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Some things to think about when considering laser cutting plywood... If you're using anything other than marine ply, core gaps in the laminations can 'pop' when being cut by laser. When the laser hits a gap it heats up quickly & blows out a small hole. Not the end of the world, as small holes can be filled, but it's just extra work. Also the laser leaves a black edge which is almost impossible to completely sand out if you prefer the final appearance of timber rather than paint.
If you're using laser for something that requires critical tolerances in plywood (ie. telescopes) then definately consider shelling out the extra cash for good marine ply which has minimal core gaps, or think about using CNC routing instead. Routing has a few drawbacks itself (the main one being it can't cut sharp re-entrant corners) but produces a lovely clean edge, and can in some cases be cheaper than laser cutting, especially in thicker sheets (over 19mm). I'm building my 16" out of beautiful Austral marine ply & I sure don't want to paint over that (apart from sealing), so routing is the only way for me (apart from cutting it all by hand or course...). All my S/S mirror cell parts will go straight to the laser cutter though!
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