Lasers are a good choice when working on flat wood surfaces.
With the proper settings, the laser can engrave and cut wood effortlessly.
I wrote this article after considering some of the best laser cutters for woodworking.
Each laser machine is discussed in detail to help you choose the one you need.
Lasers are very popular when engraving on wood because it can produce vivid, contrasting finishes.
It can also be used to cut thin wood chips, but the edges of the cut sections will appear darkly charred.
Typically, a laser can cut 1/2 inch deep by making multiple cuts through the wood.
Lasers remove material by focusing the beam and burning it away.
This means that you need to adjust the focus to remove material layer by layer.
For deep cuts, this can be tedious, and it's a fire hazard.
If you want to make cuts deeper than 1 inch, the most suitable option is a wooden CNC router.
I chose these laser cutters and engravers after evaluating parameters such as size, material capability, laser power, upgrades, service, assembly, work area, laser safety, linear guides, and software used.
ATOMSTACK A5 Pro is a 40W laser engraver and cutter with 4.5W - 5.5W optical power.
The wavelength of this diode laser is 445±5 nm, and the engraving accuracy is 0.01mm.
The A5 PRO uses a fixed focus laser configuration. You have to manually adjust up and down depending on the material thickness.
The deepest cut the A5 PRO 40W laser can do is 1/2", but you have to make multiple cuts.
The laser engraving machine has a footprint of 23.6" x 22.5" and a height of 10.6".
It has an all-metal aluminum construction and weighs about 8.8 pounds.
The total work area you can get from the ATOMSTACK A5 PRO is 16.14" x 15.7".
The laser engraver is belt-driven on its X and Y axes. The gantry is guided by V-wheels on an aluminium frame.
The Z axis does not have any linear motion components, to change the Z height you have to release the module and move it up and down manually.
ATOMSTACK A5 PRO can work on wood, leather, cotton, rubber, paper, brass, stainless steel, foam cotton and acrylic.
When working on wood, it can carve basswood or similar hardwoods in one pass at about 118 ipm with an S-Max of 800.
You can cut 1/8" thick basswood at ~6 ipm with an S-Max of 1000.
In a single pass, it can carve bamboo at about 118 ipm with an S-Max of 800.
You can cut bamboo 1/10 inch thick at about 7.5 ipm with an S-Max of 1000.
ATOMSTACK A5 PRO supports the open source software LaserGRBL.
It is an easy-to-use software that supports Windows OS (Win XP/Win 7/Win 8/XP/Win 10).
