I got mine a month ago and have recently gotten around to using it. I really like your tutorials! I was just at dollar tree and saw their canvases but I wasn't sure if I could use them. So this came at a great time on my feed lol. Keep doing these!!
@MonkeyWoodworks yes! I picked up some of their wooden plaques to mess around with and the results were really good once I figured out the right settings. If you can find those, I suggest trying them out!
Trial and error!! Very good video!!👍🏻👍🏻 BTW there will be a live today from the makers of the M1, something to do with a 40W laser if you’re interested.
Hi there, and thank you for this video. I have been playing with laser engraving painted canvases with my M1 for the past week. I didn't paint mine with a white base first. For my first canvases I used just two coats of black acrylic paint which seemed to work (it was a matte paint because I agree with you about the glossy paint.). My first couple of pictures were really bad and I think that was settings in imag-r that I haven't perfected yet. I then tried another picture that looked great in black and white, and found it looked even more amazing in red and black. In parts the image was left black, some red and in others it went through to the canvas, and I was thrilled but I think that had a lot to do with the picture I did (it looked like an ancient hieroglyphic of Anubis with the scales. ) But a couple of things you did I either couldn't do or didn't do. For one thing, my M1 wouldn't auto measure the canvas and I ended up having to put the M1 on risers, and then raising up my canvas on other boards to get it about two mm below the floor for the laser to focus properly - yet I see yours went on the floor of the laser perfectly. SO I must've done something wrong there and will have to check. Maybe I used the triangle prisms. I can't remember. But I also noticed your power was lower and your speed was higher than what I used. I used 35 power and 80 speed. It took a lot longer for an 8 x 10 canvas obviously, but the results were good. But as you have had success with your settings, I am going to try them too. But a huge thank you. I didn't know the M1 could go as high as 500 dpi. I had mine set at about 280 dpi from memory, so I will see what happens with a higher dpi and your piece of wood for getting the canvas squared with the ridge on the metal plate was a brilliant idea. Thank you so much and keep on putting out these videos. I am learning so much. Best wishes from New Zealand, Lisa.
Thank you so much for the reply! There is a lot of helpful information here. I do believe the failure was either the image or the final image in imag-r. I definitely need more practice. Even at the speed i used it seemed to take forever. I want to get some mini canvases and try to come up with a higher speed combo by testing on the exact same image with different settings. Thanks again for all the great information.
I used the same settings (they are in my shared material settings doc. Link in the video description). I think it really depends on the image preparation.
I will see what I can do however I am not the best when it comes to photos. I blame it on my colorblindness but prep-work of the photo is key when it comes to engraving on wood or canvas and I have a hard time with it.
I just received my M1 and ordered the air assist with it, Upon trying to install the air assist, the screw that is supposed to screw in and the tabs should be horizontal are not, they are at least 70 degrees off. I cannot seem to get any assistance from Xtool, and one user whom I posted this problem on the M1 support page suggested you might be able to help me. Is there any third party air assist which might work better? Or is there a solution you know of that can fix this issue for me. FYI - I really enjoy your videos they are very detailed and I cannot wait to try this machine!
I know you and I have spoke on this already but adding my answer here for others to see. The kit came with some small rubber o-rings. Slide one of those up past the threads and see if that helps. Honestly, I forgot to put the o-ring on when I installed mine. When I put mine on, I too had the same issue so I just loosened it just enough to make the tabs horizontal and used it like that. I haven't had any issues and the air assist has been great.
Thank you for all your inspirations and great step by step tutorials. I am a newbie and am learning how to use my M1 from you. I am so excited to try engraving on canvas.
One thing I learned from the same result was to calibrate my monitor. If you prefer your monitor brightness to be darker than factory settings, the results will be darker. Once I calibrated my monitor, things were much more consistent.
I enjoy your videos. I do have one big problem with X Tools in general. My smoke purifier stopped working. I did a lot of troubleshooting and looked at the manual without any luck. I finally did an extensive search on the internet and found a video about changing the fuse. IT WORKED! They included a spare fuse. My new problem is finding some way to get a few extra fuses... the ones they use have no information on the fuse and I can't find any information about them. I assume that I should not just use any fuse. Have you been able to communicate with X Tools to order parts, like filters, etc. I love the machine but their customer service is very frustrating. =/ Thank you!
I am sorry to hear that. My advice is to join the Official xTool Facebook group related to your engraver and post there. While you are there, message Nicole Peng and/or Cecilia Fang. Both of these xTool support members are great resources to get xTool help from.
