CNC at Home

So what is this “CNC” thing about, anyway…….????

Computer Numeric Controlled machines have been around since the 1960′s. In the early days, the movements of the machines, whether they were CNC routers, CNC lathes, CNC milling machines, or anything else… were controlled by computers that used punch cards for their operation. They did repetitive cutting operations fairly quickly, but they were pretty limited in the sophistication of what they could do.

As computers progressed, so did the CNC software, and the capabilities of the machines became truly remarkable. Instead of just drilling a series of holes, or cutting a simple geometric shape, CNC machines started to do three dimensional carving and sculpting, and instead of just two or three cutting axes, they started to have four, five, and even six axis control.

But the downside of CNC for many years was the cost. The machines, which were huge, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and required computer software specialists to program them.

Fortunately, those days are gone forever. CNC machines have come down in size to the point that you can pick one up with one hand. And all they require is what’s considered to be a really puny, four or five year old desktop computer.

So what do you need to get started? The first thing is to decide what materials you want to be able to cut. CNC routers are very versatile, and can cut wood, plastics, and composites like fiberglass or carbon fiber laminates, but they just don’t have the muscle to do much metal cutting. A CNC Mill can easily cut metals like aluminum or steel, but they are usually pretty limited on the size of the parts that they cut (unless you have the budget for a large, $100,000 plus size machine.)

CNC Laser Cutters do a very precise job of cutting thin sheet stock.. whether it is wood, plastic, aluminum or composites…. but they are limited to cutting out two axis parts.

CNC Plasma Cutters work much like a laser cutter, but are intended for cutting intricate designs out of sheet steel.

And a CNC Lathe obviously does machining of round parts. These are usually set up for metal cutting, but there’s no reason why you can cut plastics or even wood parts on a CNC lathe.

One nice thing about hobby level CNC is that you can use the exact same computer, CAD software, CAM software, and controller software to control multiple machines. You can move the computer and monitor from a CNC router, to a CNC lathe, to a CNC mill, to a CNC laser cutter….. and just by unplugging and plugging in the stepper motors, and booting a new program on the computer, you are set for a totally different type of cutting or machining operation.

Hopefully, what I am going to say here won’t sound too “Cosmic” or “Karmic”, but having a CNC machine in your home workshop truly will change your life…. or at least your outlook about your ability to make really cool things.

Example….If you’re like most home woodworkers, you’ve admired those beautiful, hand made wooden clocks. You know… the ones with the masterfully crafted wooden gears, escapement ratchets, etc. But the thought of cutting out those parts with a jig saw…. and of making them precisely accurate enough to actually WORK in a clock movement has totally turned you off. With a CNC router, this is a pretty simple task. Your CNC Router should cut repeatably and accurately to within a few thousandths of an inch…. and it can cut all of the parts for a wooden clock in an hour or two. It would take you days to do the same work with a jig saw, and unless you have ‘Bionic Hands”, I highly doubt that the end result would be nearly as perfect.

So where do you get started? Well obviously, there is a TON of material available on the web. And that, frankly, is just the problem. There is a TON of material available on everything from machine design, to CAD and CAM software, to controller electronics, stepper motors, bearings, bits, baubles and bangles. But there is precious little information that ties it all together. That is where “The ABC’s of CNC” comes in.

This is the video that I wished were available when I got bitten by the CNC bug. I researched for months, searched hundreds of manufacturers websites, read hundreds of blogs and thousands of forum posts… and finally committed to build my own CNC router. And, honestly, I made a lot of mistake along the way. But since I make my living producing training and marketing videos, I knew that I could share everything I learned in an easy to understand video…. that could clear a lot of the fog about this CNC hobby, and help you successfully plan, buy, and build your own CNC machine. And that, my friends, is how the ”ABC’s of CNC” video was born.

Please click here to learn more about the ABC’s of CNC.