Welcome to the original LASERGROWERS web page. This site will, from time to time, contain SOME information on how to build your own carbon dioxide (co2) laser. This laser will be powerful enough for cutting and burning and it is imperative that you learn some safety rules before building and using your laser. Here, you will find pictures, diagrams, schematics, plans, parts-lists, sources and other valuable information about lasers. The actual plans on how to build this laser will not be complete here so as to prevent the casual, unqualified observer from obtaining information at this site.
Should you want to join our LASERGROWERS email listserver,
simply send an email to: buzz_ard2@bigfoot.com and put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
For the "Chagaris" CO2, laser, construction design. I am going to follow this design. It seems to be very easy and the parts readily available
MARK DINSMORE'S
C02 TEXT/PIX click
WELL DONE, MARK!
FESTER SMYTH'S
C02 TEXT/PIX click
GREAT JOB, FESTER !
JONATHON CAYWOOD'S
C02 TEXT/PIX click
LOOKS GOOD, JON !
NOTICE : For now, click here first to get a description of Dinsmore's laser. On the description page, there is a link to come back to this page so that you can click above to continue.
Pressure/Vacuum Information
Needed for our co2 project
and it is available by clicking on
a link at the bottom of the page.
These are the mirrors that I was going to use.
However, due to the group purchase, I will
use mirrors similar to these. When I receive
the new mirrors, I will post them in lieu of these.
These are the old mirrors.
Above, is the Leybold brand, beast of a
vacuum pump that I have finished rebuilding.
Notice the input and output ports -
they are around an inch in diameter.
This 'sucker', pun intended, will
almost pull meat off of your arm.
Soon, I will post an updated picture of this pump
This pump is a common air-conditioning
service, vacuum pump. Iit should be adequate for the slow-flow 50 - 100 watt co2 laser.
This is the Variac (brand-name) that I plan to use for the co2 laser project. It is a 20 ampere unit and a bit of overkill but, I like large margins.
For addtional links and excellent information on lasers Sam Goldwasser has done a yeoman's job in providing this information at:
http://plop.phys.cwru.edu/repairfaq/sam/lasersam.htm
For LASER WARNING LABELS: Robin Stoddart designed some very good ones and they are available at his home page:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/4956/danger_sign.html
Good torch for glasswork by National Torch. They have two models; one with barbed hose fittings and the other has regular screw-on fittings. These torches are no longer made by National, they are now made by Premier Industries.
Tom Miller has some excellent pictures of his first works at our project.
Picture of typical CGA fitting that goes on welding/medical gas tanks.
External link to More Laser Pictures. Michael Andrus - one of our members - has a nice web page that shows some of the lasers he has built. There are also pictures of some of the lasers that Chris Chagaris has built, as well.
Manometer Construction Diagram for low pressure or vacuum from John De Armond
Vacuum Equivalence Chart from Chris Chagaris.
This is the number of laser geeks that have been here:
WE SPEAK GEEK !
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