CNC router vs laser cutter for wood: which to use
Both machines cut shapes out of wood from a vector file, and both are common in small shops and makerspaces. They're good at different things, though, and choosing the wrong one for a job costs money, quality or both. Here's how they differ and how to decide.
How each one cuts
A laser cutter burns or vaporizes a thin line through the material with a focused beam. Nothing touches the wood. Hobby and small-shop CO2 lasers are the usual machines for wood.
A CNC router spins a cutting bit and moves it through the material, physically removing a channel as wide as the bit, in one or more passes. It can also stop at a set depth to cut pockets, carve V-grooves or shape 3D surfaces.
That one difference, burning a line versus milling with a round bit, explains almost everything else.
Side by side
| CNC router | Laser cutter | |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | Thin sheet to thick slabs, in passes | Best on thin sheet; slows and chars on thick stock |
| Edge | Clean, natural wood, may need light sanding | Dark, charred edge |
| Inside corners | Rounded to the bit radius | Sharp |
| Smallest detail | Limited by bit size | Very fine |
| Depth control | Pockets, V-carving, 3D relief | Surface engraving, shallow |
| Sheet size | Up to full 4×8 sheets on larger machines | Often smaller beds |
| Joinery | Dados, rabbets, pockets, mortises | Finger joints and slots in thin sheet |
When the router wins
Thick material. Furniture parts, shelving, cabinet sides and tabletops in 1/2 to 3/4 in plywood or solid wood are router work. A CO2 laser on thick stock is slow, chars the edge heavily and may not get through at all.
Natural edges. If the edge will show and you don't want it dark, the router leaves bare wood ready to sand and finish.
Depth. Anything with a depth that isn't all the way through: pockets for hardware or inlays, dados for shelves, V-carved signs, raised lettering, 3D relief carving. A laser engraves a surface; a router shapes it.
Big parts. Many shop routers take a full 4×8 sheet. Lasers that size exist, but they're less common in small shops.
Flat-pack furniture. Routed plywood furniture with slot-together joints is a router classic. It's designed around the bit, using dog-bone corners so parts fit.
When the laser wins
Fine detail. Filigree, small lettering cut right through, intricate patterns, ornaments, puzzles, model kits. A laser's kerf is a fraction of the width of the smallest practical router bit.
Sharp inside corners. A laser cuts a true square corner. A router can't, because the bit is round.
Thin sheet. Thin plywood and MDF (around 1/8 to 1/4 in) cut quickly and cleanly on a laser, with no tabs and no hold-down.
Engraving. Photos, logos, names and text burned into the surface. Personalization runs like coasters, tags and place settings.
The dark edge as a look. On many small craft items, the charred edge is part of the style.
Cost
Neither machine is universally cheaper. Both are priced on machine time, setup, material and finishing.
- For thin, detailed parts, a laser is usually faster and cheaper.
- For thick parts, big panels and anything with depth, the router is usually faster, and sometimes the only option.
- Router jobs often need tab removal and sanding, which is labor. Laser parts often need char cleanup if you don't want the dark edge, which is also labor.
Router feed rates depend on the material and the bit, and they have a big effect on run time. If you're curious how makers set them, the feeds and speeds calculator works through the RPM × flutes × chipload formula.
Examples
- House sign, V-carved, 3/4 in cedar: router.
- Wedding sign with fine script cut out of 1/8 in plywood: laser.
- Bookshelf in 3/4 in Baltic birch with dados: router.
- Earrings, ornaments and coasters, engraved and cut: laser.
- Inlay pockets for epoxy or a contrasting wood: router.
- Puzzle box with finger joints in 1/4 in plywood: laser, unless the parts are large.
- Tabletop with a carved logo: router.
Sometimes it's both
Plenty of projects use both machines: a router cuts thick parts and pockets, and a laser engraves fine text or cuts thin inlays to drop in. A maker who runs both can quote the whole job; otherwise you can post the parts separately.
Questions to ask a maker
Whichever machine you lean towards, a few questions save surprises:
- What's the bed size? It limits the largest single part.
- How will the edges look? Ask for a photo of a past job in the same material.
- Will there be tab marks or char to clean up, and is that included?
- Does the design need changing for the machine? Router makers may suggest dog-bone corners or a bolder font; laser makers may suggest thinner stock.
Not sure? Let makers tell you
If you describe the part, its size, thickness and how it will be used, makers will tell you which machine suits it. That's one advantage of posting a brief instead of filling in a single shop's order form. Post the job once, compare bids from router and laser makers, and pay only when you accept a quote. Posting is free, there's no buyer fee, and payment is held until the work arrives and you confirm delivery.