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November 29, 2018 Glowforge

What the heck is a Glowforge?

What is Glowforge? laser cutter

When I start talking about my newest obsession, the Glowforge, there are generally two reactions:

  1. Glow what?
  2. OMG! I totally want one of those!

Choose your reaction and read accordingly.

“A Glow what? Glowforge?”

For these people, let me explain. A Glowforge is a laser cutter. The company actually calls it “a 3D Laser Printer” but that's a little confusing, and makes a lot of people think it's a 3D printer, the kind that uses filament and makes little plastic things.

This is for cutting and engraving surfaces using a laser. Or as we say around here, “a frickin' laser”

You set it up on your home network like a printer, but instead of ink on paper, it uses lasers on a variety of materials. We've experimented with several types of wood, leather, acrylic and cardboard, but people have even etched on marshmallows and abalone shell!

You can cut shapes out to make things, like boxes and jewelry, or you can etch designs on existing pieces, like plaques and signage.

Check out this video from the company to learn more about what it can do:

Now for the other group of people:

“OMG I totally want one of those!”

You might have seen the ads on Facebook (that's how they got me!) you might be someone who follows crowdfunding trends and saw it there a couple of years ago, or you might just be someone who pays attention to Maker tech and is always up on the latest and greatest of what's available.

Well, I'm here to tell you, the Glowforge really is as cool as it seems! Set up was really easy, from opening the box to our first cut was less than an hour. The process walks you through easily, from opening the box to cutting your first project, a little piece they call “The Gift of Good Measure”

Good Measure - What is Glowforge? laser cutter

Once I wrapped my brain around how to best set up files (I'm building pretty much everything in Illustrator) I was off and running.  In next to no time, I've been able to go from idea to execution in a matter of hours, and am spending more time hunting through the scrap acrylic bin at Tap Plastics than anything else!

The Glowforge can cut a huge variety of materials; so far we've done wood (ply and solid), leather, acrylic and cardboard, but it can also do foam, etch on tile, anodized aluminum and more. If you look closely, you can see pieces of a number of future Christmas presents in my supply stash!

Supplies - What is Glowforge? laser cutter

How cool is this edge-lit acrylic lightsaber I made? (Files and instructions coming soon!)

lightsaber - What is Glowforge? laser cutter

For me, the Glowforge is a logical next step from from my trusty old Silhouette. I have felt creatively stifled for a while, pushing my cutter to do more than it's intended to; I fed pleather and glittered cardstock through that thing, and could practically hear it groan when I'd fire it up for a new project.

The Glowforge takes it all and cuts with ease. The learning curve was less than I expected, and the ideas just keep coming!

lidded box - What is Glowforge? laser cutter

I'm working on a post that will have a massive list of things that you can make with the Glowforge, but in the meantime, do you have any questions? Leave them in the comments below or drop me a note on Instagram or Facebook and I'll answer them!

You can also order my custom designed earrings, find those here: More than Thursdays jewelry

wood earrings - What is Glowforge? laser cutter

Interested in learning more about getting a Glowforge of your own?

I've partnered with Glowforge to get a special offer just for my readers! Use my referral link to purchase and you'll get up to $500 off the purchase price! Glowforge offers affordable financing, so you can get a Glowforge for yourself for as low as $118 a month!

Save $500 - What is Glowforge? laser cutter

 


6 Comments

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Comments

  1. Rachael says

    August 23, 2019 at 3:42 pm

    Cool! I should order it 🙂 perfect for my earrings what kind of wood do you use? Balsa?

    Reply
    • Lizz says

      August 23, 2019 at 4:03 pm

      Hi Rachael! I use Proofgrade brand plywood from Glowforge for my inventory, but have experimented with lots of different woods, leather and acrylic!
      Check out my shop at pewpewlasercraft.com

      Reply
  2. Shawna says

    August 29, 2019 at 1:53 pm

    Love the laser cutter… do you think the $500 discount would still apply? I would love to order one. Also… which machine did you get? Pro / Plus / Basic?
    Thanks… loved this post!

    Reply
    • Lizz says

      August 29, 2019 at 2:32 pm

      Hi Shawna!
      The discount is absolutely still valid! I have the Plus, which I love. I would have gone with the Pro if I were buying today though… I have so many ideas that would use the Passthrough!
      I’m happy to answer any questions you may have, feel free to email me or ping me on Facebook or Twitter! ~Lizz

      Reply
  3. Naomi says

    June 30, 2020 at 1:51 pm

    Hi I went to the link but the $500 didn’t come off was I supposed to do anything else

    Reply
    • Lizz says

      June 30, 2020 at 2:41 pm

      Hi Naomi, It should reflect in the cart, with the Pro being (I think) $5495 instead of $5995.

      Reply

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Welcome, I'm so glad you're here! Thing number one, I'm tall. I've been told I should have a warning on my blog, so here it is! I am taller in real life than I appear on the internet. Want to know more than this "short" version? Go here to read more about me and my family, and for links to some of my favorite posts.
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