[edowney]

My wife and I started a business converting old 12" vinyl records into clocks. Last Christmas we purchased a Chinese cnc router and spent all of 2016 learning how to cut records with it. After 12 months I can safely say we know everything there is about cutting vinyl records with a router. Unfortunately one of the downsides to the router approach is the lack of detail we can reliably create. I've seen what our competitors are doing with lasers and I would like to revisit using a laser.

I have a fair amount of wood working experience so the router was a natural fit as I have zero experience working with lasers. So here are some questions/concerns I need to work out before upgrading to a laser:

1. I'd like to keep the cost reasonable but I want a well supported system. I bought a Chinese cnc router initially and then moved on to the shark when the Chinese one started giving me issues. Since using the shark I can see the shortcomings in the Chinese router and would like to avoid that situation again.

2. I don't intend to cut steel or anything thick, etc. Just vinyl records and maybe paper, cardboard, thin wood, etc. But if it came down to it I would dedicate it to vinyl records only. So what strength laser do I need to cut vinyl records with?

3. I've heard there are issues cutting vinyl records - something to do with gunking up the laser. Not sure what that means exactly so if anyone has any experience with cutting polyvinyl chloride records by all mean put in your two cents.

Thanx!

[fixtureman1]

Cutting vinyl is toxic and creates corrosive fumes that will ruin a laser plus could cause health problems or even death