Alder

Alder's fine grain gives clean engraving on the S20 Pro at 63% power. Very similar to birch in behavior on 20W diode. Good for awards and sign blanks.

Alder engraves cleanly on the Falcon2. 65% at 2800mm/min gives good contrast with fine grain detail. Very similar in behavior to birch on this machine. Good for signage and awards.

Alder engraves cleanly on the Boss LS-1630. 30% at 550mm/min. Fine grain gives crisp detail. Great for production signage and award plaques where fine text precision matters.

Alder is popular in the Glowforge community — clean, consistent grain gives excellent engrave quality. 550 Glowforge units / 52% power. Very similar to the Proofgrade Maple settings. Great for signs and awards.

Alder is well-suited to the LM3 — fine grain produces clean detail even at 20W. 65% at 2800mm/min. Great for signage and award plaques where fine text matters.

Alder engraves cleanly on the S30 Pro with fine detail. Medium-density hardwood is forgiving of small power variations. Consistent mark depth. Good for signage, awards, and gift items requiring fine text.

Alder cuts in 2 clean passes at full power. Medium hardness makes it more reliable than oak at 40W diode. Air assist helps with edge quality. Consistent results across the S1's large work area.

Alder's fine grain gives crisp engraving detail on the xTool S1. 42% at 4000mm/min produces consistent medium-brown marks. One of the cleanest-engraving hardwoods. Popular for awards, plaques, and gift items. Use LightBurn's bi-directional scan for speed.

Alder is a medium-density hardwood — cuts reliably in 2 passes at near full power. Cleaner edges than oak. Alder is widely used in the laser community specifically because it machines and cuts so well.

Alder is a fine-grained hardwood popular for laser engraving — clean marks, consistent results, subtle grain. Very similar to birch in behavior. 55% at 350mm/min gives a medium-brown mark. Good for signs, plaques, and personalized gifts.

Alder is underrated for engraving. Fine grain, consistent burn, beautiful warm tone. Similar to basswood but more attractive grain.

What are the best laser settings for Alder?

A top-rated community setting for Alder on the Creality Falcon2 is speed 800 mm/min, power 95–100%, 2 passes. There are 18 community-tested settings for Alder across 9 machines on this page.

Can a diode laser engrave or cut Alder?

Yes — there are 12 community settings for Alder on diode lasers and 6 on CO₂ lasers. CO₂ lasers generally cut faster and cleaner, but modern high-wattage diode lasers handle most wood work well.

Do I need air assist for Alder?

56% of the community settings for Alder use air assist. Air assist is strongly recommended — it reduces charring and improves cut quality.