Getting Top Quality CNC Routers for New Woodworking Business

Whether you are starting a new woodworking business or taking an existing business to the next level, the type of woodworking equipment you use will affect the quality of your work and how much of it you produce. Every woodworker wants to get top quality CNC Router woodworking machines, but not everyone gets them. To make sure you end up with commercial woodworking machinery that meets your needs, remember the tips below as you shop for equipment.

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Read Customer Reviews

Every equipment manufacturer sings the praises of its machinery, regardless of its reputation. If you want to know how a machine really performs, reading customer reviews is a great way to find out. In some cases, equipment does not have any formal flaws, but it is not ergonomically designed, and does not synchronize well with the rest of the line. In other cases, equipment has recalcitrant parts that cause problems almost immediately. Again, you will not find out about these drawbacks from the manufacturer, but you may hear about them in woodworking forums, where woodworkers give unsolicited reviews of equipment they use.

Search the Secondary Market

If woodworking equipment has poorly designed components, operates poorly, is difficult to configure with the rest of the line using automation software, or presents other problems that compromise production, most woodworkers will not own it for long. They will sell to an equipment reseller who may or may not be able to correct the hardware’s problems. If you notice the secondary market seems to have a large supply of a relatively new piece of equipment, it may not be a coincidence. The equipment could be a lemon no one wants to own.

Do not Depend on a Warranty

New equipment and some used equipment that is almost new come with a warranty. In most cases, the warranty for new hardware is one year, after which time the owner is responsible for repair costs. Although a warranty is a form of investment protection, do not view the warranty period as a time when you can find out whether hardware will be reliable. Because commercial CNC Router woodworking machinery has a long lifespan, some manufacturing flaws might fail to show up until after the warranty period is past. Investigating the reputation of equipment before you buy it is the key to predicting its reliability.

Choose the Right Construction Grade

Top quality woodworking machines come in three construction grades: hobby grade, mid-grade, and industrial grade. The quality one receives from any grade depends on whether it supports the production needs. If you need industrial grade equipment, you will not get good results from using hobby grade or mid-grade equipment. The equipment will prematurely wear and break down. While you do not want to overinvest in equipment that has too much capacity, trying to use a lower, less expensive grade of equipment than you need causes more financial problems than it solves.

Features of Cutting Bed to Be Considered Before Purchasing CNC Routers

The cutting beds of CNC routers vary by machine. A CNC router can have a bed that ranges from a few feet across to several yards wide. The bed may also contain unique features such as a vacuum, a perforated top, or a disposable top. When shopping for a router among used CNCwoodworking machines, woodworkers should understand the benefits of the following cutting bed features before they invest in a certain piece of equipment.

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Table Size

Table size is important as it pertains to the size of the raw material and/or the number of pieces that must be cut in a certain time. A large top will obviously facilitate the production of large pieces, but it can also expedite the production of smaller pieces; the large cutting area means less reloading is needed to finish the production run. Regarding size, it is better to choose a table that has more space than necessary than one that is cramped.

Vacuum Table Top

A vacuum table keeps material securely in place by applying a vacuum from underneath. Typically available in high-end new or used CNC woodworking machines, a vacuum table replaces clamps. The advantages of this technology are the vacuum can be released faster than clamps, and every inch of the material is held in place with the same amount of force. The biggest disadvantage is, unlike clamps, the vacuum pump requires special maintenance, uses electricity, and may be subject to repairs.

Disposable Table Top

Disposable tabletops, which are typically composed of layers of high-density MDF boards, are ideal for first-time CNC router operators who may accidentally bypass limit switches and sensors, and cut into the table. Disposable tops can also be added to tables that already have non-disposable tops. They are typically used for hobbyist woodwork.

Perforated Table Top

Perforated tops tend to be the least expensive because they require the smallest amount of material to produce. Available with various types of perforation, perforated tops allow dust to fall through the slots into a collection bin. While letting gravity do the work of a dust collector is an inexpensive option, it may complicate the dust collection process. If you perform a low volume of work, and do not perform dust removal until the end of the day, using a router equipped with a perforated top would be optimal.

T-Slot Table Top

T-Slot tops are typically found on hobby grade routers and commercial models reduced in price. A T-slot top has some attractive advantages: it is inexpensive, easy to use, and does not consume much electricity. The biggest downside to T-slot tops is traditional clamping methods must often be modified to prevent the spindle head from hitting the clamps. The software that comes with T-slot routers might lack the programming capacity to create paths around the clamping system.

