What is the Best Wood for Laser Engraving?
What is the best wood for laser engraving? We get this question a lot ... and like many things in life, the answer is ... "it depends".
Perhaps the ideal wood for laser engraving is our Alder Wood for Laser Engraving. Alder is a light-brown hardwood with a smooth, even grain, which engraves with a high-contrast, dark laser mark. Most of our Wood Strips for Laser engraving are coated with two coats of an acrylic lacquer on each side. This finish is perfect for laser engraving, producing a crisp engraving edge, and minimizing the soot-cleaning process. This is the same type of finish that is used on kitchen cabinets to provide years of protection.
In addition to being one of our most popular woods for laser engraving and cutting, Alder hardwood also makes the perfect substrate for laser engraving of photos onto wood.
Another popular wood for laser engraving is Maple Wood for Laser Engraving. Maple often has a milky-white to light brown color with subtle grain pattern. While it has a little less contrast with laser engraving than that of Alder wood, it is still often used for engraving of ornaments and photographs. Maple wood will typically darken slightly with time.