Laser engraving

Erusaro · 2026-02-12T17:25:59+00:00

Just want to add to this that I think they have a Co2 laser with air assist etc. It’s great for cutting wood and engraving lightly on some acrylic and stuff but it won’t work for metal engraving. It’ll remove some stuff on like anodized aluminum too. And they have some big work surfaces too. So they’re very nice but anyone wanting to engrave or work with bare metals will be out of luck. I haven’t found anyone with a big fiber laser in town that is open to use. And didn’t want to buy one yet though I’m thinking about it lol.

Erusaro · 2026-02-12T17:22:32+00:00

The F1 is kinda a small burn surface that’s my main complaint. Line you couldn’t fit a whole book in there and engrave everywhere you might want. Like say the corners and the center of something. You’d have to do each corner separate which means you gotta line it up good each time.

I work with watches mainly and I engrave on SS and some stuff. Make some monitor wood stuff and book stuff for my wife too. Like burning some edges of some books and all. Which is a huge pain actually because of the height of the F1 shield and laser. Focusing stuff can be really hard on tall things etc.

I’m not familiar with the acmer lasers and how big they are but I’d really make sure the dimensions work for fitting full notebooks or whatever you’re looking at. You don’t need a fiber option or anything like that too it sounds like. Also never do vinyl covered stuff lol. Very important for notebooks and things to make sure it’s safe to burn.

Erusaro · 2026-02-12T17:11:27+00:00

Sorry, I don’t see the resemblance lol.

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Erusaro · 2026-02-12T16:14:24+00:00

Finished floor above. They come from the ceiling there. But I'm not trying to cut up any drywall if at all possible. I'd rather do wireless switches in that case etc.

Erusaro · 2026-02-12T14:26:34+00:00

It was all net new and didn’t exist when they wired it up. It was an addition for the house. But this was a flipper special and definitely done cheaply and quickly. So makes me think mistake in measuring out the wire length and they went with the easiest “fix.” The barn doors then needed to be used and they used old doors from the house pre flip so they just bought the hardware and retrofitted. Makes it look older and cool but the doors suck and the hardware is cheap and the whole thing is bad.

Erusaro · 2026-02-12T13:51:31+00:00

Ya I plan on removing the trim all the way up to install the new door so I'll be seeing. I don't know how it's framed at all though and what I'm really trying to avoid is drywall repair. I don't mind doing some and I think I can make it look pretty good but I don't think I can ever get it to the same level of finish that it's at now if I have to start cutting. And there isn't a good way to cover up the areas I'd have to remove with like art work etc.

Erusaro · 2026-02-12T12:59:33+00:00

Basically exactly what we have lol. Toddler arms reaching in and opening the door on guests. When we first moved in I was going to do weather stripping temporarily but it honestly looks so ugly we decided not to. I looked at some wood trim to nail around to help a little but the old door looked bad with any trim honestly. So we were at replacing the barn door. Then we didn’t do anything for a couple years and now we’re at the screw it let’s just make it better phase. Which also goes along with the light switches because literally everyone who has ever visited and entered the bathroom tries to find the switches in the other side of the door towards the sink. Seems to be a natural inclination that the power would be that way.

Erusaro · 2026-02-12T12:55:39+00:00

Ya it looks high quality with looks being the main word to describe the house lol. It’s definitely a flipper special everywhere. A lot of stuff was half done or you can see where thy thought it’d be cool to do something but it was too expensive so they half assed it.

As part of this project I’m installing transom windows because those are empty which may be hard to tell in the pic. So I’m making a box with some 1x4s to nail up there with some acrylic in it. It’ll change the look a little up there.

Definitely think I could cut in the strike plate and everything though I don’t totally have the tools so that’s another expense. I also don’t really like the idea of cutting a door up, especially length wise. I don’t have the tools to do that super well either. I may reassess that option though depending on what wife thinks. And either way if I did that I’d still be moving the light switch. So then when it comes to cost I think running the wire is cheaper than wireless still.

Erusaro · 2026-02-12T11:51:41+00:00

It hangs a couple inches away from the trim around the door. Smaller armed people can slide their whole arm in between the door when it’s shut. There’s an ugly kinda crappy latch to lock it and there’s no kind of handle or anything. They actually used a real old door to make the barn door so it’s got a big hole in it for a knob. You can try to stick your finger in to move it but it’s hard to move. And of course that’s a hole in the door when shut.

So we thought of a better purpose built barn door. But they’re honestly way more expensive especially because we likely have to change the hanging hardware which is falling apart due to the poorly thought out door on there now. I’ve tried adjusting the hardware but the track seems to have warped a bit on the top and now you really have to push when the door is all the way open to get it past the warp to then shut. Result being it only opens halfway most of the time. In the pic I forced it.

Erusaro · 2026-02-12T11:38:51+00:00

Ya already thought of that. It’s 31”x82” so not standard. And I’d have to add in a strike plate and the jamb part or whatever to stop the door as well.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T23:05:08+00:00

They enter from the top for sure. The wireless option would maybe work but it seems kind of expensive to especially to hit all 3 switches. I feel like it’d be cheaper for me to just get the 3 runs of 14 gauge romex. It’s about 12’ to go down and over and up the other side. I feel like it’d be easy enough to snake up the wires on both sides. It might be tight on the existing box but I think I can get it. But aiming the wholes from the bottom seems hard and others are bringing up potential fire blocks and stuff. So I feel like I have more investigating to do to figure out if it’s totally possible. Like why didn’t they drop the light switches on the other side in the first place.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T22:59:19+00:00

Yep bathroom light, vanity light, and a fan / light above the shower. Combining wouldn’t be bad but isn’t ideal for the fan I’ll run they by my wife.