Using New Techniques to Easily Set CNC Router Origin Points

CNC ROUTER origin points can be set quickly with lasers or digital cameras.

In part two of this series, several techniques and tools were shown for accurately setting origin points. You can use line-of-sight, feel, extrapolation from a known diameter, edge finders, wigglers, 3D sensors and more. Accuracy is critical and although all these tools and processes work well, setting origins can be time-consuming. So, in my own shop, I often use other methods and tools to locate and set my origin points. As a result, I’m able to set my zero positions in 30 seconds or less.

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How do I do it? Three different methods. Two involve modern tools and the third is the use of the grid system that I’ve designed for the bed of my CNC ROUTER. All three approaches speed up the process of finding origin points.

he trick with lasers is a sharp focus, good alignment and splitting the beam right on the edges of the board.

Set your origin point with a cross laser

A few years back, furniture maker and friend, Bob Spangler started using a cross laser as an alignment tool. A great idea that I adopted and took a bit further. Essentially, you mount a cross beam laser on the moving plate on your CNC ROUTER’s gantry and set the crossing beams to align with your X and Y axis. I suggest that you don’t mount it on the moving Z axis so that it travels up and down with your spindle. The reason is you’ll create parallax errors and the beam will move as your Z height moves up and down.

To use the laser, start by centering the cross beam lines over the corner of a board that’s in alignment to the axises of your CNC ROUTER’s table. Make sure your beam is focused and sharp. Use your CNC ROUTERs smallest movements to get it exactly in place. If you can split the two beams on the edges, you’re there. Now, reset the X and Y axis to zero.

Next, you need to move and center your spindle. This is the time to be as accurate as you can. Use measuring tools, like an edge finder or other technique mentioned in previous posts. Save and record the offset X and Y distance from the laser’s position to the spindle’s position. You’ll use these coordinates often so it’s worth making the information easy to access. I keep it as a little G-code file stored on a desktop sticky note on my PC-based CNC ROUTER, and as a macro in my controller program and also as a stored mini program on my Laguna IQ. Now, all you have to do is align the laser, reset X and Y to zero, move the offset distance that you recorded earlier and reset to zero, once again. This method is fast.

In the future, I’ll write a full how-to article and suggest components for laser installation as part of this CNC ROUTER Origin Points series and post it here. Since I’ve installed a cross beam laser on a CNC ROUTER a number of times, I’ve worked out the issues and sorted through the choices of laser — more powerful is not better, btw. And, walk you through alignment, the choices of holders and different power sources.

With the right software, camera and CNC ROUTER bed setup, you get a bird’s eye view of your target. This view can be magnified.

Set your origin point with a camera

The laser method works very well. But, going back and forth between your controller and the table it takes some time to line up the beams to a corner or a drawn target. And, because the beam is directly over the alignment point, it’s a little difficult to be accurate.

I’ve found a method I live even better. This is what gets my setup time down to 30 seconds or less. Because I have a PC hooked up to my CNC ROUTER, more often I use a CNC ROUTER mounted endoscope and special software that puts a target on the screen and magnifies the image. Alignment is easier if you’re right on top of the target. This solution works great and I use it daily. The process is exactly the same as the laser method. Center over the target, find the offset between the camera’s cross lines and the center of the spindle, use and record the information to move from camera position to the spindle position.

As with the laser method, I’ll also do a CNC ROUTER Origin Points article on how to set this up and which equipment to buy and how to set it up. After much trial and error, I’ve found that there are more wrong camera choices then right choices, so be careful if you choose to jump ahead. The mounting considerations for a CNC ROUTER camera are similar to the laser. However, routing the camera’s cable presents a few new challenges.

Setting Origin Points on the Fly

The final solution that I like to use is based upon the way I’ve set up the bed of my CNC ROUTER. This will take another article, a lot of explanation and photos and videos to fully explain, but let’s just say that I keep my bed milled flat and set it up as an accurate grid system and I know every position on it. I take full advantage of this for material, fixture and jig placement. I can set origin points quickly and align and hold parts on the grid. It all starts with a known home or default position that can be tested, as needed. My goal is to use the CNC ROUTER’s built-in digital accuracy to do as much work for me as possible. I even incorporate the setup into my CAD drawings so that when it comes time to mill, everything lines up. With good workflow, accuracy and origin points are just a few clicks away.

