Laser machines can easily cut and engrave wooden materials. Suppose you are a laser DIY enthusiast or a newcomer in the field of laser engraving. In that case, the content of the following article will help you understand the various knowledge of laser engraving wood faster. With the increased variety of laser engraving machines on wooden materials, you may feel overwhelmed when choosing one. But you are lucky to read this article as I can provide the 8 Best Laser Engravers for beginners in 2023. let's get started!

1. 8 Best Laser Engravers for wood product overview
2. 5 factors to consider when buying a laser engraver for wooden material
3. A Complete Guide to Laser Engraving Machine Knowledge for Beginners
4. Conclusion

We will start with the 8 most suitable engraving machines for beginners.

Gweikecloud Pro

Specification

Machine Power	50W
Power	AC 110-220V±10%,50-60Hz
Precision	1000dpi
Lifespan	10000H
Processing Area	20.08" (510mm)*11.8" (300mm)
Machine Dimensions	38.2"*22.2"*9.2" (970*565*234.5mm)
Weight	45.6kg
Max Workpiece Height(without honeycomb tray)	2''（51mm)
Max engraving speed	600mm/s
Control Software	Gweikecloud Web Based,Gweikecloud Offline, Lightburn
Connection / Transmission	Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet
Warranty	12 months

This is a professional home laser engraver for wood materials. It is very simple to operate. Children over 6 years old can run it alone after watching the video of the machine. And the best part is safety. The engraver is fed from the bottom, has an emergency stop button, and stops instantly when the lid is opened during operation. The following is a brief list of its pros.

1. Suitable for engraving all non-metal materials and some metal materials
2. Equipped with standard rotary attachment, suitable for engraving spheres and various cylinders
3. Support a variety of control software, such as lightburn
4. The camera can preview and extract images in real time
5. Free filter cabinet, smoke emission standards, more environmentally friendly
6. Support WiFi, USB, and network cable connection
7. Emergency stop protection

Cons

1. Compared with Plus, it uses a glass laser tube with short life

Xtool Laserbox Rotary 40W

Specification

Machine Power	40W
Power	AC 110V
Precision	1000dpi
Lifespan	6000-8000H
Processing Area	19.69" *11.81" (500*300mm)
Machine Dimensions	37.72"*20.79"*10.55" (958*528*268mm)
Weight	48kg
Max Workpiece Height(without honeycomb tray)	3.54''（90mm)
Max engraving speed	350mm/s
Control Software	Laserbox
Connection / Transmission	Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet
Warranty	12 months

The Xtool Laserbox Rotary 40W is ideal for those who want to engrave thick sheet materials. You can engrave wood and non-metal materials such as acrylic and leather. It also supports rotary carving from 3-70mm cylinders that can quickly complete the carving.

1. Built-in intelligent camera, real-time image extraction
2. 360° rotating carving without a dead angle
3. Can also use an off-grid state
4. Emergency stop protection

Cons

1. Slow engraving speed and blurring of images with complex details easily

Glowforge basic

Specification

Machine Power	40W
Power	AC 110-220V±10%,50-60Hz
Precision	1000 dpi
Lifespan	10000H
Processing Area	19.5" *11" (495*279mm)
Machine Dimensions	38″*20.75″*8.25″ (965*527*210mm)
Weight	22kg
Max Workpiece Height(without honeycomb tray)	2″ (50mm)
With honeycomb tray	0.5″ (13mm)
Max engraving speed	350mm/s
Connection / Transmission	Wi-Fi required (2.4 GHz b/g/n and WPA2, WPA, WEP, or open)
Warranty	6 months

Glowforge basic is a well-known manufacturer of laser engraving machines for wood in the United States. You can have complete confidence in the quality and service. This entry-level laser engraving machine for wood can meet all your cutting needs and is fully functional for beginners. It is a good choice for hobbyists and families.

1. Easy to operate and use
2. Quality guaranteed by a well-known brand
3. Very smart

Cons

1. It can't be used in an environment without a net
2. It does not support lightburn

Thunderlaserusa mini 60

Specification

Machine Power	50W
Power	AC 110-240V, 50-60Hz
Precision	1000dpi
Lifespan	10000H
Processing Area	20.1"*11.8"(510*300mm)
Machine Dimensions	42.1"x30.3"x20.1"(1070x770x510mm)
Weight	100kg
Max engraving speed	1000mm/s
Control Software	LaserGRAV
Connection / Transmission	Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet
Warranty	24 months

The most important feature of laser engraving machines compared with other brands is that they can cut and engrave metals such as painted metal, stainless steel, titanium, brass, etc. It can cut almost all the materials you need.

