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View Full Version : Good wood for contrast p.s alder / knotty alder



Clark Pace
01-06-2015, 4:05 PM
So I have a customer who needs a sign. The type of wood is not that important, but a good contrast is.

Which woood do you think has the best contrast?

P.S. Have any of you engraved alder vs. knotty alder? Do they engrave the same?

Gary Hair
01-06-2015, 5:02 PM
Red alder lasers really well, not sure about knotty alder but I'd guess it would be similar but the knots are harder and won't engrave as deep or as dark. Try running slow and low power - maybe 1/4 speed and 1/3 to 1/2 power. You can also try out of focus a bit, maybe 1/16" or so, but I've had more success with low/slow than out of focus.

Don Corbeil
01-06-2015, 5:11 PM
Cedar also burns pretty dark. It also has some good natural resistance for outdoor use. I have found some clean pieces (up to 12") without much knot at the local HD.

Clark Pace
01-06-2015, 5:16 PM
Knotty alder does engrave. Well I have used the stuff from HD, but the sign I'm doing is larger, and I want less knots. So I was thinking about regular alder. But I don't know how it engraves. Cedar sound like a good option. Maybe I'll see if I can get a small sample.

Bert Kemp
01-06-2015, 7:00 PM
Cherry has nice contrast also:)

Bill George
01-06-2015, 7:59 PM
I'd second the vote for Cedar, not the Red Aromatic but the brown. Give it a quick shot of spray lacquer first and then engrave. You really need to hand sort to get the better stuff. Of course like Bert said Cherry and I like Walnut the last two are pricey.

Keith Outten
01-06-2015, 9:13 PM
Red alder
Cherry
Maple
Hickory is just beautiful

Mike Null
01-07-2015, 7:49 AM
i like Keith's list except for maple where I haven't had much luck. Aromatic cedar may be the best of all.

Joe Hillmann
01-07-2015, 1:25 PM
If you want contrast, is paint filling an option? Mask it, engrave it and then several very light coats of spray paint. If the first coat is too heavy the paint may bleed into the grain of the wood. You want your first coat to be so light it drys or tacks up within seconds of hitting the wood. If it is a big piece and you worry about spraying to heavy your first coat or two can be with a spray sealer then paint. That way if anything bleeds it will be the clear sealer rather than the colored paint and it will be near invisible.

Clark Pace
01-07-2015, 4:26 PM
I'm looking for the natural look. So paint fill won't work in this case. I did a test on poplar, and It's a pretty good finish. The design is only words, so I think it will work great.