Every Craftsman Deserves a High-Speed CNC Router

Some interesting information crossed my desk this past week. General International is introducing a series of tools, known as “Access by General,” designed specifically for wheelchair users and individuals with limited mobility. The issue of properly sized and proportionally correct tools was brought to my attention before by non-wheelchair-bound women (and some men) who attend woodworking classes. Some are unable to reach past the table saw blade or feel they need to be taller to effectively use the band saw. These tools could be the answer for many woodworkers, not just those restricted to wheelchairs.

CNC or Computer Numerical Control is growing in importance in schools. This section is an introduction to CNC Routermachining and explains in simple terms the equipment needed and how it can be used.

The “Access by  General” line, all made in Canada at this time, includes the mainstay of tools in a woodworking shop. A table saw, jointer, band saw, drill press and lathe are the beginning of the line, with promises for additional tool releases during 2008 , made in both Canada and overseas.

The line will be available in stores later this fall; prices are expected to be released by the end of October.

To gain a better understanding of how changes in the table heights and overall dimensions affect a wheelchair user, I adjusted my desk chair to match a wheelchair height (19″) and positioned myself at four of the five tools. (The lathe escaped my scrutiny , I don’t turn much).

I began at the jointer. The machine in the Popular Woodworking shop has a table height of 30″ while the Access jointer is listed at 28″. I can tell you that the 2″ differential could make a difference. Seated, I was uncomfortable using our jointer for milling rough lumber. While I was still adequately above the board, I felt much less secure pushing forward while holding the piece to the bed.

Next, I rolled my chair over to our table saw. Here I found a substantial difference. Our saw is 34″ tall and the “Access” saw tops out at 29″. I felt very out of control ripping a piece of stock. Not only was I pushing directly at the blade, I could not reach past the blade to finish the cut. Push sticks were required and I was cutting a 6″ wide board (generally this would be of no concern).

Sitting at the drill press seemed no big deal. I could reach the handles just fine. I was within the standard front-reach measurements specified by the Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility guidelines. But, our drill press overall height is 68″ and the “Access” press is only 57 1/2″ tall. The 10-1/2″ difference would make things much more easy to use from a seated position.

Using our band saw while seated was the most eye opening experience, to say the least. As I sat in the chair, I looked directly at the table edge of ourGrizzly G0555X. The table height is 44-1/2″.

The “Access” band saw has a table height of 32-5/8″. That amount is astounding and would make the band saw so much easier to use -not to mention safer.

I applaud General for the effort to produce tools for a specific audience. I also think there will be additional users who would just feel more comfortable using machines that better fit their body structures.

If this is an issue or concern of yours, leave a comment so we can see if General in on course with the “Access by General” line of tools. When the prices are released and further information is in hand, I’ll update this entry with the numbers.

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How CNC Routers are Used for Pattern Shaping

CNC or Computer Numerical Control is growing in importance in schools. This section is an introduction to CNC Router machining and explains in simple terms the equipment needed and how it can be used.

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Modular shaping jigs. With this setup, I can mix and match components for different situations. I can shape small parts, furniture-sized parts of any shape, curved parts big and small, and parts up to 96″ long. The way they’re designed, the jigs adjust to the shape of the particular part being cut. It’s a great setup, and I love using it, but sometimes a CNC Router can do the job better and faster.

If you build furniture out of wood, you’ll find that once your design becomes more than a collection of straight lines and begins to include curves, shapes and other details – you enter the world of pattern shaping.

What is pattern shaping? It is a woodworking process for accurate duplication. Instead of creating repeated parts from scratch, an existing pattern of the part is used to produce an exact copy. Shaping a part involves machining it with a straight bit (in a shaper or router) that has a bearing that is the exact diameter of the cutter (the bearing can be on either the top or bottom, or both). To begin, place a rough-cut part on the table, attach it to your pattern and run the pattern along the bearing. The excess wood is accurately removed and the remaining part is shaped into an exact copy of the pattern. The process works great. However, to shape safely and easily, there are various techniques to learn. It is an important skill that all woodworkers should learn.

Patterns, patterns and more patterns. I’ve done a lot of shaping over the years and as a result, I’ve got hundreds of patterns in my shop.

