Bagnall Complete Guide to CNC Woodworking

Everything You Need to Know to Use Any CNC Router
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-63741-498-9
Verlag: Fox Chapel Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 200 Seiten

The CNC woodworking machine is a top-of-the-line tool for precision wood crafts--you just need a way to unlock it. Enter Ralph Bagnall's Complete Guide to CNC Woodworking. Distilling his decades of expertise in CNC wood routing, the Complete Guide tackles everything from safety and technique in its basic operations to handling innovations like laser attachments. Its high-quality photos illustrate what woodworkers need to see, while its CNC project ideas help guide you from theory to practice. Inside, you'll find 19 projects, from workshop push sticks to carved signs. Browse the inspirational gallery to discover new passions. Review the updated tool and spec guides. Learn how to set up your own workspace for maximum efficiency. By the time you're done with this Complete Guide, you'll feel like you've been through one of Bagnall's expert seminars--and you'll be ready to tackle your wood router CNC machine like someone who's been at it for years!

Ralph Bagnall pairs his passion for CNC machines--which he's learned and used since 1996--with 30+ years of experience in woodworking and sharing his insights with his seminar students. You might have spotted him at events like the International Woodworking Fair or the Virtual Wood Show--or even as host of Woodcademy starting in 2017. In the Complete Guide to CNC Woodworking, he steers aspiring CNC woodworking machine enthusiasts through one of his favorite ways to fashion wood, teaching students how to start CNC machining with confidence. Previously the author of the Beginner's Guide to CNC Machining in Wood in 2022, he currently lives with his wife in Florida.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bagnall, Ralph

Leseproben

CHAPTER 1

GETTING STARTED

There are many things you need to consider as you prepare to buy and begin using your first CNC machine. What you want to make, your workspace, your experience and budget should be taken into account, but at this point you may not even know what questions to ask. This first chapter will walk you through a series of selections to help you decide which type and size of machine best suits your needs. There is a lot to learn about programs, CNC operations, bit selection and shop setup, so this chapter will also provide an overview of the process behind programming and running a CNC machine. Reading and understanding this chapter before you buy a machine will help you make the most appropriate choice for your shop.

Setting Up a Workspace

Choosing Your First Machine

Alternative CNC Machine Formats

Basic Operations

Choosing Bits for Your CNC

Setting Up a Workspace

When setting up a CNC machine, you need to consider not only the space, lighting and power required but also the dust collection and noise issues that will arise. Expect that your CNC machine will create about the same noise and mess as a handheld router. The noise and dust issues both need to be addressed, especially in an attached garage or basement shop in your home.

Collecting Dust

With very few exceptions, no CNC machine at any price point has excellent dust collection. They can generally manage to keep most of the dust out of the air, but do not expect a clean surface when the machine finishes milling a program. Many early benchtop machines did not even try to collect dust, although most machines on the market today include some type of dust hood.

The main problem with CNC dust collection efficiency is airflow. The typical setup is a 2? (50.8mm) or even a 4? (101.6mm) hose leading into the work area near the bit, but it is trying to collect dust from a large open area. There is simply too much open airspace for the hose to effectively collect all the dust being generated. The dust hood may be able to capture the lightest particles, but not much more. Enclosing the space around the bit helps with this problem. The adapter that I built for my CNC Shark is commonly called a dust shoe. Dust shoes are designed to cordon off the immediate work area so the air contained within the shoe moves more quickly and carries larger dust particles. But dust shoes are not perfect. The vacuum hose still has to remove air from the entire volume underneath the dust shoe, and it is just too big a change in air volume for it to maintain proper suction. The shoe has to be large enough for both the router motor and the vacuum hose, and this area will be at least twice the size of the hose, whatever hose diameter is used.

Shown here is the dust shoe that I built for my CNC Shark.

Dust shoes all require some type of flexible border to contain chips and limit air loss. These borders form a flexible connection between the top of the dust shoe and the workpiece. The better the connection, the more dust is removed by the vacuum. Mine uses foam rubber strips, while other machines might be equipped with vinyl strips or brush-style bristles. These borders help contain the flying chips and minimize the volume of airflow needed. The dust shoe is typically mounted to the bracket holding the router motor or even the motor itself. The distance between the dust shoe and the top of the workpiece changes with the length of the bit being used and with the depth of cut, so brushes are rarely at the optimal position to trap dust. And when the bit is cutting near the edges of a part, much of the dust shoe will be over open space, defeating the brushes. Effective dust collection at the bit is a problem with all CNC machines, even at the industrial level.