1. Auto-focus
2. Intelligent energy saving system
3. Precise time estimation

Cons

1. Larger volume, especially heavy
2. Low engraving accuracy

FSL Muse 3D Autofocus

Specification

Machine Power	40W
Power	AC 120V, 60Hz
Precision	1000dpi
Processing Area	20"*12" (508*305mm)
Machine Dimensions	32.3"*20.3"*8.5" (820*515*215mm)
Weight	24.5kg
Max Workpiece Height(without honeycomb tray)	2.5''（63 mm)
Control Software	RetinaEngrave v3.0
Connection / Transmission	Hosted on machine's local web server
Warranty	12 months

FSL Muse is a very nice desktop laser engraver for wood with various powerful features such as autofocus, 3D camera, LCD touch screen, and more. Its removable base plate and large engraving space can meet the needs of many small start-up companies. Perfect for small start-up companies.

1. LCD touch screen
2. 3D camera
3. Autofocus
4. Lots of options to upgrade accessories and features for additional money

Cons

1. Expensive
2. More hidden consumption

LaserPecker 2 super

Specification

Machine Power	5W
Power	AC 110-240V, 50-60Hz
Precision	1000dpi
Lifespan	10000H
Processing Area	100*2000mm
Warranty	12 months

This is a rechargeable laser engraver for wood, and you can easily fold it and take it anywhere. It is perfect for the street engraving business. It only takes up a small area during use and is very easy and convenient to operate. The LaserPecker engraver has a tight light spot as small as 0.05 * 0.05mm, which makes it easy to create more details and makes your work more realistic.

1. Small and convenient
2. Motorized stand control
3. Multi-angle engraving, 360° without dead space

Cons

1. Low power is only suitable for engraving images with shallow depth
2. No excessive protection

ELECFREAKS TOOCA L1

Specification

Machine Power	72W
Power	AC 110-120V, 60Hz
Spot Size	0.06mm
Processing Area	15.75"*16.33" (400*415mm)
Machine Dimensions	22.38"*24.9"*7.8" (568*632*198mm)
Weight	47kg
Max engraving speed	167mm/s
Control Software	LaserRGBL, LightBurn(supported)
Connection / Transmission	USB, TF card
Warranty	24 months

The ELECFREAKS TOOCA L1 laser engraver is a superb product for the money. Its low price makes it a popular choice for many beginners with a low budget. It's also lightweight and small enough to move anywhere, anytime. It is one of the market's most cost-effective laser engraving products. It has very easy assembly steps, and you can assemble it yourself. Every successful manufacturer continues to produce products with care, and ELECFREAKS TOOCA L1 can be trusted.

1. Fully enclosed operation box
2. Supports working offline

Cons

1. It does not support adding a rotary attachment
2. Not suitable for ultra-fine engraving

Omtechlaser 50W desktop laser cutter

Machine Power	50W
Power	AC 110-120V, 60Hz
Precision	1000dpi
Lifespan	10000H
Processing Area	20.1"*11.8" (300*510mm)
Machine Dimensions	38.2"*22.3"*9.2" (970*566*234mm)
Weight	47kg
Max Workpiece Height(without honeycomb tray)	2''（51mm)
With honeycomb tray	17mm
Max engraving speed	500mm/s
Control Software	RDWorks(provided); LightBurn(supported)
Connection / Transmission	Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet
Warranty	24 months

Specification

This laser engraver for wood features a 50w CO2 laser tube, custom rotating attachments, and a long warranty to give you peace of mind. The machine also supports lightburn, which allows you to design and engrave better. This laser engraver for wood has a low price, so if you are not on a budget, you can consider this one first.

1. Auto-focus
2. Powerful and fast
3. Easy to install, right out of the box

Cons

1. No open cover stop protection, not suitable for children to use

 

5 factors to consider when buying a laser engraver for wooden material

After reading the 10 best laser engravers for wood above, you may still need help deciding which machine to buy for yourself. Here we will discuss a few key factors when choosing a machine.

Price

This is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a laser engraving machine for wood. The price of a home laser engraving machine can range from $500-$8000, which is not a small amount. So your budget largely determines the scope of the machine you buy.
We also want to make it clear that the more expensive the machine is, the more expensive it is, and the more expensive the engraving machine is. The price difference between machines of the same brand is generally determined by their power, laser tube, and engraving area.

