Owning a laser engraver comes with so many benefits. It’s hard to even begin to think about any disadvantages one may experience with their laser. Luckily, one of the most common disadvantages is not really one at all. Many laser engraving machine owners ask themselves, “Out of all of the laserable materials, which ones produce the best results while being a lucrative product for my business?” Enter bamboo laser engravings.
Bamboo is a versatile material that has been used throughout history for everything from housing to bed sheets. According to Bamboo Grove, a resource for all of the knowledge you could possibly desire about bamboo:
“Bamboo has been used through history not only because of the strength of the material but also through renewable prospects. … Species of bamboo equal to the height and width of a tree take as little as sixty days to mature completely.”
Strength and renewability are of course just a couple of the reasons to choose this multi-functional material for your laser engraving projects. If you read our article on choosing the best wood for laser engraving, you will know that lighter colored wood produces more desirable results (unless you are filling it with a filler paint). Bamboo is a very light wood. It’s soft enough to get a beautiful deep engraving, while hard enough not to burn up and char.
So, what can kinds of creative and profitable laser products can you create with bamboo? With an AP Lazer machine, you can use bamboo to do all of the things that you would usually use any other wood material for. However, the history of bamboo and it’s unique characteristics offer a higher perceived value that consumers are willing to pay for.
Check out these seven creative ideas that are ideal for bamboo laser engravings:
1. Laser Engraved Bamboo Cutting Boards
Engrave bamboo cutting boards like this one by DolceHome on Etsy. Personalized cutting boards make a great wedding gift. The wedding industry is incredibly vast, and it’s a great one to tap into with your own AP Lazer. A personalized cutting board is a priceless gift that will be displayed and admired for years to come.
Blank board price: $7.40+/- | Price with priceless engraving: $45 | 608% Increase!
2. Laser Engraved Bamboo Tumblers
Personalized coffee tumblers are a hot market trend. Did you know that bamboo is an excellent insulator? These bamboo tumblers make thoughtful wedding party gifts, school fundraiser ideas, or even corporate gifts. We have bamboo tumblers available in our shop, currently available in traditional 12 oz. tumbler sizes. Get yours today!
Blank tumbler price: $10+/- | Price with priceless engraving: $30 | 300% Increase!
3. Laser Engraved Retail Hang Tags
If you own a retail store or want to make some quick money, check out these retail hang tags. They are the epitome of luxury, and they can be made in an array so they would only take a few minutes for the file set up. These bamboo sheets, available in our webstore, make an excellent canvas for these simple tags that look like you spent hours creating them. With your own AP Lazer, you will be able to cut and engrave one file at the same time, making your ultra productive.
Blank bamboo material price (24″ x 48″): $20 | Price with priceless engraving: $180 for 80 3cm x 3cm tags | 900% Increase!
4. Laser Cut and Engraved Bamboo Retail Display
Tapping into the retail market? Displays for retail use are another excellent use for bamboo. Retailers today are in need of unique and custom displays for the many products they offer. Bamboo is cheap, easy to work with, and reasonably durable, making it an excellent material for this application. This honeycomb display used for displaying a variety of honey is the cutest thing and is sure to be an attention grabber. It’s made by gluing layers of laser cut and engraved sheets of bamboo on top of each other.
5. Laser Cut Bamboo Rulers
Need a unique gift for the teachers in your life? Teachers can only eat so many cookies, rock candy, and they surely don’t need any more coffee mugs. These laser engraved bamboo rulers from BaumDesignsShop on Etsy make the perfect gift! With your own AP Lazer, you can create these custom rulers and so much more. All of the other teachers will be jealous, that’s for sure!
Blank bamboo material price (24″ x 48″): $20 | Price per ruler with priceless engraving: $768 for 192 6″ x 1″ rulers| 3840% Increase!
6. Laser Cut Bamboo Birth Announcements
Almost as big as weddings are the birth of a child. This makes birth announcements a fantastic market niche you can tap into. And, people are always having babies so this will keep you busy year-round! These super cute baby announcements from YouveBeenLasered will be saved for years, if not generations, to come. As far as business goes, the file prep could be minimal after the first time, as you can quickly switch out the details. This cuts down on cost for you, meaning your margin will increase time and time again. Create a few different layouts and let your customers choose the one they like best.
Blank bamboo material price (24″ x 48″): $20 | Price with priceless engraving: $478 for 24 6″ x 8″ birth announcements | 2390% Increase!
7. Laser Engraved Home Decor
Home décor is such a huge market and includes so many opportunities for laser engraving. Just check out this bamboo wall mounted bottle opener by ThirstyRhinoDesigns and this unicorn wall art by Woodums both of which are easily produced using sheets of bamboo!
Tips for Bamboo Laser Engraving
- 1. When laser engraving bamboo, we recommend starting a speed of 25-30 and power of 45. If you are using a rotary to engrave a cylindrical object, you might want to slow the speed down a bit (speed 10) to keep the object from slipping. These settings do vary by machine, so be sure to do your own testing before you engrave your product. Running the engraving twice results in a darker, more pronounced engraving.
- 2. Bamboo sheets create a wonderful canvas for just about any product. You can cut any shape out and even create 3d products out of a once flat piece of bamboo.
- 4. One customer states “We’ve done bamboo cutting boards. Settings vary depending upon what you’re trying to do, we do a faster, less power option with the laser out of focus to do a surface burn, and a slower, more powerful option to cut into the bamboo.”
Laser engraving bamboo is just one of the many things you can accomplish with your own AP Lazer, high-quality raw materials, and a little bit of creativity. Ready to take your business to the next level?
Contact us to find out how you can get started making money with your own AP Lazer.