As a furniture maker, with hundreds of pieces completed, I’ve shaped thousands of parts over the years. Shaping is justifiably an intimidating process. But, once you understand safe procedures and how to hold the pattern and material securely, shaping is a very satisfying process. In fact, I actually like shaping. I love the results it gives. However, as a professional, sometimes I have to spend days at a time doing it — which is time-consuming, tiring and a lot less fun at times. Looking for a better way to achieve the repeatability and accuracy of shaping is one of the primary reasons that I acquired a CNC Router. As I’ve pointed out in the past, these machines do all kinds of tasks well, but they excel at cutting parts.

CNC Routers or Shaping

To demonstrate the differences between the two woodworking methods, I’ve put together a video showing both techniques.

Is there a clear winner here? No, because both techniques will give you good results. However, a CNC Router does this particular job exceptionally well. So well in fact, that it’s rare that I use my shapers anymore. That being said, they are great for specific tasks such as machining thick, compound curved parts where the amount of time to build a new dedicated fixture for the CNC Router might be time-consuming. But, for almost everything else, it’s a real pleasure to quickly set up a cut, let the CNC Router do its thing and just walk away. Then I can go off and work on other things in the shop.

Basic Concepts and Definitions of CNC Routers

Let’s begin with the rudimental and basics for anyone that is new to this CNC Router field. CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control, which extends to many different applications but in most cases is used to describe a machine that is controlled by a computer to remove small amounts of material from a larger piece of material.  Most of these machines use a spinning bit with sharp edges to scrape away small slices of material in a very controlled fashion until the desired final shape of the material is left. Through the use of computers very precise shapes can be cut from almost any material.

So that was really basic, let’s get to some of the specifics on my type of CNC machine.  There are many different types of CNC machines but they are most distinguishable by the type and size of material they are designed to cut.  In general if someone refers to a CNC “milling” machine they are referring to a metal cutting machine and if they say it’s a CNC "router" it means a machine made to cut wood, plastic or other soft materials.  This instructable will show you how to build a CNC router.

What does the word CNC mean? CNC actually means Computer Numerical Control. This means a computer converts the design produced by Computer Aided Design software (CAD), into numbers. The numbers can be considered as the coordinates of a graph and then they will be used to control the movement of the cutter. This way the computer controls the cutting and shaping of the material.

If you are learning about CNC and have considered building your own machine I would highly recommend taking a look at this website  There is a wealth of knowledge about designing your own CNC router and well as explanations of the different types of router designs and list of terms commonly used in CNC lingo.  When I first considered building CNC machine I was lucky enough to stumble across this site and it helped me make a lot of the basic design decisions early on.

Once you have read though all you can on the cncroutersource.com you can step up to the big leagues and join the forum.  Here you will find a vast amount of information and huge community of active users all doing the things you want to do for your CNC.  There is a specific section of the forum for CNC routers and many build threads have been posted that will make you drool with jealousy.  Have a question about CNC? A simple search of this forum will most likely answer any and all of the CNC questions you have.  Keep in mind though that a lot of acronyms and jargon are used on cnczone but if you have read cncroutersource you should be able to figure it out.

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To Show a DIY CNC Router Kit Just Finished

Sorry I've been around the forums for a while, but I've been working on a home-built CNC router. Expensive? To be honest, it can be as cheap as you like. Obviously the cheaper it is, the less accurate and slow it will be, but I reckon it can be done for £200 if you are desperate. Anyway, the idea is a three-axis CNC Router machine, controlled by the computer to re-produce your CAD drawings in materials such as wood and aluminum.

Here's what I got so far:

The "gantry" (large part astride the two long rails) moves along the steel rails on bearings, as does the cross slide which moves across the gantry to give you the x and y axis on your drawings, the z-axis will hold the router and slides nicely on bearings in between stainless steel tubing. The three-axis each have a single nut attached to them, and this will be driven by a length of threaded rod, connected to "stepper" motors, which turn the rod, hence moving the axis. Stepper motors are so called because they can be turned a fraction by the computer controlling them, allowing accurate positioning of the axis. Hmmm, think I'm explaining too much!!

I have several detailed pictures if anyone is interested, and will update as and when, but just thought I'd test the water first! It's not exactly molding, but hopefully it should stir a few brains! Let me know what you think!



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How to Make a Home DIY CNC Router Step to Step?

