Wood Engraving Tools: Four Types and How to Choose

Wood engraving is a great way to bring your ideas to life through texture, clean lines, and creative designs. The tools you choose will shape the final look of your work—whether you're making signs, artwork, or home décor. When you understand the different types of tools and what they can do, it becomes much easier to create pieces that look polished and professional, no matter your skill level.

In this guide, we'll explore four types of wood engraving tools, what each one is best for, and how to choose the right tool for your next project.

Part 1: Common Use Cases for Wood Engraving Tools

Before we look at the different types of wood engraving tools, let's see what you can do with them. People mostly use them for:

• Making custom signs with names, quotes, or images.
• Creating detailed home decorations and gifts such as wall art, cutting boards, or coasters.
• Producing art with textures and patterns.
• Adding details to furniture.
• Burning logos onto wood products.
• Making models for design purposes.

Each of these jobs needs a slightly different tool.

Part 2: Four Types of Engraving Wood Tools

There are four main types of tools you can use for engraving wood: wood laser engravers, hand tools, power tools, and CNC routers. Each one offers its own level of control, speed, and craftsmanship, depending on the project and the user's skill level.

Type 1: Wood Laser Engravers​

Laser engraving is a really precise way to create. It burns, cuts, or vaporizes wood surfaces with light, making detailed and repeatable designs. The results look good and can be changed easily with design software.

What's great about it:

• Very accurate, which is good for detailed art.
• Quick for both small and big jobs.
• Works with digital files for an easy process.
• Not messy, and the tool doesn't wear down much.

Check Out These Models:

LaserPecker LP4 - The First Dual-Laser Engraver

the LaserPecker LP4 is a flexible engraver with two lasers: a 10W blue diode laser (450nm) and a 2W infrared laser (1064nm). If you're into woodworking, here's what it lets you do:

• Make detailed engravings: It's great for fancy panels, signs, and patterns you can't easily do by hand.
• Cut shapes with accuracy: Create those inlays, puzzle parts, or pieces for furniture and crafts.
• Make wooden items one-of-a-kind: Add names, logos, or art to presents, promo items, or when making a few items at a time.
• Handle different woods: Use anything from softwoods to plywood and even bamboo, so you can try many projects.
• Waste less wood: The laser doesn't touch the wood, which saves materials and reduces sanding and finishing.
• Produce small runs easily: Great for hobbyists, small shops, or anyone needing consistent, quality work.

Basically, the LP4 is for anyone who needs accuracy, customization, and speed in woodworking, whether it's for fun, gifts, or professional work.

LaserPecker LX2 - For Big, Pro Projects

The LaserPecker LX2 is made for people who need a bigger work area and good performance for large or pro projects. It engraves fast and precisely, and it keeps running smoothly, even for a long time.

• Changeable Laser Power: Easily pick between 20W, 40W, 60W diode and 2W IR options to work with all kinds of stuff and engraving depths
• Super Accurate Alignment: The built-in camera makes sure everything is placed right, whether it's patterns, letters, or logos.
• Big Engraving Space: Works with big wood pieces or weirdly shaped things. It has doors on both sides, so it's easy to get materials in and out.
• 3D and Bendy Surface Work: You can get a rotary tool that lets you engrave on round or uneven surfaces.
• Safe to Use: It's Class-1 safety approved, so it's safe for pro use.

The LX2 is good for workshops, maker spaces, or companies that make lots of signs, custom wood things, or fancy decorations. It gives you the exactness, speed, and consistent results you need.

Type 2: Wood Engraving Hand Tools

Hand tools are key for old-fashioned wood engraving. They give you great control and let you really feel the material. Every cut shows your skill and what you want to create.

Chisels

Chisels are very important tools for anyone working with wood. They have a straight, flat edge made for removing wood and creating clean lines. Based on their size and angle of the blade, you can use these for many things, such as shaping wood or adding small details to a surface. Use them with a mallet to remove a lot of wood or by hand to make sharp lines. Good chisels stay sharp and are easy to control, which lets you carefully refine shapes.

Gouges

Gouges, with their bent blades, are all about digging into wood. They're key for making those smooth, curvy shapes and cool textures. The curve of the blade changes how much wood you take out. Flatter gouges are nice for smoothing stuff out, while deep curves really get in there for bolder looks. If you're into carving, gouges are your friend. They're good for statues, fancy carvings, and making patterns. The curve helps glide along the wood, so you don't get those nasty splinters. Learning to control different gouge shapes lets you add depth and make your designs pop. It's how you get that 3D thing going!

Veiners

Veiners are small, U-shaped tools used to make thin, clean lines and textures. They're great for adding details such as veins on leaves, outlines on feathers, and fancy designs. The shape of the veiner allows for smooth lines in fine engravings. People usually use them near the end of a carving project to add realistic touches. Fine artists and pattern carvers like veiners because they offer precision and control, which is great for detailed work.

Comparison Table: Common Wood Engraving Hand Tools

When to Pick Hand Tools:

If you care about how things are made, getting the details right, and working calmly, hand tools are a great choice. They're good for artists, people who fix old stuff, and anyone who wants to be more involved in their work.

Type 3: Electric or Power Wood Engraving Tools

Power tools mix the control of hand tools with the speed of a motor. They're good if you want to save time or take on harder woods with less work.

