If you plan to use wood as your primary material for laser engraving, or just want to dabble in creating laser-engraved or cut wood products, keep these things in mind as you venture into this versatile material and determine the best wood engraving for lasers:
1. Check the resin content
Wood typically burns lighter or darker, depending on the resin or sap content. If you want a deeper burn, choose a wood with a high resin content, such as cherry or alder. If you want minimal burn for a particular application, you'll want to choose wood with a lower resin content.
A great way to verify the resin content of wood without wasting any material is to use your wood laser etcher to engrave your business logo in a place that doesn't affect the overall personalization of the product. Not only does this test allow you to brand a product, it also lets you figure out how dark or light it burns.
2. Choose a lighter wood
laser engraving wooden sign
Unlike paper where color can be easily manipulated, the base color of laser etched wood products will not change. The base color always follows the color of the wood. Therefore, it is important to consider the color of the wood in order for you to get great results.
When checking wood color, don't use dark woods. Darker woods often mask laser-etched markings, making engraved photos or text difficult to see or identify. In contrast, lighter woods will have dark and deep burns when etched, giving you clear marks for optimal visibility.
3. Choose the wood with the fewest streaks
While stripes on wood look great on furniture, they can distract from engraving photos. Wood strips can quickly steal the carving of any detail. When buying wood for laser engraving, choose wood with minimal streaks and a smooth, consistent grain.
4. Pick the best wood species
There are many wood species available for laser engraving, some more suitable than others. If you're new to wood, we recommend starting with one of the following: (These woods are easy to work with and produce great results!)
Alder - This wood passes all tests. It is characterized by a light color, soft texture and minimal streaks.
Cherry - Golden cherry wood has a high resin content and is usually lighter in color. Although it has a high level of streak, cherry is still an excellent choice for many laser etched projects.
Maple - This is an excellent wood for engraving photos. It has slight streaks, burns very dark most of the time, and is very light in color.
5. ATOMSTACK Laser for engraving wood
In addition to determining the best wood for laser engraving, you may also want to know what is the best laser engraver for wood. You probably already know that there are more than a dozen laser machines on the market, each with their own advantages.
Our patented laser system features an open-architecture design that lets you engrave virtually any size or weight of material. Large furniture and other bulky materials can be easily carved. The removable laser top can be engraved directly on wooden floors or other wooden surfaces. A larger engraving means your business can earn more substantial profits, and you can offer services that your competitors can't.
Our wood laser engraving machines will complement your existing machines, offer high ROI, low operating costs, and are easy to learn and use. Using our laser machines, you can engrave logos, photos, and other custom artwork on wood, allowing you to add invaluable value to many of your wood products through personalization.