Wood sheet material

Here's essential information about wood sheet materials for your laser cutter

Processing wood sheet material in the laser cutter gives you fantastic results. It is therefore one of our most popular categories with our customers. We sell different types of thin wooden sheets with a thickness of 2 mm, but also with a thickness of 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm to 12 mm. They are all laserGrade, or specially suitable for use in laser cutting or engraving.

You can make everything from jewelry to musical instruments and from furniture to toys with wood sheet material. If you treat wood with varnish or oil, it can also be used outdoors. Read more about this versatile material and the wooden sheets from the Lasersheets range here.

We sell our wood sheet material from one sheet to large quantities. In the latter case you will receive an interesting volume discount.

Did you know… Lasersheets also sells FSC® mix credit Birch Plywood and FSC® mix 70% MDF sheets?

Different types of wooden sheet material and their properties

You can contact us for different types of wood sheet material. We sell MDF (standard, veneered, black and white coated throughout), plywood (birch and poplar), and solid wood (bamboo). These are available in a number of different thicknesses and sizes.

Each material has different characteristics and advantages and disadvantages. To help you choose your ideal material, we discuss them in detail here.

1. MDF

MDF stands for Medium Density Fibreboard (or Fiberboard). These are sheets of pressed and glued wood fibers. Only laser-friendly interior glue has been used for the MDF sheets from Lasersheets, ensuring they come out of the laser cutter perfectly. MDF boards are strong, stiff, and very economical. They are suitable for projects that still need finishing, but you can also use them without painting or treating them.

The thin wooden MDF sheets of 2mm are particularly robust for their thickness and can be cut well even with low-power lasers. Because it is inexpensive, strong, and straightforward to laser cut, it is one of the most commonly used materials for laser cutting. Of course, we also have other thicknesses in stock.

Due to its versatility, MDF is used for a variety of applications, including:

• Interior projects
• Furniture construction
• Models
• Stencils

The range of MDF wood sheet material at Lasersheets is large. Here you will find the different options we offer, including the thicknesses and sizes you can choose from.

Standard MDF is one of our most popular materials. We sell the thin wooden MDF sheets of 2 mm. This MDF has no finish, so you have complete freedom to create your own look.

• Thicknesses: MDF 2 mm, MDF 3 mm FSC® mix 70%, MDF 4 mm FSC® mix 70%, MDF 6 mm FSC® mix 70% and MDF 9 mm FSC® mix 70%.
• Dimensions: 20 x 30 cm, 60 x 30 cm, 60 x 60 cm, 90 x 60 cm, 120 x 60 cm.

Veneered MDF (two-sided) is an MDF board with real wood veneer on both sides. This gives you a beautifully finished sheet with a natural appearance, ideal for interior applications, product displays and model making.

• Thickness: MDF 4 mm.
• Dimensions: 20 x 30 cm, 60 x 30 cm, 60 x 60 cm, 90 x 60 cm, 120 x 60 cm.

Black MDF has a black color applied throughout the entire board. So it is not a black coating but is colored through and through. Use it for furniture, housing, speakers, or signage. It is heavier and slightly stronger than standard MDF. It can also withstand water slightly better than normal MDF, although you do need to coat it for use in a humid environment.

• Thicknesses: MDF 3mm and MDF 6mm.
• Dimensions: 20 x 30 cm, 60 x 30 cm, 60 x 60 cm, 90 x 60 cm, 120 x 60 cm.

White coated MDF has a decorative top and bottom layer. The characteristics are the same as standard MDF, but finishing is no longer necessary. With your laser you can engrave through the coating, exposing the wood. This gives a nice contrast and a unique look. Use it for cards, jewelry, furniture or housing.

• Thickness: 3mm.
• Dimensions: 20 x 30 cm, 60 x 30 cm, 60 x 60 cm, 90 x 60 cm, 120 x 60 cm.

2. Plywood/plywood

Plywood and aircraft plywood do not consist of glued and pressed fibers but are composed of multiple wood veneer layers. Because these are cross-glued together, they are strong in all directions, making them better suited for many projects than solid wood, as plywood sheets are less likely to break.

The terms aircraft plywood, aircraft plywood, plywood, and plywood refer to the number of layers and thickness. Aircraft plywood is a term used for thin plywood or plywood sheets of less than 3mm.

However, normal aircraft plywood is not suitable for laser cutting. Regular aircraft plywood is difficult to cut and develops black, sooty edges that stain. This is because normal aircraft plywood is bonded with exterior glue (after all, it was intended for use in aircraft). Our thin plywood does not suffer from this because all types of plywood we sell are made with laser-compatible glue.

Plywood means that the wood is made up of three layers, and plywood means that it is made up of more than 3 layers. In practice, the terms are used interchangeably.

Please note that plywood and plywood sheets have a midrib direction. This runs the length of the sheet as standard, except for the 600x400 format sheets. There the midrib direction runs transverse to the sheet. Read more about dimensions and grain direction here . Naturally, the plywood and plywood sheets from Lasersheets have a bonding that is suitable for the laser cutter.

Plywood is used in the laser cutting sector for a variety of applications:

• Model building
• cards and jewelry
• Home decoration
• Furniture construction
• Boxes and housings

With us you can choose from birch plywood and poplar plywood. The difference between these two wooden sheet materials is not only in the appearance, but also in the characteristics.

Our Birch plywood comes from sustainably managed forests in Europe . We always look for the most sustainable options and a number of thicknesses are FSC® certified (see below). Birch is strong, beautiful, natural and has a clearly visible grain.

