Lightburn Tool Layers

LightBurn Quick Tip: Stop Engraving Your Jigs (Use Tool Layers!)

If you run a fiber or CO2 laser, you already know that alignment is everything. You spend time setting up your material, getting the focus perfect, and mapping out your design. But then you hit a common rookie trap: you accidentally engrave the outline of your jig or material right onto the final part.

Instead of toggling the "Output" button on and off for your boundary lines and hoping you don't forget to switch it back, LightBurn has a dedicated, foolproof feature for this: Tool Layers.

What are Tool Layers?

At the very bottom of your LightBurn color palette, usually at the end of the numbered row, you will see two boxes labeled T1 and T2. These are your Tool Layers.

Unlike the standard colored layers (which tell the laser to fire), Tool Layers are strictly for your reference. The laser will never fire on a Tool Layer.

How to Use Tool Layers for Perfect Alignment

Using them takes three seconds and will save you from ruining expensive blanks. Here is the workflow:

1. Draw Your Boundary: Draw the exact shape of your physical material (or your custom jig) on the LightBurn workspace.

2. Assign the Tool Layer: Select that shape, and click either T1 (orange) or T2 (blue) from the color palette at the bottom of the screen.

3. Place Your Artwork: Drag your actual design inside that boundary box. You can now easily center it, scale it, and align it perfectly to the edges of your physical item.

4. Frame and Fire: Here is the best part—you can select your Tool Layer shape and hit your laser's Frame button. The laser will trace the physical outline of your part on the bed so you know it is placed correctly, but when you hit Start, it will only burn your artwork.

Why This is a Game Changer

• Zero Accidents: Because Tool Layers physically cannot be set to "Output," it is impossible to accidentally engrave your boundary box onto your part.

• Safer Framing: It gives you a fast, reliable way to frame the outer limits of your material without having to frame complex, jagged vector graphics.

• Cleaner Workspace: It keeps your cut/engrave layers strictly reserved for the actual job, making your layer window much easier to read.

Stop playing Russian Roulette with the "Output" toggle. Start using T1 and T2 to outline your blanks, and save your scrap bin from unnecessary casualties.

What specific LightBurn tool or process gives you the most trouble that you'd like the next quick tip to cover?