xTool F2 Beginner's Guide: Setup, Calibration and Your First Engraving

If you've just unboxed a brand new xTool F2, or you're thinking about getting one, this is the list of things I wish someone had told me when I started. It isn't a technical deep dive or a review. It's the setup steps, in order, from safety right through to your first engraving.

I've been using xTool lasers for over two years now, starting with the F1, and the F2 has been a lot of fun. Everything below is from my own machine, with screenshots from the video above.

Jump to: Safety · Diode or infrared? · What's in the box · Focusing · Connecting to your PC · Calibration · Wi-Fi · Your first engraving

1. Safety first

Laser safety glasses

With the shield open, the F2 is a Class 4 laser. It has two lasers inside: a 15W blue diode and a 5W infrared. The blue light is very bright, so you'll notice straight away when it's on. Infrared is invisible, so you won't see it at all, but it can still damage your eyes.

The two lasers work at different wavelengths, and that's the number that matters when you buy glasses:

• Blue diode: 455 nm
• Infrared: 1,064 nm

Whatever pair you go for, check the label on the glasses says it blocks both of those wavelengths. That's the first thing I'd order.

Extraction and ventilation

When you engrave, you're burning material. That means smoke, tiny particles and some nasty fumes in the air, so if you're working indoors you have to vent it safely. There are two ways to do it:

1. Use the hose that comes with the F2. It plugs into the back, stretches out, and you put the end out of a window. The fan in the F2 pulls the smoke and fumes through it.
2. Use an extraction unit that filters the air, such as xTool's air purifier made for the F1 and F2. Their bigger AP2 unit also works with it.

Either way, don't skip this step.

2. Diode or infrared: which one do I use?

Apart from the wavelength, the way I think about it is simple. One is really good on organic materials, the other is much better on non-organic ones, and a few materials sit in the middle.

• Blue diode burns the material. It's great on wood and leather, so keyrings and leather fobs are perfect for it. It will also burn the coating off anodized metal, but it doesn't always give you a nice contrasting mark.
• Infrared (IR) is really good at taking the color or pigment out of things. Metals, metal business cards, tumblers and plastics react really well to it.
• The crossover zone: some materials, like certain leathers and anodized metals, can be done with either.

The easy guide: wood and leather, diode. Metal and plastic, infrared.

3. What's in the box and what it's for

The removable base plate

The plate in the bottom of the F2 lifts out. This is one of the things that made the F1 so good, and it's here on the F2 too. Take the plate out and you can stand the machine on any surface and engrave straight onto it.

The other big advantage is that you can fit jigs in its place. That's my 60mm bauble jig above. A jig holds the item in the same spot every time, which makes engraving that bit easier, especially when you're doing more than one.

The cutting plate

If you're going to cut materials, use the slatted cutting plate. It lets the laser go right through without damaging the base of your machine. Fit it with the channels running towards the fan at the back. That way the fumes get pulled along the channels to the fan. Turn it the other way and the fumes have nowhere to go, so they come up and around and can spoil your engraving.

The L bracket

The L bracket has two thumb screws, and the build plate has lots of threaded holes. Screw the bracket in wherever you need it, then push your item up against it. It's a quick way to line things up square.

Grease, screwdriver and lens cloth

You'll also find three small extras in the box. Keep them safe, because the time will come to use all of them.

• Grease: the orange shield slides up and down. Over time the contact points can collect dirt and start to stick. Apply a little grease down the inside face on both sides and it keeps the shield moving smoothly.
• Screwdriver: the metal bit slots into the handle. It's for the four screws on the fan outlet at the back. Take those out, lift the fan out, and you can clean inside with an air duster and a vacuum. It does build up over time. I've done a full F2 cleaning video (or read the written guide) if you want to see the whole job.
• Lens cloth: things like anodized metal business cards vaporize when you engrave them, and over time that dirt builds up on the lens and affects your engraving quality. I spray a lens cleaning solution and wipe it with a microfiber cloth like this one.

4. How to focus the laser

Focusing sets the lens at the right height above your item. If it's out, your engraving won't come out right. There's a knob on the side of the machine:

• Twist it clockwise to go up.
• Twist it counterclockwise to go down.

Look at the red and blue dots on your item. If they're apart, like on my keyring above, the laser is out of focus.