One of the aspects of any home built CNC Router machine is the use of each material in the construction of the machine vs the quantity of that material you have to buy. You are only building one machine so you don’t want have to buy more material than you need to build that machine. You especially need to consider this when deciding the length of travel you want for each axis, because this decision effects almost every other part of the machine. This was the general design process I went through for my CNC machine.

1. Decide what length of travel you need for each axis (if you have a specific project in mind for your cnc then start with it’s sizes requirements)

2. Decide what type of linear motion system you will use for the machine

3. Decide what kind of linear drive you will use for each axis

4. Decide what type of drive motor and controller you will use

5. Decide the material you will use to construct the machine

6. Based on the previous decisions, design a machine on paper or a CAD software of you choice (this does not have to be a complete design, just enough so you know the total quantity of the materials you’ll need)

7. Determine if you will need any special tools for your design

8. Determine the overall cost of your design, which includes the cost of tools you may not have

9. Decide that you can’t spend that much money on the machine and return to step 1

I went through this process 5 times before coming to a final design. The pictures show the different versions of the router as my design progressed. I know most people would consider this to be overkill but for me doing all this important. I knew that once I finished actually building the machine I would have something that fit my needs and my budget without any headaches do to poor planning.

Here is my thinking for each one of the design steps I outlined:

1. Travel: My first thought for a CNC Router machine was to build molds for the vacuum forming machine I have already built. So I decided to build the machine with roughly 12”x24”x6" of travel because that how big the forming platen is on my vacuum forming machine.

2. Linear Motion: There are many options to choose from for linear motion. Commonly used methods for CNC routers include, drawer slides, skate bearings, v-groove bearings, round linear rail and profile linear rail. These are ordered in terms of cost, I would recommend going the best system you can afford. You can save some money in other areas of the machine but getting a good motion system will pay off in cutting quality. I chose to use round linear rail. This system uses precision ground and hardened steel shafts and linear bearings that use small steel balls that roll on the shaft and re-circulate through channels within the bearing. This offers smooth low friction movement and has good resistance to forces placed on the bearing in any direction. There are many different manufactures of these types of rails and bearings and costs can vary quite a bit. I got my rails and bearings from a reseller in China on ebay. The ebay store is linearmotionbearings and the prices were the best I found online. They often sells kits with three sets of rails and two bearings for each rail, which is what is needed for a 3-axis CNC. The kit I got uses 20mm x 800mm long rails for the x-axis, 16mm x 500mm long rails for the y-axis and 12mm x 300mm long rails for the z-axis. This kit cost me $223 dollars shipped. 

3. Linear Drive: The three basic options to drive each axis of a CNC router are ribbed belts, screws, and a rack and pinion. The most common on DIY CNC routers are ACME screws, ball screws and rack and pinion setups. Screw drive systems work by attaching a nut to the movable part of each axis, a threaded rod is then fed through the nut and locked into position at both ends. The screw is turned by the drive motors and the nut moves along the screw. ACME screws have trapezoidal threads that are either cut or rolled into a steel rod. ACME screw threads are used on common C-clamps. Their thread shape makes the screw stronger than the threads on standard bolts. When these threads are precision cut they are perfectly suited to drive a CNC router. Probably the most common and cheapest ACME thread size is 1/2"-10. That means1/2” in diameter and 10 threads per inch. Ten threads per inch means that if the screw in spun around 10 times the attached nut will move 1 inch along the screw. For any screw size multiple individual threads can be cut on the screw, this is referred to as the number of starts the screw has. A single start screw has one thread a 2-start has two threads and a 5-start has five threads. What is the significance of multiple threads on a screw? Well there are two things that make multiple start screws better for CNC machines. First multiple start screws are more efficient at turning the rotational force on the screw into linear force on the nut. This means it takes less torque for the drive motors to move each axis. Second, multiple start screws increase the lead of the screw, which is how far a nut would move if the screw was rotated once. To determine the lead for a screw divide the number of starts by the number of threads per inch. For example, a 1/2”-10, 5 start, ACME screw would have a 5/10 or 1/2” lead. This means for every rotation of the screw the nut moves 1/2”. This is important because the electric drive motor can produce the most torque at low speeds, and with a higher lead the nut will move farther per revolution of the screw and that means the motor can spin at a lower speed to move the axis of the machine. For my machine I chose to use a 1/2”-10, 5 start, precision ACME screw from Mcmaster Carr for all 3 axis.

