Wood
CO2 + wood is the bread-and-butter combo. RF metal-tube CO2 lasers cut cleaner than their wattage suggests due to better beam quality. Settings here assume a typical 35-50W RF or 50-100W glass tube, scale per the Power Scaling Rule (in Foundations).
Build a per-species test card library
Settings vary noticeably by wood species (cherry, walnut, alder, maple, paduak, mahogany all behave differently). The fastest way to dial yours in is the Ocooch Hardwoods 18-species sample pack, run a 3×3 power/speed grid on each species, photograph the winner, and tape the cards to the wall. One $30 sample pack saves weeks of guess-and-check on customer orders.
Cutting (single pass, 2" lens)
| Material | Speed | Power | Air assist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3mm birch ply | 12 mm/s | 95% | High |
| 3mm MDF | 10 mm/s | 95% | High |
| 6mm birch ply | 4 mm/s | 100% | High |
| 6mm MDF | 3 mm/s | 100% | High |
| 1.5mm basswood | 25 mm/s | 85% | Medium |
Engraving
| Speed | 300-500 mm/s |
| Power | 15-25% |
| Line interval | 0.08 mm (318 DPI) |
| Air assist | Low (just enough to keep smoke off lens) |
Tip
For a clean engrave on wood, mask with painter's tape (3M ScotchBlue 2090) before engraving. Tape catches the smoke residue. Peel it off after, instant clean engrave with no scrubbing.
4" lens for thicker stock
Swap to the 4" lens for anything 6mm+. Bigger spot but deeper depth of focus = cleaner cut walls on thick material.