I had the same problem just this week. I went to my local supplier, and was a little surprised when the sheet of 1/4" Baltic Birch Plywood(5 ply) came out as a 4x8 sheet instead of a 5x5 sheet. Not a big deal…I cut it down to fit in my machine anyway.
After getting home, I cut it down to pieces that I could use, and put a piece in my 70w Co2, and it took 5 passes at 10/85 with 50psi air assist to get it to work, and was charred so bad I could hardly use it.. I don’t normally work with 1/4", so i put a piece of 1/8" in and it cut just fine with the settings I have always used.
I cleaned my lens, re-checked my focus, cleaned my mirrors, and re-aligned. While cleaning the mirrors, I found one that was a little foggy, and discolored(3), so I ordered new and replaced. Still, after all of that, it took 4-5 passes to cut all the way through.
Finally, I remembered that I had a scrap of old 1/4" from the same supplier that I bought when it was a 5x5 sheet. I adjusted my settings back to the original that I had used in the past for the 1/4 - 12/80, and 30psi., and it cut through in one pass with no excessive char, sharp edges, or other issues.
I don’t know what is different, but after a week of trying different settings, I still cannot get the new stock to cut easily. It throws sparks like I’m cutting thin metal with a dremel, and the edges are like charcoal. You could almost use it as a pencil!
If anyone has had success cutting this stuff…a few tips would be appreciated! Thank you in advance!
