Laser cut wood

Owlet

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2016
2,750
1,886
Colorado
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Lincoln (Eclectus), Apollo (Cockatiel), Aster (GCC)
It laser cut wood safe to use in making of toys? I see it a lot in craft stores and such but I'm always hesitant to get it be cause I dont know if the burnt edges could pose a problem or not?
 

SailBoat

Supporting Member
Jul 10, 2015
17,646
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Western, Michigan
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DYH Amazon
It really comes down to whether the wood is safe to begin with. Laser cutting would create a charcoal edge. Add water and it becomes really messy. Also, it would not be unusual if your Parrot begins to display black lines /edges as the charcoal marks what comes in contact with it. When edges are cut into a flat surface, you Parrot would need to chew it to be exposed to the charcoal edge.

I would stay away from it as it just adds more work when, not if, your Parrot is drawn to it.
 

Flboy

Well-known member
Dec 28, 2014
12,598
4,101
Greater Orlando area, Florida
Parrots
JoJo, 'Special' GCC, Bongo, Cinnamon GCC(wife's)
I see no problems with it! When done correctly, there’s little to no residue. My son-in-law has a monster grade machine and we play with it quite a bit!
the normal precautions as to the type of wood obviously apply!
 

Flboy

Well-known member
Dec 28, 2014
12,598
4,101
Greater Orlando area, Florida
Parrots
JoJo, 'Special' GCC, Bongo, Cinnamon GCC(wife's)
It really comes down to whether the wood is safe to begin with. Laser cutting would create a charcoal edge. Add water and it becomes really messy. Also, it would not be unusual if your Parrot begins to display black lines /edges as the charcoal marks what comes in contact with it. When edges are cut into a flat surface, you Parrot would need to chew it to be exposed to the charcoal edge.

I would stay away from it as it just adds more work when, not if, your Parrot is drawn to it.
Properly lasered wood will not have a charcoal edge! The wood is vaporized, not burned! That being said, many times charring is purposely left as effects!
Most of what you see is created on a CNC machine! They are faster, and do a better job with wood!
And for laser machines, folks tend to start with hobby level units, and the results are what you would expect! Our unit was 20k, just for the machine! To that you add the chiller, compressor, and O2 setup!
A little back step here! I got caught up in the word, charcoal! The burned edge does have a buildup at the cuts! It is the residue from the vaporized wood! Many times it is left, or it can be washed away with solvent!
 
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Calculations

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Aug 30, 2021
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I have a budgie I've considered a teil in the future but it won't be anytime soon I'd like to gain more experience before I get any more birds.
I don't know about laser cut wood but i got a cheap alternative, go outside and find a maple tree (Maple trees are bird safe if you remove the bark or if you wash the bark) there are guides online as to how to get bugs and bacteria out of wood properly. Once done you can put the wood or branches into whatever shape you'd like and make your own for free.
 

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