Create Original Lightburn Projects that Stand Out

Co2 Laser Bootcamp is my beginner’s course for Lightburn-compatible Co2 lasers. It teaches the 5 core laser skills you’ll need for any project. Complete it in one focused weekend or take your time. Bonus courses on photo and rotary engraving are also included.

Have a diode laser? Go here.

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Testimonials From My Other Course

(Co2 Laser Bootcamp is brand-new, so this is just to give you a feel for what others have said about my teaching style)

WHAT You’ll Learn (The 5 Core Skills)

I’ll be honest.

It annoys me when people say to “learn the fundamentals”, without explaining what that actually means.

It’s kind of like saying “to make a good BBQ sauce, you need SPICES”, without explaining WHICH spices are needed.

So to hopefully add some clarity, I’ve boiled down the laser fundamentals into the below 5 core skills:

Core Skill 1: Lightburn Design

About half of the core bootcamp lessons are focused on this one skill.

Lightburn design (as I define it), includes navigating the workspace, creating shapes, formatting text, assigning layers, etc.

Basically everything you would need in Lightburn to prepare a project before applying the settings (which are then found using skill #3).

Core Skill 2: Air

In my view, “air” is probably the most underrated laser skill.

And to me, air includes two main parts: air flow and air assist.

In a nutshell, understanding air is what allows you to get perfectly clean cuts and engravings (with little-to-no sanding or post-processing).

Core Skill 3: Test Grids

If you’ve already done some laser-related research you’ve probably heard something about “material tests” / “test grids” / “power-speed tests”.

These are all the same thing, and it’s probably both simpler AND more complex than you’ve heard.

In the bootcamp, we go step-by-step through the easiest way to use a test grid AND we cover how (and when) to create your own custom tests.

Core Skill 4: Laser Focus

Even if you do everything else perfectly, an out of focus laser can immediately ruin a project.

The good news is that focusing a laser is usually a fairly simple process.

And in the bootcamp we cover 4 different methods for focusing a laser, including auto-focus, manual focus, and something called “The Ramp Test”.

Core Skill 5: Coordinates & Framing

When I was getting started, coordinates and framing was the single most difficult topic for me to figure out.

This is how you get your designs perfectly positioned or centered on whatever object or material you’re engraving/cutting.

In the bootcamp, we cover this step-by-step, including the differences between settings like “current position”, “absolute coordinates”, and how to use jigs or a Lightburn camera if you’d like to.

HOW You’ll Learn It (The ETCH Method)

The more I’ve learned about laser engraving, the more that I’ve noticed a pattern in how I learn.

It boils down to a 4-step process that has helped me to quickly reach new “aha! moments”.

And to make things easy to remember, I’ve started calling this process “The ETCH Method”:

In a nutshell, this is how it works:

Start broad and learn as much as about a new topic as possible (e.g. what are ALL the Lightburn design tools?).

Then we filter down until we get to the building blocks (e.g. if I want to create a custom shape in Lightburn, there are really only 6 options).

Next, we’ve got to apply the building blocks on a real project (e.g. use the line tool in Lightburn to make a saw shape).

And finally we systematize what we’ve learned (e.g. we make our design repeatable by saving the file, material library entries, jigs, etc.).

This is the basic process I use for learning any new laser skill myself, and it’s also the approach used inside of Co2 Laser Bootcamp

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MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Hi! I’m JJ –

I got my first laser in December of 2022 after getting laid off.

And as soon as I tried to run my first laser project, I was shocked by how hard it was to figure out even the basics.

Through a lot of trial and error, I managed to learn enough to throw together a few decent laser projects.

And by January of 2023, my wife and I made our first sale of a laser-made product on Etsy.

Only 6 months after this first sale, we surpassed $5k/month in laser revenue (if you care about that sort of thing).

And somewhere along the way, I started to feel like I actually knew what I was doing.

But after riding this surge of growth for awhile, we decided to scale back the laser business in order to renovate a 1950s colonial house.

And by the time we were ready to start accepting new Etsy orders, my laser YouTube channel (ChalkWatts) had started to take off.

I’ve always loved teaching, and this seemed like a unique opportunity to build something really useful, so my wife and I decided that I’d divide my time between building Etsy orders (which we now treat like a side hustle) and teaching laser engraving on YouTube and in my bootcamps.

Featured Example Projects:

The Saw Clock

If you can make this clock (which the course shows you exactly how to do), you will be able to run and understand test grids, the Node Editor in Lightburn, air assist, and WAY more.

