Students will find the fun in lasers during a full week of discovering what these tools can do. Lasers have become commonplace in makers’ shops, giving craftspeople even more opportunities to be creative. This class offers a chance to spend a week in the relaxing cornfields of Indiana and find out what lasers are all about. The week-long class goes beyond the basics of the weekend class and gives students plenty of creative time to see what they can make a laser do. Students will receive instruction and hands-on time with multiple design software options and several CO2 and diode lasers. The class will cover engraving and cutting different materials, creating unique items, and enhancing others. Wood, leather, stone, paper, coated metals, and plastic are among the materials students can use, showing how versatile a laser can be. Lasers are driven by the user and a vector-based graphics program. Students will learn the basics of CorelDRAW and LightBurn, the preferred design and driver programs for this class, along with the general layout of a laser and what it can do. They will complete basic projects to learn how a laser operates, then have the opportunity to design and create their own laser-cut projects. Because this is a woodworking school, there may also be some sanding and a little marquetry.

This is not a sales pitch. Chris does not represent any laser manufacturers; he just likes making things with lasers. Whether students are thinking about getting a laser or already own one, this class gives them a chance to see what lasers can do.