You're awesome and thank you for sharing! So, you use the web program, imageR, to convert the photo to a PNG file? If so, do you think I could simply convert the photo in my photo program?
Thank you for the kind words! I used imagr to take a normal picture and prepare it to be able to be engraved. It applies filters to it depending on the engraving method chosen.
Thanks for the video it was very interesting. One suggestion if you don't mind. You are doing a bit of trial and error - good way to learn - but do you have to discard the first attempt. Could you not repaint the canvas and and try again with lighter settings on the picture.
The canvas was only $1 so its not a huge loss. I am guessing that I could re-paint and try again but not sure if it will negatively affect it? Perhaps i can lightly sand it down slightly to get closer to the original canvas.
hi Mike loved the engraving video and we need to make mistakes so we can learn ,i tried your over focussing tip and it worked a treat i generally use 3.6mm ply when i entered 2.6 after it auto focussed it went straight through first time no need for a second pass ,many thanks buddy take carethanks for your help looking forward to your next upload with thw M1 , cheers clive in the uk.
100% props for your honesty in showing your failed attempt even though you were not happy with it. I am right there with you. You gotta love and hate it :P
Hi mike I'm interested in buying one of these laser engravers to put on pottery do you know anybody that does pottery it be nice to see if it actually works
Hi Mike happy new year to you and your family hope you had a good Christmas I have a question and I think you may know I have been using some plywood from my local timber merchants it is 3.6mm in thickness I have tried to cut on 98% power and a speed of 5 when I auto measure on the triangular prism it comes out at 4.00mm but on two passes it doesn't cut all the way through when I lift the lid on my M1 it seems to move the pattern so I end up with a wasted project any hints will be greatly appreciated.take care buddy from Clive in the UK.(ps sorry for the huge txt ).
When I cut thicker material, I use a method that pushes the focal point toward the inside of the material to allow me to cut deeper. Have a look at my google sheet (link in video description of my videos) for a better explanation. I am wondering that is what you need to do in your case.
I see you have the air assist on your machine. Once you've taken and added the air assist, do you leave that on the machine at all times? When do you use it? Do you have a video about the air assist? Thank you for your video's. It really has helped me not be so afraid to use it.
I have a couple videos about the air assist on my channel. I keep mine attached to the bottom of the laser head 24/7 but do not use it all the time. I usually only turn on the air pump when I am cutting wood.
@@MonkeyWoodworks thank you so much. I had to leave for work so definitely will check those out. Keep the videos up as you are really good at explaining it all.
AWESOME VIDEO! I know I'm quite late to the conversation, but I've got a question for you. When you worked on your canvas engraving project, did you place the canvas in the usual base plate location? I couldn't really make out the position. I was going to try and engrave one, but when it automeasured it was half an inch thick and i got nervous and took it off. I thought maybe it should be used with the honeycomb on one of the lower positions (I have the riser base) and do open plane for engraving, but I didn't think I was ready for that so I just gave up. So is it possible to place it on top of the honeycomb (I inserted the honeycomb from the top of the M1)? Thanks for any insights you can share! 😊
The "thickness" (lasr flat mode) or "distance" (open plane mode) is nothing to fear. It does not tell the laser to put out more power. It just tells it where to put the height of the laser to achieve the best results. You still need to set the power/speed. I believe tool the base plate out and put the canvas on the tabletop (is dont have a risers base). As long it doesn't complain after performing an automeasure, you should be ok.
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Trial and error are the first steps to success!!! You got this bud 👍
Thanks!
I got mine a month ago and have recently gotten around to using it. I really like your tutorials! I was just at dollar tree and saw their canvases but I wasn't sure if I could use them. So this came at a great time on my feed lol. Keep doing these!!
Thank you for the kind words! Dollar Tree is a great source for cheap material that's for sure!
@MonkeyWoodworks yes! I picked up some of their wooden plaques to mess around with and the results were really good once I figured out the right settings. If you can find those, I suggest trying them out!
Will do!
Trial and error!! Very good video!!👍🏻👍🏻
BTW there will be a live today from the makers of the M1, something to do with a 40W laser if you’re interested.
Yes, I'm excited to see it. I try to catch xTool's live streams when I can. Thanks for the reminder!
