Stop Guessing: A Practical Checklist for Your First Month With the xTool S1

If you're reading this, you've either just unboxed an xTool S1 or you're about to. And let me guess—you've already watched a dozen YouTube videos, scrolled through Reddit threads, and maybe even burned a test piece or two. That's exactly where I was last year when our company bought one for the maker space.

This isn't a tutorial on how to assemble the machine. That's in the manual. This is a checklist for getting usable results fast, without wasting material or your sanity. I manage purchasing for a 200-person engineering firm, and when our design team asked for a laser cutter, I had to balance budget, speed, and the fact that nobody on staff had used one before.

Here's what I learned. Six steps. Do them in order.

Step 1: Know Your Laser Module Before You Cut Anything

Sounds obvious, right? But most people jump straight to "what speed/power for acrylic?" without understanding which module they're actually using. The xTool S1 supports 10W, 20W, and 40W diode modules. They're interchangeable, but they behave very differently.

The 40W module, for example, can cut up to 12mm basswood plywood in a single pass. The 10W? You'll need 3–4 passes, and the edges will be darker. I learned this the hard way when I tried cutting 8mm acrylic with the 20W module. It worked, but the edge was frosted—great for some projects, terrible when you need optical clarity.

Check before you start: What module is installed? What's the actual power output (not just the advertised number)? xTool's documentation lists recommended settings by module. Bookmark that PDF.

The question everyone asks is "can it cut metal?" The question they should ask is "which module do I need for the specific material thickness I'm working with?" That alone saves you a ton of wasted material.

Step 2: Dial in Your Air Assist Setup—Don't Skip This

Air assist is the single most underrated accessory on the xTool S1. If you bought the machine without the air assist bundle, stop and order it. I'm not kidding.

Without air assist, the laser generates a lot of heat, which leads to charring on wood, melting on acrylic edges, and fire risk if you're cutting thin materials. With it? Cleaner cuts, faster speeds, and less cleanup. The built-in air assist on the S1 is decent, but the external pump (the one xTool sells) gives you adjustable airflow. For cutting, crank it up. For engraving, dial it back slightly to avoid blowing debris around.

I thought I could skip this step because "it's just a small machine." That was the one time it mattered. A 12mm acrylic piece caught flame because I was running too slow with no airflow. Luckily I was watching. Don't be me.

Check before you start: Is the air assist connected and tested? Does the airflow actually reach the cutting area? (Test on a scrap piece with the lid closed.)

Step 3: Use the Correct Settings for Your Material—But Verify Each Time

xTool's software, xTool Creative Space, has preset material libraries. Use them as a starting point, not as gospel. Material thickness, brand, and even color can change the required power and speed.

For example, the preset for 3mm birch plywood in the software is something like 90% power, 150 mm/s. That works fine for cheap plywood. But if you're using high-quality Baltic birch (which has more glue layers), the same settings might leave charred edges. I've found that dropping speed to 120 mm/s and increasing power to 95% gives a cleaner cut—but you'll need to test a corner first.

The same applies to leather. Natural leather (veg-tan) engraves beautifully at moderate power. Synthetic leather? It melts. xTool's setting for "leather" assumes natural, so if you're using faux, you'll need to lower power and increase speed. I keep a notebook with settings I've actually tested—it's way more reliable than the presets.

Check before each batch: Run a test grid on a scrap piece. Change power by 5% increments and speed by 10 mm/s. Note the best result. It takes 5 minutes and saves you from ruining a $50 piece of material.

Step 4: Set Up Your Workflow for Repeatability (This Is the One Most People Miss)

This is the step I almost never see in beginner guides, but it's the difference between "I made one cool thing" and "I can make 50 identical things without redoing settings."

Once you've dialed in your settings for a specific material and module, save it as a custom preset in xTool Creative Space. Name it something descriptive like "3mm_Birch_20W_Cutting" or "2mm_Acrylic_40W_Engraving." This way, next time you need that setup, you just load the preset instead of guessing.

For our office, I created a shared folder on the network with all tested presets. Now anyone on the team can start a job without asking me for settings. It cut our setup time from 15 minutes per job to about 3.

Plus, if you're running a small business and doing batch orders, this kind of repeatability saves serious time. In November 2024, we ran 400 leather coasters for a client—all identical—using a preset I'd saved. The batch ran overnight with no issues.

Check before you scale up: Test your preset on one piece. If it's clean, save it. If not, adjust and re-save.

Step 5: Master the Rotary Attachment (If You Need It)

The rotary bundle for the xTool S1 lets you engrave cylindrical objects—tumblers, bottles, wine glasses. It's a popular add-on, but it's also where most people screw up.

The rotary attachment changes the focus distance. You can't just swap rollers and hit "go." You need to recalibrate the Z-axis height for each object's diameter. The manual explains this, but the trick is to measure the object's diameter before you mount it. If you try to measure it while it's on the rollers, it's awkward and inaccurate.

Also, the stock rotary includes two roller spacing options. Use the wider spacing for tumblers, the narrower for wine glasses. I didn't realize this at first and tried to engrave a pint glass with the rollers too far apart. The result was a wobbly, misaligned engraving. That was a $12 mistake I won't repeat.

Check before you start: Is the rotary properly installed and aligned? Is the object centered and secure? Run a test engrave on a paper label first—that way you can check positioning without wasting material.

Step 6: Think About Ventilation Before You Need It

The xTool S1 has an exhaust port for fume extraction. If you're using it indoors (which most people do), you need at least a basic enclosure fan setup. xTool sells a smoke exhaust kit, but I found that a generic inline duct fan ($30–$40 on Amazon) works just as well if you have the adapter.

But here's the thing: even with great ventilation, some materials smell terrible when lasered. Polyurethane leather, for example, produces a pungent smell. Acrylic smells like burning plastic. If you're working in a shared space like our office's maker area, you'll get complaints. We solved this by scheduling smelly materials for after-hours when fewer people are around.

Also, check your local fire codes. Some commercial spaces require rated ducting or spark suppression for laser cutters. We had to run our exhaust to an exterior wall with a proper vent cap. The inspector didn't just pass us—he flagged it. That cost us $200 in materials and a weekend of labor.

Check before you start: Is the exhaust connected and running? Is the room well-ventilated? Do you have a plan for smelly materials?

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Not checking focus after material change. The S1 has auto-focus, but it's not foolproof. Always double-check with the focus card or built-in sensor.
• Using the wrong laser module for the job. The 20W module is great for engraving metal (with marking spray) but struggles with thick wood. Use the 40W for cutting.
• Rushing the test grid. I know you want to start your project, but skipping the test piece saves nothing. A 5-minute test grid saves you from a 30-minute cleanup.
• Forgetting to clean the lens. Residue builds up fast. Clean after every 2–3 hours of use. A clean lens makes a visible difference.

Look, I get it. You didn't buy a laser cutter to spend time on checklists. But the first month with the xTool S1 is a learning curve, and these steps are exactly what saved me from wasting too much material and time. Take it from someone who already made those mistakes so you don't have to.

Bottom line: start with module selection, test settings on scrap, save presets, and respect the need for ventilation. The results will come—cleaner, faster, and with way less frustration.