wood (I got my order, and the stuff is VERY nice, everything was the exact size I ordered, or just a touch oversized, but all were consistant between the various pieces I ordered, definitely thanks for that suggestion).
I notice with the cutting tests on wood it seems to be cutting the outline first - is it possible to make it so that the last thing P2 does is cut out the perimeter? Or do you have a reason for doing it the way you did? Great video - thanks for making such comprehensive content. Waiting on my P2 to come in the next few weeks.
I think it would be better to cut the outer border last. It eliminates any issues that could arise from the sample shifting in height. This is typically the rule in CNC, where of course there is much greater risk and issues with the material coming loose, but I think it would be good practice here, too.
That processing was handled by XCS. I didn't like it either. I've not (yet) found a way to specify cut order with XCS. The (dirty) workaround would be to run the job and final cutout as two separate jobs.
Are you using air assist when running your test files? Thank you so much for this video. I plan to purchase your test file. I’m new to laser craft, and have been struggling to figure out how to determine the settings I should use! I’m really looking forward to trying this out!
yeah i comment a little bit ago when you got the new 3d model. and i got a laser for first time. its ok its a iwecolor 5w and it really can only do wood. so i'm about to get the sl 20w. everyone has nothing but good reviews on it also what caught me was the feeder thats awesome. so yeah it pricey but if i can get sells out it i can get my money bck and then get profits i guess. do you recommend the 20w?
Thanks for the engraver test I bought it in on Etsy. Iam a real newbie, when I upload an image I can not get it to adjust speeds it only gives me adjustable power and dot. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Hello! I love your channel! Great content. I wanted to know if you use smokey hills products on the P2 and found them to be the same? I cringe when I think about using test cards on new materials because materials are so expensive. lol Thank you
Hey Sam. Love your videos. I recently bought my first laser. I purchase your test card file and i must be doing something wrong. I went ahead and burn the test card first and only engraved the top 3 boxes and that was it. I know im mising something im just not sure of what.
I m new to laser machine and in market to use for making pop up cards from cardstock paper and some miniature wood pieces. I have Cricut maker machine. 1) does it work on cardstock paper making intricate cuts or too strong for it? 2) other tool air assist or honeycomb is optional in such application? like to try first and gradually like to add accessory. 3) what is longevity of this machine? I read mixed review on amazon 4)Looking at xtool d1 pro 10w or 20w . I see diff of 500 $ between them. Should I go with 20w ? Does 10W cut more intricate cuts then 20w? 5) can I use diff company accessory like air assist tool and honeycomb with xtool d1 pro?
Thought i had commented, but cannot see it. I have tried all 3 engrave files, checked the setting for text etc. not one produced any markings whatsoever on my slate. Xtool s1. Any clues as to why please Sam ?
@Samcraftcom, question on your grayscale test; I'm new to using XCS (I've been using Lightburn since the beginning, but just picked up the F1 & P2, and both seem like I'll need to work there to get the best use out of the machines), and I know that XCS just updated to v1.5. I don't know if they changed the settings menu from 1.4, but it seems like there's a bunch of settings in there that you didn't discuss in your video. Would you be willing to do a follow up video for the best use of this part of your file?
So if a cutting test fails to go through the material, I guess run the cut and not the engraving portion again to see how many passes it takes to burn through the material?
@@Samcraftcom Thanks. Been trying it out and finally getting cut throughs after changing the focal point on this wood. But the back edges look absolutely horrid.
If we do this in XCS should the settings stay the same if using lightburn? New to having a laser and recently purchased your file. But prefer to use lightburn. Thank you! 🙏🏻
Knowing what you know now, just starting out would you go with the CNC or the Laser; keeping in mind that you would like to generate a decent side income and/or at the very least have the machine pay for itself? Does your Shapeoko in the background give a hint? Appreciate your videos!
What sort of laser would you recommend? Something like a p2? Sorry if youve done a video on this, I'm watching your back catalogue of videos at the moment.
@@musc258 It really depends on what materials you want to engrave or cut, and your budget. xTool is one of the best companies IMO for offering the wide range of machines for hobbyists and small businesses. I have full hopes and intentions for the P2 becoming my business's work horse for cutting and some engraving. I also have a 20w fiber laser (review video in the works) and having a fiber laser is a real game changer for speed and precision! I would LOVE to see xTool develop a real fiber laser.. maybe some day they will! I don't know if this helps any. LOL
HI Sam. I was hoping you could help me. I have a question: I just got my P2 and it keeps shutting down and disconnecting from the computer every time I try to run a job. Now, it won't connect to the computer even with the provided cable? I'm very frustrated and can't believe this thing didn't work right out of the box. Any help you can provide would be appreciated.
Thanks!! on the cutout test there are quite a few that cut out. which do you choose to cut out when there are multiple options. does it matter or are you choosing higher energy, higher speed, etc? thanks
