Why does Every Craftsman Need a CNC Router?
Is a CNC Router Necessary for Every
Craftsman?
Here’s a glued-up leg and apron assembly
for a sofa table being milled with a CNC router.
Here’s the big picture: A CNC is a
digitally controlled router that cuts from its highest to its lowest point in
three dimensions over the entire area of its bed. What would any woodworker do
with that capability? It turns out you can do quite a lot. Below are some of
the things I use a CNC for in my woodworking shop. Obviously, these are simple
examples and they’re also potential topics for future articles and blog posts.
There’s a lot to cover.
Owning a CNC router would have been
unthinkable for a small woodworking shop just a few years ago. The high cost of
these remarkable machines meant that CNC routers were out of reach for all but
the largest operations, but recent cost reductions have meant that even do it
yourselfers can have the power and versatility of a wood router. A CNC wood router
can be a great investment, especially if you want to produce high quality
signage. With such a machine the user can input almost any design into the
software program and produce intricate engravings, three dimensional effects,
and even pictures of people or animals that are incredibly life like.
Some woodworkers just don’t believe in
using CNC routers. They believe that someone who cuts and shapes parts
with a CNC router is not a craftsman, and has little or no connection with the
materials he or she uses. As someone who began his woodworking career with a
strong interest in hand tools, I can understand this point of view. However, my
time in the woodworking industry has taught me that proficiency with CNC
routers requires more creativity and skill than most people probably realize.
Pattern Cutting
As mentioned before, I’ve been using a
CNC to cut patterns for a long time using an outside CNC services to do the
work. It works great. If you’re willing to do the needed 2D CAD or even Adobe
Illustrator drawings, I can’t recommend it enough. Perfect patterns.
Material Preparation
I flatten and surface boards that would
be too awkward or large for a jointer. I thickness plane boards that can’t
fit through my planer. CNCs have been a great tool for working on
large slabs of wood.
Use the Built-in Precision
I take advantage of CNCs high level of
precision for certain needs. Even simple tasks sometimes need precision. For
example, if I need a series of holes that need to be precisely laid out and
sized, the CNC sometimes does this better than other techniques.
Part Making
Part making is probably the best use of
a CNC in a woodworking shop. And it’s a straightforward process once you learn
how to do it. I regularly use a CNC to cut wood parts, except for the rectilinear
parts — if you have the tools, it’s just easier and faster to use
a table saw and miter saw for parts with straight lines. The results from
cutting CNC parts are even more accurate then I’ve gotten with patterns
and shaping. And, because the tool is machining a rigidly held board, I can cut
even the most delicate of details without breaking the wood. Bonus: sometimes
the CNC is a great assistant. While the CNC is cutting parts I can be working
on something else.
Details
The CNC has been great for adding
details to woodwork. I use what’s referred to as engraving routines to add cove
cuts, bevels, grooves or other precision detail that normally might have to be
carved into parts. Certainly hand tools can do this but there are some
situations where the added precision and control is a real advantage. It’s also
a great tool for adding lettering, figures to panels and other carving details.
Joinery
I use a CNC for some kinds of joinery
that would be difficult to do accurately in other ways. I regularly use two
techniques/tools for mortise-and-tenon joinery (Leigh FMT or Domino) and
sometimes a mortiser. As great as these tools are, sometimes they can’t
accurately put a mortise right where you need it. On the edges or ends of a
board is usually not a problem. But, in the middle of a larger surface is
challenging. The CNC puts a joint anywhere you like. That’s very handy.
Another example of how I use a CNC as a
joint making tool is a kind of a twofer. If you’re already using the CNC to cut
parts that ultimately need mortises, why not just cut the mortises at the same
time?
Finally, a CNC router offers the
potential for kinds of joinery we’ve never seen before. No matter the tool or
method, we’ve been doing joinery pretty much the same way for thousands of
years successfully. The value of millennia of experience is that we know
exactly why and how joints work and why they can fail. The point is we
understand the engineering. So let’s apply what we know and maybe rethink the
entire of idea of joinery. The possibilities are exciting and it’s something
I’m seriously exploring.
Jigs and Fixture Making
I regularly use a CNC for making jig
and fixture parts. It’s particularly handy if you need dedicated clamp cauls
for an unusually shaped project or other task-specific tools.
Plywood Cutting
I know it’s a strange topic to bring up
on a woodworking blog but sometimes plywood is a very useful material.
Cabinets are obvious, but there’s a lot of other things you can make out of
sheet goods, particularly if you have a CNC handy. I’ve made, chairs, stools,
tables, tool boxes and all kinds of things with plywood. Parts are joined
together with a whole range of joints developed for the task that pretty
much snap into place. And, there are great plans out there for CNC owners. Many
are free and well designed.
Cutting Materials Other Than Wood
I had never cut aluminum or plastics
before I got a CNC. Now I use it to machine aluminum for jigs that need metal
parts. Same with polycarbonates and plastics. Depending on the machine’s rigidity,
many machines can cut soft metals. I have friends with CNCs that use them to
cut brass or aluminum parts for furniture. As you can imagine cutting metal is
not the same as wood. You use different procedures, tooling and
techniques.
Carving
I regularly use a CNC to add features
that would normally be carved by hand or done with elaborate jigs or router
setups. It’s great for tasks like carving a seat for a stool or a chair,
tapering a bevel or a progressive round over the length of a table leg, for example.
Many things are possible if you can work in 3D in CAD software and have CAM
programs that support 3D operations and learn how to carve with a CNC.
Next I’ll explain how I accomplished
certain woodworking tasks before I had a CNC and what’s changed since.
wood CNC router
CNC router machine
CNC Router 4 axis
CNC Router 3 axis
cnc router
5 axis CNC Router
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