The total sign was 1.4m long. I split the letters and nested them on multiple 600x250mm sheets. The designer I did this for, then tacked and glued all the letters together.

Wood makes a lot of smoke but that is why you will need to buy a good extractor fan.

Most lasers nowdays come with air assist. This is basically a nozzle that allows air to come out where the focused laser beam exits. It also ensures that you dont start a fire while cutting. You really only clean the final concentrating lens once a month.