Thanks for the kind words. I’m using the procedure I described above to minimize the amount of post-processing needed after lasering. Old age, impatience, and shaky-ness now rob me of any joy when I have to fiddle with extra operations to get the result I want. Previously it was a hassle to square the box (no top/bottom edge slots/tabs), it used extra parts for alignment, and required using other hand and power tools to help fit and assemble. This newer box design allows all edges and features to be lasered… and assembly is a breeze.
TBH I’ve never tested any of my lasers to see how thick wood I can cut, as everything I do is relatively small and lightweight. I bandsaw small limbs/logs and common construction lumber into thin planks (usually ~6.5mm thick) for the boxes I make… and I have power saws to handle anything thicker. I wouldn’t begin to think of cutting anything thicker than 1/2" or so with a laser… so no beehives for me. 
I have a couple of ~35 watt lasers I use… in the photos above is a Roly Lasermatic Mk2 10W/30W that I bought for my daughter. I also have an Atezr L2 35W… nice machine but Atezr is now out of business. In my experience, running multiple passes at higher speed is preferable to trying to cut in a single pass at slower speed. Charring is minimized by not lingering too long in one spot… typically, in the ~6mm material (pine, cedar, catalpa, walnut, maple, etc) I use for these boxes, I run 4-6 passes at 1000 to 2000 mm/min, depending on the wood.
– David