I spent ages comparing potential example projects, looking for projects that would teach the MOST skills in the LEAST time, and The Saw Clock stood out as my favorite.

Pet Photo Memorial

This is the example project within Photo Engraving Blueprint (the included bonus course on photo engraving).

This project will teach you how to systematically dial-in your photo engraving settings to get CRISP results. Plus, it also demonstrates how to incorporate a photo into an overall project design.

Custom Engraved Tumbler

Rotary Engraving Blueprint (my rotary engraving course) will also be included with Co2 Laser Bootcamp

In this course, you’ll learn how to set-up and engrave using a rotary attachment, including how (and when) to adjust steps per rotation, which is probably the most misunderstood rotary setting.

Bootcamp Lessons Overview

Day 1

Lightburn
(Core Skill 1)

During the first day of Bootcamp (~3.5 hours of video lessons), we’ll go deep on Core Skill 1: Lightburn Design. We’ll get you oriented within Lightburn. And we’ll cover all of Lightburn’s design tools, as well as other essential features, like applying and organizing layers. We’ll also walk step-by-step through designing The Saw Clock example project.  

Day 2

Perfect Engravings (Core Skills 2-5)

On day 2 (another ~3.5 hours of video lessons) we’ll cover the additional 4 skills you need to get super clean cuts and engravings. We’ll cover air and how to optimize it. And we’ll go deep on test grids so that you know the EXACT process for dialing in your settings. We’ll also cover focus, and coordinates and framing.

Bonus

Photo Engraving (Optional Skill)

In this bonus course, you’ll learn my systematic 5 test method for getting exceptionally accurate photo engravings. This includes understanding how to optimize interval, dot width correction, and other key photo settings. As part of the process, you’ll also get my custom photo engraving tests template.

Bonus

Rotary Engraving
(Optional Skill)

In this bonus course, you’ll learn my systematic approach for setting up new rotary projects. We’ll cover engraving Tumblers, and we’ll walk through Lightburn design optimizations to correct for optical illusions that sometimes impact round designs (like round logos) and steeply tapered items (like pint glasses).

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Why This Bootcamp

Get Crucial Laser Concepts to Finally “Click”

Concepts are explained using specific examples to make them easier to understand and apply to your own projects. If you like how I teach on YouTube, you’ll love Co2 Laser Bootcamp.

The MOST Time-Efficient
Laser Course on the Market

This bootcamp is designed to help you learn in 2-days what other courses spread out over multiple weeks. You can also do the lessons at your own pace, but I’ll never make you wait for new lessons to “drop”.

Finish Example Projects You’re Proud to Show Off

Get ready to hear things like “Wow! How’d you make this!?” or “No way, YOU made that!?” The level of polish put into the example projects is aimed at getting you these kinds of responses.

Avoid Weeks (or Months) of Searching

Jumping from one YouTube video to another is terribly slow and can lead to frustrating contradictions. If you’re tired of bouncing around, the clear roadmap in Co2 Laser Bootcamp will be like breath of fresh air.

Lifetime Access

Yes, this is a weekend bootcamp. BUT, if you’d rather do the lessons over a few weeks, or if you just need a refresher later, don’t worry. You’ll have lifetime access to all of the recorded lessons and downloadable files (with the VIP tier, email support will be available for 14 days after joining).

14-Day Money Back Guarantee

If you’re not happy with the bootcamp, then I don’t want your money. I will promptly give you a 100% refund, as long as I receive your refund request within 14 days of your purchase date.

FAQs

Here are answers to some questions you might have about the program:

This course is relevant to any consumer co2 laser that runs Lightburn.

This includes everything from desktop co2 lasers (like the Xtool P2) to “prosumer” co2 lasers like the larger machines from Aeon, Thunder, Omtech, etc.

This also includes both glass tube AND rf/metal tube co2 lasers. In fact, in the filming of the course I used one glass tube co2 laser (an Xtool P2) and one rf/metal tube co2 laser (an Aeon Mira 9S).

This also includes co2 lasers with both GCODE and DSP controllers. No worries if you don’t know what this means, I cover the differences between the two when it becomes relevant inside of the course.

The bootcamp is NOT relevant to industrial lasers (e.g. if you’re a factory operation using lasers with wattages in the KWs, I can’t help you).

