Mistakes:

1. Tried to drill peg holes too fast and broke my 1/8" endmill. Ended up slowing plunge rate down and paused the drilling a few times to check bit temp.
   
2. Tried doing cards and USN designs with router, but could not get the desire details. Ended up going with the laser. Very happy with the outcome using the laser.
   
3. At first, all outlines were a single line. This made it hard to see the outlines of all items burned with laser. Ended up having to create an offset and use the laser fill option to get the desired line thickness.
   
   
   
   Tips:
   
4. When burning state outlines with a laser, recommend making lines as simple as possible. This will help the laser burn quicker (lift up less) and run smoother.
   
5. Practice burns/cuts on same wood you plan on using. Originally, I did all my practice on pine. When I went to do my cuts/burns on oak, I had to adjust burn/cut rates.
   
6. Had to burn all laser items in one file so I didn’t have to re-zero laser between files.
   
   
   
   Tricks:
   
7. I am glad I practiced on cheap wood. Otherwise, it would have cost a fortune to practice all my tries on oak.
   
8. Make sure you have a section/area planned for both your router zero and laser zero. Someone on this forum or another forum someone suggested using a bullseye. I wish I would have read that suggestion before starting my project.