Another important thing to note is how precise the fit between the nut and the screw is. A standard nut on a bolt will wiggle a small amount back and forth and in CNC terms this is known as backlash. You want to reduce the amount of backlash you have between the nut and the screw because every time the screw changes rotation direction that small amount of play in nut will throw of your CNC position off and your parts might not come out correctly sized. There are ways with both hardware and the software you use to reduce the amount of backlash you have. On the software side there are simple settings that can compensate for backlash and on the hardware side you can use an anti-backlash nut. I purchased anti-backlash nuts from dumpsterCNC and again you can find part numbers on the parts list. Typically the effects of backlash can be reduced to the point that parts can be made to within a few thousands of an inch.

1. Drive Motor: For CNC routers two basic options exist, stepper motors or servo motors. Stepper motors are used in the vast majority of DIY CNC routers. CNCroutersource has some excellent information comparing these two types of motors. The key difference in these motors is servo motors provide position feedback to ensure proper positioning while stepper motors do not. I chose to use stepper motors for my machine mainly due to cost. Servo motors are more expensive and require more expensive controllers then comparable stepper motors for the sizes that are commonly used on CNC routers. Also stepper motors are highly supported in the DIY router community and are available from many different retailers. When looking in to stepper motors and controllers I found many options and price ranges from less than $100 to more than $500. When deciding what to get for my machine I came to the conclusion that these systems are so universal that I could use my controller and even steppers for other CNC projects in the future. Knowing that I wanted to get good performance and long term reliability I decided to go with American made components from Gecko. I purchased a Gecko G540 stepper controller which can control up to 4 stepper motors at once and connects to a computer through a parallel port. I also purchased 4 280oz-in, NEMA 23 stepper motors from Gecko which are also made in America. The control software I decided to use is called Mach3 and it uses a computer’s parallel port to send signals to the G540 which controls the stepper motors. Mach3 CNC control software can be downloaded and used for free, but is limited until you buy the software for $150. Mach3 is probably the most widely used software for DIY CNC machines and is well supported.

2. Construction Material: Most DIY CNC routers are built using either MDF, aluminum extrusion, or steel. MDF can be easy to work with and cheap to buy and many first time builders use this material. Slotted aluminum extrusion, commonly from a company called 80/20, is used on many DIY CNC router design plans available on the internet. It offers many design options due to the large amount on mounting brackets and configurations the slotted design allows. Aluminum extrusion would also be the most expensive of the three methods I listed. Steel is also used to construct many DIY routers. Square tubing, angle, and flat stock are common and can usually be locally sourced. In most cases steel machines are welded together so a welder and the ability to weld are necessary. Steel is generally going to be less expensive per foot than aluminum extrusion. I chose to use 1”x2”x0.065” steel tubing to construct my CNC router. I was able to purchase a single 24ft piece from a local steel supplier, Industrial Tube and Steel. They even cut it in half so I could load it in my car. If you don’t have a local steel supplier I would suggest looking at speedymetals, I have purchased from them before and they have good prices and deliver fast. I have experience welding and a flux core welder, which is similar to MIG welder but doesn’t require shielding gas. If you want to get more information about welding take a look at this great instructable from Phil B, Learning to Weld. Using steel also requires the use of metal working tools. I used a small horizontal band saw to cut the tubing and a small bench top drill press to drill holes. I have included a few tips about working with metal and some tools that make life a lot easier in this instrucable.

3. Design: You can use what ever software you are comfortable with when designing the machine. You could even just draw your machine on paper. 123D from Autodesk and SketchUp from Google are both free 3D modeling software programs you could use. Many of the parts I used on this machine came from McMaster-Carr. Their website provides drawings for many of the items they sell including 3D models which can be downlaoded for free.

4. Tools: I used a number of tools to build my CNC machine and they are listed on the Tools step. Some of the tools are specific to working with metal and are essential to getting the best results. I also made a few of my own tools to make building this machine much easier.

5. Cost: I estimated my cost for the complete machine and electronics around $1500.

You now know my decisions and hopefully understand my reasoning. I think I have a pretty good combination of parts that has exceeded my expectations. If you decide to build a machine based on my plans I have everything laid out in the following steps.

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Is Your Shop Sufficient for a CNC Router?

It’s never too early to think about space

In the back of your head, you might be thinking that one day it’s possible that you might add a CNC Router to your shop, then you’ve got a lot to think about.