No worries!👍🏻
Hi there, and thank you for this video. I have been playing with laser engraving painted canvases with my M1 for the past week. I didn't paint mine with a white base first. For my first canvases I used just two coats of black acrylic paint which seemed to work (it was a matte paint because I agree with you about the glossy paint.). My first couple of pictures were really bad and I think that was settings in imag-r that I haven't perfected yet. I then tried another picture that looked great in black and white, and found it looked even more amazing in red and black. In parts the image was left black, some red and in others it went through to the canvas, and I was thrilled but I think that had a lot to do with the picture I did (it looked like an ancient hieroglyphic of Anubis with the scales. ) But a couple of things you did I either couldn't do or didn't do. For one thing, my M1 wouldn't auto measure the canvas and I ended up having to put the M1 on risers, and then raising up my canvas on other boards to get it about two mm below the floor for the laser to focus properly - yet I see yours went on the floor of the laser perfectly. SO I must've done something wrong there and will have to check. Maybe I used the triangle prisms. I can't remember. But I also noticed your power was lower and your speed was higher than what I used. I used 35 power and 80 speed. It took a lot longer for an 8 x 10 canvas obviously, but the results were good. But as you have had success with your settings, I am going to try them too. But a huge thank you. I didn't know the M1 could go as high as 500 dpi. I had mine set at about 280 dpi from memory, so I will see what happens with a higher dpi and your piece of wood for getting the canvas squared with the ridge on the metal plate was a brilliant idea. Thank you so much and keep on putting out these videos. I am learning so much. Best wishes from New Zealand, Lisa.
Thank you so much for the reply! There is a lot of helpful information here. I do believe the failure was either the image or the final image in imag-r. I definitely need more practice. Even at the speed i used it seemed to take forever. I want to get some mini canvases and try to come up with a higher speed combo by testing on the exact same image with different settings. Thanks again for all the great information.
@@MonkeyWoodworks can't wait to see what you do with the mini canvases, but yes, the time factor is huge with engraving I've noticed :)
Thank you! I'm really good with stainless steel and mirrors but canvas has been really frustrating.
You are so welcome!
Live and learn.
Thanks for sharing!
I make the mistakes, so you don't have to lol!
As a newbie (-6 months) I truly appreciate the honest results and not just the "Tada! It's perfect!" Thank you!
Thank you so much for the feedback! What's your next M1 project?
your videos are great , thankyou
Thank you so much!
What settings did you use on the picture of you and your wife?
I used the same settings (they are in my shared material settings doc. Link in the video description). I think it really depends on the image preparation.
Can you do a veido on doing photos on wood using xtool m1?
I will see what I can do however I am not the best when it comes to photos. I blame it on my colorblindness but prep-work of the photo is key when it comes to engraving on wood or canvas and I have a hard time with it.
Can you do this with acrylic paint?
I suspect you can but not 100% sure. I have always seen others use spray paint so that's what i used.
I hope you do more photos with the m1 , don’t forget to use a microfiber cloth to wipe off the small dust particles
Good idea. I usually use compressed air and a brush. I might have to give that a try as well.
I just received my M1 and ordered the air assist with it, Upon trying to install the air assist, the screw that is supposed to screw in and the tabs should be horizontal are not, they are at least 70 degrees off. I cannot seem to get any assistance from Xtool, and one user whom I posted this problem on the M1 support page suggested you might be able to help me. Is there any third party air assist which might work better? Or is there a solution you know of that can fix this issue for me. FYI - I really enjoy your videos they are very detailed and I cannot wait to try this machine!
I know you and I have spoke on this already but adding my answer here for others to see.
The kit came with some small rubber o-rings. Slide one of those up past the threads and see if that helps. Honestly, I forgot to put the o-ring on when I installed mine. When I put mine on, I too had the same issue so I just loosened it just enough to make the tabs horizontal and used it like that. I haven't had any issues and the air assist has been great.
Thank you for all your inspirations and great step by step tutorials. I am a newbie and am learning how to use my M1 from you. I am so excited to try engraving on canvas.
Thank you. As you can see i still have some learning to do. The basics are here in the video but as you can see i still need practice lol.
One thing I learned from the same result was to calibrate my monitor. If you prefer your monitor brightness to be darker than factory settings, the results will be darker. Once I calibrated my monitor, things were much more consistent.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing.
I enjoy your videos. I do have one big problem with X Tools in general. My smoke purifier stopped working. I did a lot of troubleshooting and looked at the manual without any luck. I finally did an extensive search on the internet and found a video about changing the fuse. IT WORKED! They included a spare fuse. My new problem is finding some way to get a few extra fuses... the ones they use have no information on the fuse and I can't find any information about them. I assume that I should not just use any fuse. Have you been able to communicate with X Tools to order parts, like filters, etc. I love the machine but their customer service is very frustrating. =/ Thank you!
I am sorry to hear that. My advice is to join the Official xTool Facebook group related to your engraver and post there. While you are there, message Nicole Peng and/or Cecilia Fang. Both of these xTool support members are great resources to get xTool help from.
