Getting Started with CNC

A newbie’s guide to your electronic shop helper

- Ken Burton

CNC (Computer Numeric Control) technology is becoming more and more affordable. That’s not to say these machines are cheap, but for the investment of two to three thousand bucks, you can employ a quite capable workshop assistant that can do a lot for you, including creating signs, shaping templates, making parts, cutting joints, and even carving forms. Once you get the hang of using it, you’ll be amazed at what it can do. The learning curve is not as steep as you might imagine, and plenty of online resources and forums are available to help when you have questions.

In woodworking, the vast majority of CNC machines available are routers with several components that make them work, including the machines themselves and the computer(s) that drive them. The computer part usually involves two software programs responsible for making the router move. With one program, you design tool paths (a series of coordinate locations that the router will follow) and the other communicates those paths to the router. While there are some proprietary differences in the machines from individual manufacturers, they all work about the same way. Once you learn the quirks of your new shop assistant, you’ll be creating great projects in all kinds of exciting and time-saving ways.

Meet your new assistant