I have not been on in awhile my woodshop is mostly completed I find a lot of my scroll saw and pyrography projects are on 1/3” or 1/4” Baltic birch or other woods sometimes walnut. I have a new friend teaching me how to use my wood shop tools and I mentioned wanting to get either a CNC or Laser engraver next and he suggested a laser engraver would be more versatile for his and my current needs in crafts.

what I am wondering what would be best for cutting 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and 1/3” wood. If laser what is minimum power I would need with the fewest passes? 1 preferred. How much will it burn into the edges of wood so I can make the cuts larger than needed to sand away the burn marks? I have CaMaster CNC dreams with a Shapeoko budget so not yet sure what CN I want and am still deciding on Epilog, or Trotech Lasers.