I was given a K40 (all stock), and I want to use it to cut out some earrings from different exotic woods. I have it set up and etching the woods ok, did some nice Rosewood stuff last weekend.

So far, my attempts at cutting 4mm Sapele or Cocobolo have failed terribly. I've done some reading here, and seen some conflicting information. From what I have picked up, I need the air assist. What about the focal lens? I've seen posts stating the 50mm is fine, others say get the 38mm. Or should I just use this lower quality laser for etching, and pick up something else for cutting?

I hate the moshidraw which comes with it, but I see there's controller board/software upgrades. Without breaking the bank, what's the most universally used?

Thanks for reading the newb questions.