• Thickness: birch aircraft plywood 0.5 mm, birch aircraft plywood 1 mm, birch aircraft plywood 2 mm, birch plywood 3 mm FSC® mix credit, birch plywood 4 mm, birch plywood 6 mm FSC® mix credit, birch plywood 9 mm.
• Dimensions: 20 x 30 cm, 60 x 30 cm, 60 x 60 cm, 90 x 60 cm, 120 x 60 cm.

Poplar plywood , unlike birch plywood, is somewhat softer. It is also lightweight. That makes it an excellent choice if you want to cut thicker wood sheet material with your laser. For example, with a good 90W laser you can cut 12mm thick poplar plywood. The thicker boards are very strong because they have many thin layers of quality wood.

Our poplar plywood is from Ecoplex. It is of high quality, brush-free and beautifully light in color. It is a sustainable option because poplar wood, unlike some other tree species, is a fast grower. At Ecoplex itself they guarantee sustainability down to the last detail.

Poplar plywood is used in model making because it is so lightweight. But it is also suitable for making furniture, art installations, (ship) models, etc.

• Thickness: poplar plywood 6 mm, poplar plywood 10 mm, poplar plywood 12 mm.
• Dimensions: 20 x 30 cm, 60 x 30 cm, 60 x 60 cm, 90 x 60 cm, 120 x 60 cm.

Solid wood

Are you looking for wood sheet material with a luxurious look? Then our solid wood (bamboo) is recommended. These sheets are made of long bamboo fibers that have been pressed together. They consist of 100% solid wood and have a very natural appearance.

In addition to our FSC® certified wood and poplar plywood, bamboo is also a sustainable choice. Bamboo grows very quickly and each trunk used is therefore quickly replaced. The outer layers of the bamboo stem are glued together, resulting in a hard and smooth sheet.

Please note: solid wooden sheet material is beautiful, but is sensitive to cracks along the grain. It is extremely strong across the grain. So don't make bamboo designs too thin to prevent it from breaking.

Our bamboo solid wood sheets are widely used for front sheets, displays and housings.

• Thickness: solid wood 5 mm.
• Dimensions: 20 x 30 cm, 60 x 30 cm, 60 x 60 cm, 90 x 60 cm, 120 x 60 cm.

How can you process wood sheet material in the laser cutter?

Many of our customers choose thin wooden plates of 2 mm thick or even less for use in the laser cutter. You can do and make all kinds of things with it. You can even cut these with lower power lasers such as the glowforge or diode lasers. There are a lot of websites with ideas and ready-made vector files for use in your laser cutting machine.

How can you process wood in your laser cutter? Our wood panel material and thin wooden sheets of 2 mm are ideal for:

• Laser cutting (make a box, a kitchen cabinet or parts for model making).
• Engraving (engrave a photo, sketch or logo into the wood for a natural and stylish result).
• With halftone you turn a photo into an image that consists of thousands of holes of different sizes .

Tips for purchasing wooden sheet material

With Lasersheets, you're assured that the sheet material is perfectly suited for laser cutting. However, that doesn't limit its use exclusively to laser cutting; the options are diverse. We provide tips to ensure you choose the best wood for your specific needs. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us for expert assistance with your selection.

1. Avoid aircraft plywood

If you're in search of a thin 2mm wooden board, you'll undoubtedly come across the term 'airplane plywood'. It's frequently used for plywood sheets that are thinner than 3 millimeters. While it may sound ideal, authentic aircraft plywood is waterproofly glued, which is not ideal for your laser cutter.

Therefore, we recommend steering clear of aircraft plywood and opting for plywood sheets with laser-friendly glue. For instance, all our sheets are glued with interior glue, producing excellent results in laser cutting.

2. Wood panel material cannot simply be used outside

Acrylic is a material that is suitable for outdoors and indoors, but wood sheet material is not. This must first be finished before it is weather, UV and moisture resistant. This is important if you use it for, among other things, signs or garden furniture.

Outdoor sheets from the hardware store are glued with waterproof glue, which, like aircraft plywood, makes them less suitable for laser cutting. You can make wood sheet material waterproof with, for example, stain, lacquer or varnish.

Please note: wood panel material that is left outside a lot must be regularly maintained and retreated. This way it stays beautiful for longer and prevents dehydration, mold formation and rot.

3. MDF wood is the easiest in the laser cutter

Because MDF sheets are homogeneous and do not contain any knots or natural differences, it is an easy material to laser cut. Once you have determined the correct settings, cutting always goes well. With natural wood, especially low-quality plywood, it can sometimes happen that there are knots in the wood. Sometimes, they are in the outer layer and visible, but it is also possible that there are knots in the inner layer that you do not see on the surface. Knots are a much harder type of wood, and many lasers have difficulty cutting through them—at least not with the same settings you use to cut the rest of the sheet. It is therefore advisable to use the highest possible quality plywood with few knots when you use laser cutting.

4. Would you like to know more about how you can save costs when purchasing sheet materials?

You can read that in this blog .

Lasersheets for all your wood panel material

All the wood we sell, from 2mm thin wooden boards to 12mm poplar plywood, has been carefully selected for the laser cutting machine. Our customers consist of hobbyists, designers, entrepreneurs, technasiums, fab labs and producers. We offer all materials in small and large quantities and we ship by post or on small pallets, so that you can also receive them in a smaller workshop.

Because we have 12 years of experience with our sister company Snijlab, we stand 100% behind all the information on this website and the quality of the materials. So take a look at our extensive webshop. If in doubt, please contact us so that we can choose your ideal wood panel material together. Because laser cutting is our passion and specialty.