Choosing a laser

Hello,
this is my first post on this site. I am trying to build Laser cutter. It needs to be inexpensive. It needs to cut wood nearly 6mm thick. Can you suggest which kind of laser should i use for the purpose.
I want laser diode that i can drive using simpler driver like LM317.

BubonicCronic said:

You'll need a 40W+ CO2 laser with a fiber coupler to cut wood that thick.

This is going to be far from cheap. This project is beyond a laser diode and simpler driver like the LM317.

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What BubonicCronic said...

No diode.., sorry, no "inexpensive" diode will come anywhere close to cutting 6mm wood!

Google c02 lasers.. You can find some cheap c02 tubes for under $1000.