Where do you get the best wood?

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Where can I buy wood other than Amazon or glowforge?

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If you are in the US, I get various woods from Home Depot, Etsy, Rockler, and Woodcraft Supply. Tell us what you are specifically looking for and someone can give you other sources.

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I live in Philadelphia, PA. I am new and looking for wood that not to expensive but will look nice.

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Thank you very much for you response. I’m going to try home depot tomorrow.

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The HD website lists ‘Columbian wood products’ 1/8" MDF core veneered both sides that I have been pleased with. You do have to finish it.

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I use the home depot Columbian wood and like it. I also order from Lasered by the Creek. They have quality stuff more ‘finished’ like similar to the proofgrade but a lot cheaper.

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It’s Columbia Wood, not Colombian, just in case you’re searching. :slight_smile: They have GF-sized pieces called “project panels.” There are lots of post on the forum about this, but I really like Smokey Hills for wood. Also GF-sized.

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Watch out for the big box stores as much of their wood is not great for lasers. HD was my first stop when getting my Glowforge and I managed to get the worst piece I have ever cut. Baltic Birch is amazing but what I was told was 4’x8’ Baltic Birch was just plain birch plywood and the glue and filler was totally laser proof. I keep this photo around just to remind myself…

plycarp
plycarp1154×866 93.8 KB

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My Home Depot has some really nice hobby boards. They are about 8 x 12 solid hardwood boards in various types of woods. Also different thicknesses. I haven’t had real good luck with Home Depots plywood, seem to have a lot of voids. Rockler carries a version of Baltic Birch, but you would have to cut to fit your Glowforge. Hobby Lobby and Hobby stores carry the best selection. They are geared to hobbyists building R/C planes and cars. Very nice quality but a little on pricey side. Good luck and have fun.
Terry

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For a long time also Ocooch Hardwoods has had the best combination of price and quality, as well as drool-able exotics I have found.

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I second the Ocooch Hardwoods. I’ve been happy with the 1/8" and 1/4" Baltic Birch, and the Project Ready Woods have been excellent (at least the ones I’ve bought).
Paul

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I have used more Columbia Forest 5/32 Maple ply than anything for a couple of years now. Very economical and consistent. I don’t touch 1/4" anything, I have never had much success with it.

I previously used Baltic Birch (which is NOT the same as birch ply from stores like THD) from Rockler, but prices have gotten out of hand.

Neither are finished to Glowforge Proofgrade standards, but I reserve my stock of those materials for projects that need it. Most do not.

There are other wood suppliers within reasonable distance that sell, for example, Baltic Birch at acceptable prices, but I haven’t needed to buy from them since THD started carrying the Columbia Products line.

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what settings to you use to cut this? I got some mahogany and the settings I need to cut (s300,full power, 2 passes) seems a bit crazy.

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That’s not crazy at all. Some species of Mahogany (there are several) rank amongst the hardest wood available. It is used a lot where stability and hardness are important.

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The material is essentially identical to medium proofgrade so I used the default settings.

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Many different species of tree are called Mahogany some are very hard and others burst into flames with little encouragement.

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