Keep twisting until the two dots join together. When they're one dot, you're focused.

5. Connecting the F2 to your PC

The F2 has Wi-Fi, but the first time you set it up you need a USB-C cable. One comes in the box. I use a longer one because my PC is quite far away. There are two ports on the side: plug into the one with the little computer symbol, then plug the other end into your PC.

6. Adding the F2 in xTool Studio and calibrating

Download and open xTool Studio. There's a lot to look at at first, so for now just follow these steps. (If you want a proper tour of the software, my xTool Studio start here video (or read the written guide) covers it.)

1. Click New project in the top right.
2. Click Device settings. With the USB cable plugged in, your F2 should show up. Click it once and you'll hear the machine beep.
3. Studio will then ask you to calibrate. Don't skip this.

If you'd like to be extra sure before you start, there's a link in the bottom left of the calibration window that opens xTool's own guide to it.

Calibration step by step

1. Find the scratch paper in the material pack that came with your F2.
2. Lay it over the whole bed and hold it down with a piece of tape at the top and bottom, so it can't move. Close the lid.
3. Click Go to calibrate, then Next. The machine will auto focus itself.
4. When it asks, close the shield, click Engrave, then press the button on the side of the machine. It draws two marks on the paper. Click Next.

5. Now you line up the marks on screen. Zoom in as far as you can and drag the cross so it overlaps the mark as closely as possible, first for the blue light and then for the IR. Take your time here.
6. Click Next and it does a fine adjustment of the position.
7. Remove the scratch paper and check the red and blue dots on the base plate.

8. If the two dots overlap, click Overlapped. That's your calibration done.

Studio will then offer you a short tutorial project. It's worth doing, as you can never have too much learning. I skipped it in the video to show you my own little project instead, which is below.

7. Connecting over Wi-Fi

Once calibration is done, look at the top right of Studio for the option to connect via Wi-Fi.

1. Click it and pick your Wi-Fi network.
2. Enter your password and click Next.
3. When it's configured, click Connect with Wi-Fi. You'll hear a beep to confirm.
4. Unplug the USB cable. If the light on the top right of the machine stays green, you're connected over Wi-Fi.

8. Your first engraving: a wooden keyring

For my first job I put a wooden keyring on the bed. Here's exactly what I did.

1. Auto focus. Close the lid, then click the little ruler icon with an A on it. The lid needs to be down because it has to be dark for the auto focus to work. Mine came back with 8.6 mm on the right, which is the focus for the thickness of that keyring.
2. Refresh the camera. Studio updates the camera picture. My keyring was a bit wonky, so I moved it, closed the lid and clicked the camera again to update the picture.
3. Pick your material. Open the material library and choose your material, then click Apply. I picked birch plywood. It's a huge library, and picking a material here is what sets the right laser and settings for you.
4. Add a design. Open the Elements tab, pick an image, and drag it onto the keyring in the camera view. My keyring was still sitting a little wonky, so I nudged the design until it lined up.

5. Choose a darkness. Because you picked a material, you can click One-click set on the right. It shows a grid of test burns at different darkness levels. Click one and it updates the power and speed for you. I often go for one in the middle, as it's a safe bet.
6. Frame it. Click the Frame button and the laser draws a box around where it will engrave. Click it again, go to Outline in the bottom right, and it traces the actual shape of your design instead. When you're happy with the position, turn framing off.
7. Process. Click Process. You'll see it has already picked Blue light, because this is wood. Mine said it would take 21 seconds. Click Start and the machine beeps.
8. Press the button. The job won't start until you press the button on the side of the machine.

And that's it. It came out really nice, and that was all it took.

Where to go next

My advice is don't overthink it. Get set up, do what I've shown here, stay safe, and the rest will come naturally.

• Once you move past the built-in presets, my free Laser Settings Library has the settings I've tested myself, and there's a page just for the xTool F2.
• If you want to test your own material, here's how I do a material test in xTool Studio.
• F1 jigs fit the F2, and you'll find mine in the F1 and F2 engraving jigs collection.

Any questions?

If you get stuck on any of these steps, leave a comment on the video and I'll do my best to help. The F2 and F series Facebook groups are really helpful too. Everyone shares what they know, and that's what this community is all about. Have a brilliant time getting to know your F2.