Power Chisels

Power chisels use a motor to copy the motion of a regular chisel, but faster and easier. They can do many strokes per minute, so you can carve well and stay in control. The way they move cuts wood smoothly and is safer than using rotary cutters for big jobs. Power chisels work great for shaping hardwoods. Also, they help you not get tired when you're carving for a long time. Both artists and carvers like that they can do small details just as well as hand tools, but much quicker.

Power Router

Routers are super handy power tools for anyone working with wood. These tools use spinning bits to slice, shape, or groove wood, which means you can make fancy edges, engrave letters, and create detailed inlays. Because you can change the depth and swap out bits, routers are great for creative and structural jobs.

Rotary Tool Kit

A rotary tool kit is a small, handheld tool that can do lots of jobs just by switching its bits. It spins really fast and can carve, sand, polish, sharpen, or even cut, depending on what part you put on it. Because it's so flexible, people who like to make things and do detailed work love it since it's easy to control and change.

Rotary tools are great for carving small things made of wood, fancy decorations, or round shapes that bigger tools can't get to. Lots of kits have bendy cords and speed controls, so you can carve carefully or cut and shape things without a problem. It's a great tool for new people who want to try different things without buying a ton of tools.

Comparison Table: Power Wood Engraving Tools

When to Pick Power Tools:

They're ideal for users seeking speed, efficiency, and versatility-especially when working on larger projects or tougher wood types.

Type 4: CNC Wood Routers

CNC routers are great for automation and giving you really precise results. These machines use computers to follow design files and cut cool shapes, patterns, and 3D stuff.

Good points:

• They're super accurate and do the same thing every time.
• Perfect if you're making a lot of something or need to cut complicated shapes.
• They can cut or engrave stuff besides wood.

Things to keep in mind:

• They can be pricey and take up a lot of space.
• You need to set them up on a computer and know your way around the tech.

When to Pick CNC Wood Routers:

If you run a production shop or need to do a lot of precise engraving, a CNC router is your best bet.

Part 3: How to Pick the Tools for Wood Engraving?

Picking the right engraving tool depends on what you know, the size of your project, and what stuff you like to work with. Here's a simple guide:

1. If You're Just Starting Out:

Go with rotary tool kits or simple hand tools. They don't cost too much, are easy to use, and are great for learning the basics.

2. If You're an Artist or Just Like Doing This as a Hobby:

Go with hand tools if you like feeling the work, or a laser engraver for doing many kinds of digital engraving. Laser engravers are fast and flexible, and they work with wood, leather, acrylic, and metals that have a coating.

3. For Pros and Workshops:

The LaserPecker LX2 gives you more power and a bigger area for engraving larger wood projects. It has a laser system that you can change and works fast, so it's great if you do this a lot or for business.

4. For Big Industrial Production:

Choose CNC routers if you want things done automatically, want to make a lot of stuff, and need things to be exactly right.

Pro Tip:

Using tools together can get you the best results. For example, engrave outlines with a laser engraver and then use chisels or rotary bits to make the depth or texture better by hand.

Part 4: FAQ about Wood Engraving Tools

1. So, what's the best wood engraver if you're just starting out or have a small shop?

Thinking about getting into woodworking but don't have a ton of space? The LP4 laser engraver is worth checking out. It's got this cool dual-laser thing going on, so you can burn designs onto wood and some metals without a bunch of machine switching.

It's small enough to fit in a cramped workspace. Plus, it's easy to use and etches fast, so you get awesome stuff without a headache. You can also try it out on different materials and designs, which is sweet if you're just getting started or doing small projects.

2. I'm trying to engrave some pretty big wooden signs. Should I go with the LP4 or the LX2?

If you're engraving large wooden signs, pick the LaserPecker LX2. The LX2 has a much larger working area (500 × 305 mm) and a stronger blue laser (60 W)-that combination makes it far better at cutting and engraving big boards.

The LP4 is faster in scan speed (up to 4000 mm/s) but is designed for smaller work (work area 160 × 120 mm) and uses a lower-power blue laser (~10 W), so it's best for small, high-speed engraving jobs. For large signs you want size and cutting power-go LX2.

3. How do laser engravers compare to old-school hand tools when it comes to results and how easy they are to use?

Laser engravers are awesome for being spot-on, doing things the same way every time, and getting stuff done fast. They can copy digital designs perfectly and handle detailed images really easily. But hand tools give you that hands-on feel that machines just can't replicate.

If you want artistic freedom and total control, hand engraving lets you add a personal touch. But if you just want things done quickly and looking professional, especially if you're doing the same design a lot or dealing with super detailed stuff, laser engravers are way better. Actually, a lot of experienced woodworkers use both: lasers for the basic shape and hand tools for adding texture and those final little touches.

Conclusion

Wood engraving blends art and skill, whether you're using hand tools or modern lasers. Each way has its own benefits. When it comes to doing many things well and getting things done fast, the LaserPecker LP4 can't be beat.

It's great for artists using different stuff. And for bigger, more expert jobs, the LaserPecker LX2 is fast, spot-on, and can grow with you. That makes it a super tool. No matter how good you are, having the right tools will let you do more and make each item better.