Cool! Can you do this with the P2 as well?
I haven't tried that on yet, but I definitely need to!
@MonkeyWoodworks thanks for the reply.
I'd love to see a video on that if you ever do.
You're awesome and thank you for sharing! So, you use the web program, imageR, to convert the photo to a PNG file? If so, do you think I could simply convert the photo in my photo program?
Thank you for the kind words! I used imagr to take a normal picture and prepare it to be able to be engraved. It applies filters to it depending on the engraving method chosen.
Thanks for the video it was very interesting. One suggestion if you don't mind. You are doing a bit of trial and error - good way to learn - but do you have to discard the first attempt. Could you not repaint the canvas and and try again with lighter settings on the picture.
The canvas was only $1 so its not a huge loss. I am guessing that I could re-paint and try again but not sure if it will negatively affect it? Perhaps i can lightly sand it down slightly to get closer to the original canvas.
hi Mike loved the engraving video and we need to make mistakes so we can learn ,i tried your over focussing tip and it worked a treat i generally use 3.6mm ply when i entered 2.6 after it auto focussed it went straight through first time no need for a second pass ,many thanks buddy take carethanks for your help looking forward to your next upload with thw M1 ,
cheers clive in the uk.
Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad to hear it worked so well for you.
Thank you very much. Great video. I am also e newbie and I am learning every day more and more....😍😍
You are welcome!
Check out Southern Smoke Engraving channel, he does a lot of laser canvas work
Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for this! I learned a lot even though your results were not exactly what you wanted!
Glad it was helpful!
100% props for your honesty in showing your failed attempt even though you were not happy with it. I am right there with you. You gotta love and hate it :P
Thank you for the kind words. You win some, you lose some i guess haha.
What version of creative space are you using? Mine doesn’t have the same engraving mode options.
I am using version 1.1.19. They just came out with it on 1/10/2023.
Hi mike I'm interested in buying one of these laser engravers to put on pottery do you know anybody that does pottery it be nice to see if it actually works
There have been a couple of attempts in the Official M1 FB group. If you're not a member, join it and search for "pottery" to see the posts.
Hi Mike happy new year to you and your family hope you had a good Christmas I have a question and I think you may know I have been using some plywood from my local timber merchants it is 3.6mm in thickness I have tried to cut on 98% power and a speed of 5 when I auto measure on the triangular prism it comes out at 4.00mm but on two passes it doesn't cut all the way through when I lift the lid on my M1 it seems to move the pattern so I end up with a wasted project any hints will be greatly appreciated.take care buddy from
Clive in the UK.(ps sorry for the huge txt ).
When I cut thicker material, I use a method that pushes the focal point toward the inside of the material to allow me to cut deeper. Have a look at my google sheet (link in video description of my videos) for a better explanation. I am wondering that is what you need to do in your case.
@@MonkeyWoodworks many thanks Mike I will have a look at that cheers buddy👍
Thank you for sharing your experience, it was a pleasure to watch and hear your process!
Thank you for your kind words!
I see you have the air assist on your machine. Once you've taken and added the air assist, do you leave that on the machine at all times? When do you use it? Do you have a video about the air assist? Thank you for your video's. It really has helped me not be so afraid to use it.
I have a couple videos about the air assist on my channel. I keep mine attached to the bottom of the laser head 24/7 but do not use it all the time. I usually only turn on the air pump when I am cutting wood.
@@MonkeyWoodworks thank you so much. I had to leave for work so definitely will check those out. Keep the videos up as you are really good at explaining it all.
AWESOME VIDEO! I know I'm quite late to the conversation, but I've got a question for you. When you worked on your canvas engraving project, did you place the canvas in the usual base plate location? I couldn't really make out the position. I was going to try and engrave one, but when it automeasured it was half an inch thick and i got nervous and took it off. I thought maybe it should be used with the honeycomb on one of the lower positions (I have the riser base) and do open plane for engraving, but I didn't think I was ready for that so I just gave up. So is it possible to place it on top of the honeycomb (I inserted the honeycomb from the top of the M1)? Thanks for any insights you can share! 😊
The "thickness" (lasr flat mode) or "distance" (open plane mode) is nothing to fear. It does not tell the laser to put out more power. It just tells it where to put the height of the laser to achieve the best results. You still need to set the power/speed. I believe tool the base plate out and put the canvas on the tabletop (is dont have a risers base). As long it doesn't complain after performing an automeasure, you should be ok.
Did you use the air assist as well?
I have done it both ways. I think I prefer to have the air assist ON.