The bootcamp is NOT relevant to lasers that don’t run Lightburn (much of the program is focused on the settings and tools inside of Lightburn, so if you use a different software, you wouldn’t get the full value of the program).

There is a dedicated “pre-requisites” section inside of Co2 Laser Bootcamp. This is meant to be an optional reference for anyone who joins the program that hasn’t fully set-up their laser yet.

In a nutshell, the “pre-requisites” are the initial set-up steps you need to have done before you can dive straight into the lessons in the “Core Bootcamp” section of the course.

Examples of typical set-up steps for co2 lasers include the following:

  • Exhaust is set-up
  • Honeycomb / blade table is installed
  • Machine is level
  • Chiller is set-up (for some co2 lasers)
  • Laser is aligned
  • An air assist system is connected (or built in)
  • Lightburn is installed
  • You have appropriate safety equipment (e.g. laser safety glasses, fire extinguisher, etc.)

Given that every make/model of laser is a little different, it’s usually best to treat your laser manufacturer’s instructions as the first and primary source of information on how to perform the initial set-up for your specific machine.

With that all said, I’ve done my best to make the pre-requisites section helpful for folks who still need to do some set-up. It includes checklists of the steps that are typically required to set-up a Co2 laser.

I’ve also recorded videos demonstrating the step-by-step setup process I used for a brand new Aeon Co2 laser (all the way from un-crating to a pretty detailed walkthrough of it’s first Lightburn installation).

This program is for beginners who want to learn laser engraving deeply and quickly.

But let’s define what “beginners” means to me.

In my view, a “beginner” is anyone who isn’t yet confident in their understanding of the 5 core skills.

Here are the 5 core skills as a reminder:

  1. Lightburn design
  2. Air
  3. Test grids
  4. Laser focus
  5. Coordinates & framing

If you look at this list, and you don’t feel like you understand how to use them consistently when making projects, then I think you’ll get a lot out of Co2 Laser Bootcamp.

On the other hand, if you’ve already made 10+ projects using the 5 core skills, and feel comfortable using them for your future projects, then I’d consider you “intermediate”.

With an “intermediate” skill level, you might really enjoy the Photo Engraving Blueprint and Rotary Engraving Blueprint bonus courses, but a lot of the core bootcamp lessons are likely to be refreshers for you.

That’s totally fine! This is a self-paced online course, the weekend structure is intended to make the material approachable, but it’s just as easy to do it on a Tuesday at 7PM as it is to do it on a Saturday.

We talked about the 5 Core Skills above, and all 5 of those are covered in the bootcamp.

But just to make things more clear, here are a few highlights of what you’ll be able to do after just the core lessons:

1. Use Lightburn confidently
2. Get perfect power/speed settings
3. Use (and build) Material Libraries to save time in Lightburn
4. Apply settings to Layers and organize them in Lightburn
5. Position your material accurately on the laser bed
6. Get super clean cuts and engravings
7. Find custom fonts and import them into Lightburn
8. Use several advanced tools in Lighburn, like the Node Editor tool

That covers the core bootcamp, but you can also learn more in the bonus photo engraving and rotary engraving courses. Specifically, you’d learn to:

9. Engrave photos with pro-level accuracy
10. Use a rotary for engraving cylindrical objects

You’ll have lifetime access to the Bootcamp, and all of it’s lessons and downloadable files.

The only part of the program that does NOT include lifetime access, is the email support on the VIP tier, which is available for 14 days after your purchase date.

If for any reason you don’t like the bootcamp, just email me and I will give you 100% of your money back as long as I receive your refund request within 14 days of your purchase date.

If you have questions about the Bootcamp that are not answered on this page, then you can email me: jj@chalkwatts.com

Please make your email subject line the exact bolded sentence below:

Q8: Question about Bootcamp

I get a lot of emails, so this helps me to filter out the spam 🙂

Pricing

Essential

$397*

Everything you need to create your own original laser projects, with Lightburn and your co2 laser.

  • Learn the 5 core laser skills
  • Get lifetime access (learn this weekend, or whenever you can)
  • Downloadable Lightburn files and templates
  • Bonus: Photo engraving course
  • Bonus: Rotary engraving course
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*Depending on your location, local tax may be added at checkout.

VIP

$497*

Adds 1-on-1 email support with JJ, so you don’t have to hope for answers from online forums or Facebook groups.

  • Everything in Essential
  • 14 days of direct email support from JJ
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*Depending on your location, local tax may be added at checkout.