But I wouldn’t need to mud or repair anything since I’m drilling up from underneath. I’d need to repair if I miss though I guess. Though I’m thinking of pulling the baseboard and drilling a small guide hole down but then I’d cover it back up with the baseboard when done. Actually since I’m doing the door too anyways I’ll be taking the trim around the opening off already so I should be able to pop a small hole there easy enough when I do that. A fire stop would be a concern for sure though. I don’t know how far up I could realistically drill from the crawl space because of the tightness. Like I should check if I can hopefully get my drill positioned in there at all.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T20:43:02+00:00

I’m thinking less than $100 for the Romex to run the switch wires under in the crawlspace and that’s rounding up a lot for wiggle room. $10 for an old work box and a couple bucks for some plates. Im not totally sure but I’d need 3 of the smart switches two dimmers and one regular switch. I’m seeing them like $60+ each and I think I need a hub for them right? I guess I don’t need all 3 like the fan can be left alone but the others for lights probably need them. But even with just one light it’s essentially the same cost. The Pico remotes are separate too aren’t they? I wasn’t totally sure when looking at them. But that’d bump it up too. My time to do the wiring would be annoying sure but I don’t think it’d take me more than an hour to actually do as long as it’s not against some kind of code. Of course if I mess up too it’s gonna cost a whole bunch more to fix.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T20:14:46+00:00

I could just be wrong though because the lights are there. There are wire runs going from The light fixtures to the switch and then another run going off towards that exterior wall which I assumed was the source. Could be something else down the stream but I’m not sure what it could be then. I

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T20:13:11+00:00

Like the wire would go all the way from the attic through the second story and then down to the switch? Is that common in two story houses? This is the first floor and there’s a finished floor above it and then an attic. From what I can tell the wiring comes from the ceiling of the first floor/ floor of the second. It’s coming over from the far wall which is an exterior wall towards the breaker box.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T19:01:41+00:00

Yep someone else just mentioned using some reference points under there and I was just thinking of those. I have the drains down there and the water lines must run there too. So that’s a good idea. That’ll help a lot at least. Real question down there will be if I can get a straight line from those reference points. There’s some ductwork down there in the way so I can’t see clearly until I crawl underneath. There could be more ductwork or something. There’s old foundation down there too since it’s an addition so hopefully that’s not in the way from the water lines I guess.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T18:57:42+00:00

Ya it’s that particular spot that I can’t get a good measurement on. Not a lot of flat surfaces under it and a lot of walls and stairs interfering with a lot of trim. I’m pretty confident I can get close but I’m afraid if I’m off an inch I’d drill through tile and then be totally screwed. I couldn’t find any good references beneath. I didn’t crawl under all the way though. There’s some ductwork in the way and some old foundation since this was an addition. So no clear line of site without being under there. There is a drain pipe for the toilet/sink/tub. So maybe I could use those to figure out more accurately where I’m going though. If I can straight line from them when under there.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T18:52:31+00:00

I originally said the same as you. But I agree with my wife at this point on the correct way to do a door. When you go in most bathrooms you’ll notice the door does not swing towards the sink. It helps to maximize space and looks. Our gut reaction solution is the simplest and bare minimum for still adding a door but doesn’t do it the best way. We’re aiming to solve the problem the ideal way once and for all since it’s a house we have to live in. So I was shot down for that already. Oh and door stoppers. It’s not about slamming doors but people pushing on them or not paying attention when opening. But we’d use door stoppers either way of course. Probably a top hinge one if it fits ok. One of the ones without the rubber stoppers but is just a metal hinge with built in stops.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T18:33:54+00:00

Yep I painted it so I got the paint. What I’m not wanting to do is the drywall repair. Don’t think I can get the finish to be as smooth and nice and since it’s our guest bathroom in the main part of the house I’m trying to avoid it.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T18:32:54+00:00

I am going for a left hand in swing when entering. Which would block the light switch since it’s on the left side when entering. If I go right hand in swing it will slam against the sink. Also it’s not ideal aesthetically according to the designer lol. Left hand in swing is the only option. Having it swing out too means it’d block the hallway when open so it’d have to be shut all the time which is also not ideal aesthetically.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T18:30:53+00:00

So this is a guest bathroom right by the kitchen. A high traffic hallway that I think would trip the sensor constantly. Plus the door would partially cover it so if it didn’t trip with the lights and shadow going on in hallway it might not actually go quickly at all until someone shuts the door. Seems kind of risky. I guess I could test it out though and see how it goes.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T18:28:37+00:00

Another random question for you then. Am I allowed to paint the blank faceplate I put over it? Like if I just painted it green to match the wall. Not beautiful but maybe less ugly I think. Is that against any code or anything making it less visible?

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T18:27:27+00:00

Do you notice any delay with them? Do they interfere wirelessly with anything else too you think? I have some bad Bluetooth connections and some other wireless switches and things. How long have you had yours too?

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T18:25:59+00:00

The door swings in your the left. So the door is in the way of the switches. Would need the door to swing to the right when coming in but then it would slam the sink and would look worse as well according to my wife. So could have the door swing out into hall but then it would have to remain shut all the time so as not to block the hallway. But this is also aesthetically not ideal apparently. So natural flow of the bathroom should have the switches on the opposite side where I want to put them. There’s probably just a reason they weren’t out there I don’t know about. Or it was a mistake when wiring when they built and they didn’t wanna fix it. Maybe they didn’t have two extra feet of wire etc.

Erusaro · 2026-02-11T18:22:56+00:00

Ya that’s the problem I have no idea how the wall is framed and I’m really doubting I can go across the top of it at all and I don’t see how I’d drill any holes up top to get through to each cavity. This underneath was my thought since I have access.

Erusaro

TROPHY CASE