Do laser cutters have a place in permaculture yet?

Lately, I've been admiring some of the amazing things laser cutters can do.

As my hands age, i come to terms that eventually, I won't be able to just a part from scratch the moment I need it.  Could a laser cutter compensate for this?

The downsides seem to be there is a certain skill needed to make them go, plus computer and electrical and... so, resource heavy.  And the ecological problem with plywood.  And laser plus plywood glue?  

Compared with the freedom to make things we could only dream of before.  Things like makerhouses where people can rent time on one of these machines, makes these creations accessible to so many more people.  That appeals to me greatly.

Bouncing between these two thoughts, i realize that I don't know much about laser cutters as the exist today.  I saw some giant early models,  but they seem smaller now and maybe we don't need a whole out building to use them now?

Mostly, I want to hear your thoughts on laser cutters, how they work, and is the technology at a place where it can fit in a permaculture tool box.  

I might know less about them than you do — what’s the connection to plywood?

Almost everything i know about laser cutters I've learnsd from nerdforge.



After about 5 min in the laser cutter takes center stage.

From a bit more searching, it looks like we can use any wood if it's thin enough and consistent density.  Plywood seems most popular because it is a more affordable product that fits these criteria.

It seems that the power of the laser influences what wood and limits the thickness.  Most home units seem to max out at 3mm Baltic birch ply which is not easy to get where i live as most wood in canada is sold in imperial.

At least, that's what I understand at this beginning stage

I wonder what the learning curve is like to learn cnc.  Or can one easily get whar they need for free?