Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Pay someone to personalize your woodwork no more! That is one advantage to a laser engraver like the Atomstack x20Pro with its 20 Watts of Optical power, but there are lots of other things a person can do with a laser as powerful as this one. Cutting through solid wood is something I think it can handle well, but I need to test it out to see how well it does through some different solid woods. While we're at it, we may as well take it to the extreme and try it out on the 7th hardest wood on the planet, African Blackwood.
IMPORTANT WARNING!! Using a CNC to cut wood is pretty traditional, and maybe for good reason, lasers and wood can seem a bit scary, so the proper safety precautions need to be taken. A fireproof enclosure being one, some type of exhaust for the smoke, and a fire-extinguisher is also a must in any shop. A laser should always be watched, just like a CNC router for wood, each piece of wood is a little different and the results can not be 100% predictable.
In this video, I go through the process of testing some of the softest woods and hardest woods as well as some composite materials to see what happens. For the software, I was not super impressed with LaserGRBL, so I ended up purchasing Lightburn, it is a fairly simplistic software, but it does the job well.
After making the video, I am definitely going to invest in a honeycomb bed, this will help a lot with dark carbon material being deposited on the bottoms of the parts, it can easily be cleaned off with alcohol, but that's a step worth avoiding in my mind.
Let me know what you think of the testing, if you have any ideas for future videos and if you know how to finally cut THROUGH African Blackwood.
If you're interested in the product or others from ATOMSTACK, check out their website below. My laser is the X20Pro, there is a newer X30Pro, which is even more powerful with a 6 Diode Laser coming to 33Watts of Optical power, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it most certainly is!
FYI - I do not receive any commission from any sales
atomstack.net
X20Pro (in video) - atomstack.net/collections/laser-engraver/products/atomstack-x20-pro-130w-quad-laser-engraving-and-cutting-machine-built-in-air-assist-system?variant=42580265468154
X30Pro (newest) - atomstack.net/products/atomstack-x30-pro-160w-6-core-laser-engraving-and-cutting-machine?variant=43713588396282
If you'd like to become a patron to help this channel grow and get involved with future video ideas, here is the link: patreon.com/Needitmakeit
If you'd like to support the channel, the links below are affiliate links, a small % of any sale goes towards making future videos for this channel and thank you everyone for your interest and support!
#atomstack
#lasercutting
#lasercuttingmachine
Pay someone to personalize your woodwork no more! That is one advantage to a laser engraver like the Atomstack x20Pro with its 20 Watts of Optical power, but there are lots of other things a person can do with a laser as powerful as this one. Cutting through solid wood is something I think it can handle well, but I need to test it out to see how well it does through some different solid woods. While we're at it, we may as well take it to the extreme and try it out on the 7th hardest wood on the planet, African Blackwood.
IMPORTANT WARNING!! Using a CNC to cut wood is pretty traditional, and maybe for good reason, lasers and wood can seem a bit scary, so the proper safety precautions need to be taken. A fireproof enclosure being one, some type of exhaust for the smoke, and a fire-extinguisher is also a must in any shop. A laser should always be watched, just like a CNC router for wood, each piece of wood is a little different and the results can not be 100% predictable.
In this video, I go through the process of testing some of the softest woods and hardest woods as well as some composite materials to see what happens. For the software, I was not super impressed with LaserGRBL, so I ended up purchasing Lightburn, it is a fairly simplistic software, but it does the job well.
After making the video, I am definitely going to invest in a honeycomb bed, this will help a lot with dark carbon material being deposited on the bottoms of the parts, it can easily be cleaned off with alcohol, but that's a step worth avoiding in my mind.
Let me know what you think of the testing, if you have any ideas for future videos and if you know how to finally cut THROUGH African Blackwood.
If you're interested in the product or others from ATOMSTACK, check out their website below. My laser is the X20Pro, there is a newer X30Pro, which is even more powerful with a 6 Diode Laser coming to 33Watts of Optical power, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it most certainly is!
FYI - I do not receive any commission from any sales
atomstack.net
X20Pro (in video) - atomstack.net/collections/laser-engraver/products/atomstack-x20-pro-130w-quad-laser-engraving-and-cutting-machine-built-in-air-assist-system?variant=42580265468154
X30Pro (newest) - atomstack.net/products/atomstack-x30-pro-160w-6-core-laser-engraving-and-cutting-machine?variant=43713588396282
If you'd like to become a patron to help this channel grow and get involved with future video ideas, here is the link: patreon.com/Needitmakeit
If you'd like to support the channel, the links below are affiliate links, a small % of any sale goes towards making future videos for this channel and thank you everyone for your interest and support!
#atomstack
#lasercutting
#lasercuttingmachine