Software control system

Be sure to confirm whether your purchase of the machine is compatible with a variety of designs. Generally speaking, engraving machines are compatible with AutoCAD, Solidworks, Inkscape, CorelDRAW, PowerPoint, Illustrator, Photoshop, Google, and so on. However, some less expensive machines are only partially compatible. Often dealing with photos must ensure that the machine is compatible with illustrator, Photoshop, and Inkscape. Often they use PDF or SVG files that must be compatible with software such as reader and acrobat.

Engraving materials

The recommended machines are unsuitable if you need to engrave more metal materials. Because most laser engraving machines for wood use diode lasers, they will accelerate their damage if used to engrave metal. If you need to engrave columns or spheres, you must pay attention to whether you can install the machine with a rotary axis.

Working Area

The size of the engraving table area is also important. It is about how big you finish engraving at one time.

Customer Reviews

Checking the reviews on each brand's website before you buy will help you get a better idea of the product. You can get the shipping speed, after-sales service, and whether the product is defective from inside the reviews. We should always buy laser engravers for wood from a reputable manufacturer. This will reduce your troubles by 99%. If you buy from a reputable manufacturer, you don't need to worry about the quality of the product. This is because they will give a solution even if the machine has a problem.

A Complete Guide to Laser Engraving Machine

Laser engraving machine vs. laser cutting machine

The two are two names for one machine. Generally, higher power and faster speed are suitable for cutting materials machines we call cutting machines. Engraving machines can also be used to cut materials, but note that the cutting standard of engraving machines is lower and only suitable for some simple and thin materials.

How to use laser engraver for wooden material

After getting the package, we first assemble the machine. Then take the gweikecloud pro as an example.

1. Place the material to be engraved on the honeycomb board
2. Prepare the engraving pattern on the computer using the design software
3. Gweikecloud can automatically recognize the material and thickness to be engraved and automatically adjust the engraving parameters.
4. After that, click "OK" to start engraving.

What parameters need to set to use a laser engraver for wood?

Power

The power determines the intensity of the engraving. If you lack engraving depth, you can increase the power and reduce the speed to solve the problem. If the material engraving edge appears burnt, you can choose to reduce the power.

Speed

Speed directly affects the cutting and engraving depth. The slower the speed, the deeper the engraving.

Frequency

The frequency of the above machine is generally 50-60HZ. The higher the frequency, the smoother the engraved surface, but too high a frequency will lead to material scorching.

Focus

The focus determines the overall effect of carving. When the carving product is not ideal or cut through, you can choose to refer to the focus parameter table to select the appropriate carving parameters.

What design software you can use

Lightburn

Lightburn is the most popular design software. It is easy to use. You can easily send JPG, PNG, and SVG files to your computer.

Features

1. A native app is written for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS
2. This editor allows you to create, arrange, and modify new vector shapes
3. Many powerful features like welding, node editing, and offsets.
4. You can use it with multiple channels, speed, power, and dithering modes.

Laser GRBL

This is free laser engraving software designed for DIY laser engravers. This software can load or stream your GCode path to engrave pictures, images, and logos.

Features

1. Ideal for image engraving with grayscale conversion, vectorization, and dithering
2. Supports real-time operation

Inkscape

It is free-to-design software and is considered the most effective alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

Features

1. Its native format is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)
2. It offers a royalty-free type of markup language for graphic formatting
3. Works with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS
4. Powerful support for various modifications and markups of text and images

Adobe Illustrator

With Adobe Illustrator, you can easily design your work with great flexibility.

Features

1. Very smart and fast image creation.
2. Excellent 3D effects
3. Automatic activation of Adobe fonts

Safety Precautions

Laser Beam Protection

High-power laser beams can harm our eyes, so goggles are required during operation. However, the above recommendations are low power laser engraving machines, so you do not need to bring goggles. However, goggles are recommended for safety reasons.

Smoke and Dust

It may generate Toxic fumes during the cutting process of some materials, so we should ensure that the material to be cut is not hazardous before cutting. However, some laser engravers for wood manufacturers will give away a filter cabinet to filter fumes. You can also purchase a separate filter cabinet if you are particularly concerned about the quality of the gas being exhausted to the outside.

Machine laser beam

The machine is strictly prohibited from touching the material plate and the laser head. Otherwise, the powerful laser beam will cause irreversible damage to our bodies. Secondly, the laser cutting machine cuts the material that can not touch immediately with your hands. Just after cutting, there is still residual heat that may burn the skin.

Laser engraving machine for wood service life

Most laser engraving machines on the market have a life expectancy of about 15 years. However, regular maintenance and proper operation during use generally last about 20 years.

Can you make money with a laser engraving machine?

Yes. You can read the article "To Make Money with a Laser Engraver Machine" to learn how to make money with a laser engraver for beginners.