Pre coating wood vs masking vs oil treatment

[Dan Torrey]

I have been precoating wood with rust-oleum 2x clear satin, both solid and plywood, for ease of cleaning the parts after laser. I tried masking and found it tedious to remove. I have made furniture years ago and used boiled linseed oil and tongue oil with great success. Does anyone have a history of using the oils instead of clear coating or masking that will share their experiences.

[Pete Cyr]

I use a spray lacquer or spray shellac

[fred ungewitter]

I had used sanding sealer, water based, but the warping from the water was just too much. 3 mm plywood bends too easily, but I was able to hold it flat with magnets, as long as the items cut were large enough to have clearance. For multiple small parts, I'd have to segment the cut sequence, move the magnets and start anew. Too much of a hassle.

I switched to oil based polyurethane, clear satin finish, but it darkens the birch plywood and doesn't change by much the sanding required. At least it doesn't warp!