When cutting 2.0cm-thick red oak and hard maple with an air-jet-assisted carbon-dioxide laser of 2kW output power, maximum feed speed at the point of full penetration of the beam decreased with increasing the angle between grain and cutting direction. Feed speed averaged 3.75 and 3.38 meters per minute for red oak and hard maple, respectively. Gray-level of laser-cut surfaces were analyzed by image analysis system. The highest gray level of laser-cut surface was obtained when red oak was cut parallel to grain by laser. Surface profiler was used to scan the sawn and laser-cut surfaces. Center line average roughnesses of laser-cut surfaces were higher than those of sawn surfaces. Scanning electron micrographs showed the cell walls which were melted by laser.