There’s a number of factors that go into a woodworker taking the plunge into digital woodworking. The size, space, and cost of a CNC Router, software choices, integration and workflow changes, learning CAD, CAM and more. Each of these is a topic deserving of several blog posts or articles, but I thought that I’d start off with an overall consideration to get you thinking about it. As a first step, let look at the impact a CNC could have in your shop. Other than cost and learning the question I’m most often asked is, “how much space do I need?”

The question I ask in return is, “what do you want to do with it?” In my case, I look at a CNC as a versatile tool for hybrid woodworking. Like everyone, I’d like to get the most out of my tools and use them to get real work done. Therefore, when it comes to a CNC I want to be able to cut patterns and parts for furniture, do joinery and 3D carving. These are jobs that usually require CNCs bigger than the smallest table top machines. That doesn’t mean that they have to be a large 4×8 CNC, but it does mean the machine will take up some of your precious workshop space.

How much space? A CNC with extra workspace around it takes up a noticeable amount of room in a workshop. Figure a 2×3 CNC takes up about a 4×6 space. A 4×4 might need 7×7. Basically, you should allow a few extra feet beyond the overall footprint in every direction. That makes a CNC much more like a large fixed tool. Closer to the footprint of a table saw than a router table. Let’s look at a couple of scenarios.

How does a CNC fit in an established workshop?

Unless you have a large shop, placing a CNC in an established workshop could be complicated. Particularly, if you already have a number of large fixed tools. In my case, I designed and planned my shop for a CNC years before I finally got one. Of course, the reality is that the assigned space quickly got filled up so, I had to rearrange my shop to make room for it. You might find yourself in that situation too.

Fortunately, after setting up a few shops, I picked up some lessons along the way. Starting with my first, very tiny shop, I put all my fixed tools on mobile bases.

Though my current shop is nearly 10 times the size of my first workspace, I’ve kept my tools mobile. Mobility allows me to store and use more tools in a limited space. I position them optimally as I need them and roll them out of the way when I don’t. They take up less room when idle. Only my table saw has a permanent home.

My fairly large twin spindle 3×6 CNC is also on wheels. It sits on heavy duty feet that rest on large pads that move the wheels out of the way when not needed. Though the CNC’s location in my shop is semi-permanent, I keep it mobile for another reason. I can move it out a bit when carving large pieces that are over 8’ in length.

What about fitting in a CNC in a small workshop?

As I’ve often mentioned, a CNC is unlike other power tools because of its unique versatility. It does a number of jobs well. And, although I use it regularly, I’m not planning on giving up most of my other power tools as long as I have room for them as dedicated tools are often faster and nice to have around for certain tasks. But for woodworkers with small shops, cost and the space requirements of any large tool are always important considerations.

There are various ways to accommodate a CNC in smaller shops. One is to put it on a mobile base so it can be rolled out of the way when not needed. But if your space is really limited, you might want to think of a CNC and the overall picture of a modern woodworking shop in a different way.

Depending on the work you want to do, it’s possible that the versatile CNC could also serve as a substitute for other single purpose power tools in the shop. For example, if you’re a dedicated hand tool woodworker with little shop space and a preference for jointer planes over powered-jointers, your shop could look like this:

• 2×4 CNC
• band saw
• router table
• table top drill press
• table top planer
• jobsite table saw

There are certainly other ways to approach the issue of shop space. Some woodworkers might work together and consider sharing a CNC at one location. Or, others may choose a different style CNC with a small footprint and expands its capability with a moveable table.

If you’re new to woodworking

If you’re new to woodworking, open to digital woodworking and haven’t yet fully equipped your shop, your approach to layout and function may be different than other woodworkers. You might take a more contemporary approach and centralize around a CNC instead of a table saw. Add a few additional fixed power tools, a joint making tool (like the Festool Domino or Leigh FMT for example), a good collection of hand tools and the skills to use them and as always, a great workbench.

In any case, even if you’re at the earliest stages of considering a digital tool like a CNC router for your shop, it’s never too early to start thinking about where it might live. Planning helps. I know from personal experience. I had the power, dust collection and the basic space worked out years early, I just forgot to allow a couple of feet around it in all directions.

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CNC Routers for Woodworking: DIY Wonder or Craftsman's Nightmare?

When my husband, the ultimate DIY guy and a finish carpenter who mostly uses hand tools for woodworking, recently discovered what the ShopBot, an example of a home CNC wood router, could do, a pained look crossed his face. "I'm obsolete," he said somberly.

