Cut Settings
All settings below are the starting point for a 40W Glowforge Basic. We always recommend cutting a small test square in the corner of any new material you try. Every individual laser is a little different, so you may find that you need to fine tune these settings. If you have a 45W Glowforge,, you may need to adjust the settings by either slightly decreasing the power or slightly increasing the speed.
For lasers other than those from Glowforge, please search your laser type in our Facebook group. Lots of settings are shared there daily!
1/4" Plywood
| Material | Cut (speed/power) |
Engrave (speed/power) |
| 1/4" Aromatic Cedar | 120/full |
full/full |
| 1/4" Baltic Birch | 115/full |
full/full |
| 1/4" Cherry | 120/full |
fullfull |
| 1/4" EcoBirch | PG Thick Draftboard |
full/full |
| 1/4" Mahogany | 120/full |
full/full |
| 1/4" Maple | 120/full |
full/full |
| 1/4" MDF | PG Thick Draftboard | full/full |
| 1/4" Red Oak | 120/full | full/full |
| 1/4" Sapele | 120/full | full/full |
| 1/4" Walnut | 120/full | full/full |
| 1/4" White Birch | 120/full | full/full |
| 1/4" White Oak | 120/full | full/full |
1/8" Plywood
| Material | Cut (speed/power) |
Engrave (speed/power) |
| 1/8" Aromatic Cedar | 130/full |
full/full |
| 1/8" Baltic Birch | PG Medium Basswood Plywood |
full/full |
| 1/8" Cherry | 120/full |
fullfull |
| 1/8" EcoBirch | PG Medium Draftboard |
full/full |
| 1/8" Mahogany | 130/full |
full/full |
| 1/8" Maple | PG Medium Walnut Plywood |
full/full |
| 1/8" MDF | PG Medium Draftboard | full/full |
| 1/8" Red Oak | PG Medium Walnut Plywood | full/full |
| 1/8" Sapele | PG Medium Walnut Plywood | full/full |
| 1/8" Walnut | PG Medium Walnut Plywood | full/full |
| 1/8" White Birch | PG Medium Basswood Plywood | full/full |
| 1/8" White Oak | PG Medium Walnut Plywood | full/full |
1/16" Plywood
| Material | Cut (speed/power) |
Engrave (speed/power) |
| 1/16" Cherry | PG Thin Maple Veneer |
PG Thin Maple Veneer |
| 1/16" Mahogany | PG Thin Maple Veneer |
PG Thin Maple Veneer |
| 1/16" Maple | PG Thin Maple Veneer |
PG Thin Maple Veneer |
| 1/16" Red Oak | PG Thin Maple Veneer | PG Thin Maple Veneer |
| 1/16" Sapele | PG Thin Maple Veneer | PG Thin Maple Veneer |
| 1/16" Tulip Poplar | PG Thin Maple Veneer | PG Thin Maple Veneer |
| 1/16" Walnut | PG Thin Maple Veneer | PG Thin Maple Veneer |
| 1/16" White Birch | PG Thin Maple Veneer | PG Thin Maple Veneer |
| 1/16" White Oak | PG Thin Maple Veneer | PG Thin Maple Veneer |
| 1/16" White Poplar | PG Thin Maple Veneer | PG Thin Maple Veneer |
Veneers
All of the PG Thin Veneer settings are basically the same. We usually cut all wood veneers using either the PG Thin Maple Veneer or PG Thin Walnut Veneer settings, regardless of wood variety.
PatternPly
| Core Material | Cut (speed/power) |
Engrave (speed/power) |
| 1/4" MDF | 120-125/full |
full/full |
| 1/8" MDF | 160/full | full/full |
| 1/4" Acrylic (any color) | 120/full | full/full; defocus to 0.45" if not elevating |
| 1/8" Acrylic (any color) | 168/full | full/full; defocus to 0.325" if not elevating |
| Veneer | PG Thin Veneer (any wood variety) | PG Thin Veneer (any wood variety) |
| White Flex | 300/30-40 | full/30 |
| Clear Flex | 300/30-40 | |
| Peel and Stick Clear Flex | 300/30-40 | N/A |
Other
| Material | Cut (speed/power) |
Engrave (speed/power) |
| 1/4" SmokeSub | PG Thick Draftboard | PG Thick Draftboard |
| 1/8" SmokeSub | PG Medium Draftboard | PG Medium Draftboard |
| Flex Material White | 300/-30-40 |
full/30 |
| Flex Material Clear | 300/30-40 |
|
| Flex Material Peel and Stick | 300/30-40 | N/A |
| Leather (plain or PatternPly) | PG Medium Leather | PG Medium Leather |