Can anyone recommend different wood styles or paper etc. I can use for a good quality burn, cut? I’ve done pine and…it’s ok. But I want to see what y’all think.
I like engraving bamboo. It turns out really well.
I’ve heard that. I will be trying this. What were your settings
I use a JTech 2.8 w laser at 70% power, 3000 mm/min
Alder & basswood darken really nicely.
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I will be making a stop at the local hardware store soon 
Some of the best woods to engrave are the ones with a higher oil content, the only issues with that is they tend to be quite dark woods.
I find that mahogany, teak and sapele are good and it engraves dark…
For any light woods I use Beech, birch and light Walnut.
You can get Beech and Birch faced ply as well.
The problem I find with bamboo is that it is usually made up of multiple strips of varying hardness that engrave at different darkeness.
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I like maple plywood and basswood.
Head over to your local discount flooring store (Here in Kennesaw we have a Floor and Decor). Find the bamboo flooring and look for some nice wide boards (at least 5 inches wide) about 4mm thick. These floor boards have tongue and grooves cut into the sides but the middles are great for cutting and engraving. A box of 10 6 foot boards was about $11. I use them to make coasters.
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Ocooch hardwoods- http://ocoochhardwoods.com/ - has great scrollsaw wood in a wide variety of species and will send a sample set of all of them [with an order]. these samples are about 2x4" and large enough to do sample engravings to see what you like. We make wooden earrings by the hundreds from their woods.
Navy guy huh/? Me too. FC1 80-88 USS Lawrence
What settings (dither? Jarvis? )