CNC routers are "computer numerical controlled" machines that take the fine work of measuring, sawing, wood carving, planing, drilling, cutting mortises and tennons, and even collecting dust out of the hands of the carpenter and put it into the processors, planers, drill bits, and other fiddly bits of the computer and router machine. What can be achieved in terms of project design, time savings, and labor savings with a CNC wood router is nothing short of stunning. But even more stunning is that these computer / router machines are now affordable for use in the home shop.

CNC Router Invades the Home...at a Whittler's Pace

Currently, most CNC routers are used commercially. A few forward-thinking wood hobbyists have tried out the smaller home versions. But the CNC router's primary existing market consists of professional wood shops, furniture manufacturers, and other commercial enterprises. The CNC wood router's ability to do fast, repetitive precision work automatically by working from digital project plans has meant enormous savings for these enterprises, even given its initially hefty costs. But now you can get a ShopBot, a popular computer controlled router brand, for under $10,000.  And given how much a wood hobbyist spends on tools and machine equipment in the name of his or her hobby, this seems barely cause to blink.

Obstacles to the ShopBot Revolution

But what about the emotional component of woodworking? Is it simply to be discarded? As with most skilled crafts, the manual labor is half the fun for many carpenters and woodworkers. True, the time-consuming nature of many woodworking tasks can be considered nothing but tedium. But what about the psychological satisfaction a craftsman or craftswoman gets in meticulously hand carving designs into wood? What about the triumphs of achieving, with an old-fashioned chisel, a well-cut dovetail after the frustration of multiple trial-and-error efforts to get there? There's some virtue in this.

And what about the skill component? Will creative thinking, design savvy, spatial awareness, gross and fine motor skills, and other abilities cultivated by the woodworker go out of style? The complaints of older generations that "It's all automated! They don't know how to make XYZ the right way anymore!" seem to echo in our ears when we look at what a CNC router can do and what human carpenters no longer have to do. Devotees like my husband, who actually want to work with their hands and who appreciate the challenge of a difficult project - and, more poignantly, who want to teach these skills to the younger generations that follow them - are indeed becoming dinosaurs.

Because, as my husband carpenter has pointed out to me, it will not be very long before people begin to realize en masse the vast potential of affordable CNC machines. Imagine a world where everyone owns a CNC router machine in their home. Where buying a bed is as simple as downloading the router plans and feeding it to the machine. Where designing your own bed is as simple as downloading generic plans, altering them a bit, and feeding it to the machine. We're far from that world in terms of legal and logistical infrastructure, but we're not very far from that world in terms of technology. When that world comes to be, far more than professional carpenters will become obsolete.

CNC Router Remains Just a Tool for Now. But the Signs are Ominous. Woodworking is Changing.

For now, though, it's not true that the professional or amateur woodworker is obsolete. If you buy a ShopBot or other premade CNC router, or even build your own homemade wood router using a computer and software, they won't do you any good if you're a rank novice at the craft. You still need to have a carpentry clue. You need to set up the woodworking project and provide the finishing touch, and this takes some carpentry know-how. And conversely, if you're a pro or you know the woodworking hobby like the back of your hand, but that's all you know, and you live in terror of computers, you'll need to get up to speed.

But the labor, time, and creativity demands have been cut drastically. In one day, on a whim, you can create a beautiful, ornate woodcarving out of a digital photograph, while the human labor component is reduced to a fraction of what it was, consisting, as my spouse puts it, of setting up the machine, then wandering over to the fridge, pulling out a Coke, grabbing some chips, and sitting down to watch football for eight hours.

The existence of small and mini CNC router machines, table top CNC machines, and low cost CNC routers for the home is a signal that a new order of carpentry is encroaching, in the same way the art world was revolutionized by the technology of computerized graphic art, but perhaps even more comparable to the intrusion of the affordable computer. With cheap CNC routers comes the accessibility of an almost futuristic way to work wood and other materials.

When it comes to building wood furniture, wooden carvings, musical instruments, wood parts, and almost anything out of wood - and I've neglected to mention that most CNC routers also work with foam, plastic and even aluminum - automation on a whole new scale is on its way in.

So if you have plans to become an old-fashioned carpenter, you might want to stem those plans and aspire instead to become a new-fangled "carpentry engineer," "material-based designer," "plastic master," or whatever fancy title the user of CNC router machines will own.

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