A CNC machine enclosure made to contain both dust and noise.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHOP HACKS™ ()

A full enclosure that covers the machine may be the best option for mitigating dust collection issues, especially if your shop is in your home. Your dust collector can be connected just to the dust shoe on your machine, or if your dust collector has the capacity, you can also have a port to evacuate the entire enclosure. Many manufacturers offer boxes specifically designed for their machines. They are not inexpensive, but containing the mess may be well worth the cost. Many CNC users also build their own enclosures. The photo above from Shop Hacks is a good example. It is well designed with excellent windows to monitor the machine as it runs, and even includes controls built into the enclosure. Your workspace situation and personal preferences will determine which dust control solution is best for you, should you opt to use a full enclosure or just a dust shoe.

Noise Control

Noise will also need to be dealt with, whether your CNC is located in a home shop or even in a separate space. Many woodworking machines operate at ear-damaging noise levels, and remember that your CNC will be at least as loud as a handheld router. The CDC states that noises over 70 decibels will damage hearing over time. The real noise you hear when routing is not from the router motor or spindle, but from the bit cutting the wood. You should, of course, be wearing hearing protection in the shop when any machines are running, but noise carries. Family members and neighbors may not be happy with your CNC producing loud noises for hours on end.

Working with doors closed in a well-insulated room will help keep neighbors from complaining, but if you want a more comfortable work area when the CNC is running, a full enclosure is about the only way to effectively control the noise. This sort of enclosure may be an aluminum frame with clear polycarbonate plastic panels, or a plywood box with windows in it. Your enclosure does not need to be elaborate, but it should have plenty of windows to be able to monitor the CNC as it runs. It will need a door that allows parts to be loaded and unloaded easily, bits to be changed and so forth. It should also be reasonably easy to remove the enclosure for cleaning and maintaining your CNC machine.

Take the time to carefully consider your work space situation as you shop for your first CNC. Woodworking with power equipment is usually noisy and messy, and your CNC will be no exception. So planning for dust and noise control before you buy will help you choose your best options.

Choosing Your First Machine

Choosing your first CNC system can be intimidating. There are many options to choose from, and a poor choice can be costly. We will work through the major options to narrow your choices. It is not the purpose of this book to recommend any brand or model of CNC, or for that matter tooling, software or accessories. I want to provide you with as much information as I can so that you can make the best choices for your shop. I will, however, limit this discussion to what are commonly called “benchtop” CNC models. These tend to be machines with no more than 48 inches (1.2 meters) of working area in any direction. There are a few exceptions to this size limit (see here), but those also are still home shop models. Fortunately, there are plenty of choices for you within this group. You can spend as little or as much as you wish depending on size, features and whether you want to buy a ready-made CNC system or build a customized system from components.

What Will You Make?

What’s important to keep in mind as you shop is what you plan to use the CNC for. The sort of machine you would use for carving signs will be different from type best suited to mill furniture parts. You will find many other uses for your new CNC as you become experienced with it, but keeping your main goals in mind will be most helpful to guide your choices as you work through the rest of these questions. Milling table legs will mean your stock may be 2? (50.8mm) or thicker, so this would require a machine with more Z-axis travel (cutting depth capacity) than many machines offer. Carving programs that would be used for making signs tend to take hours to run, so if that is your ambition, you should consider buying a machine that uses a spindle to drive the bit. A proportionally smaller CNC will be well suited for making templates while taking less space than a bigger machine. Working area and price are often the primary features advertised for CNC machines, but looking specifically at the details that matter most to you will yield a better fit for your shop.

Laguna Tools makes full-size industrial CNC machines as well as the home shop KX 24 model.

PHOTO CREDIT: LAGUNA TOOLS

A CNC can fabricate custom parts as needed. I tend to use my CNC extensively to make jigs, fixtures, templates and storage solutions for woodworking.

Build or Buy?

If you’re mechanically inclined and enjoy building projects from kits, you could consider building your own CNC instead of opting for a system that comes assembled. A kit could provide a larger, better equipped CNC within your budget, and building it yourself will teach you a lot about how it works. This will be helpful when your machine needs maintenance or repair. But keep in mind that while components from a kit manufacturer may be covered by a warranty, your skill in assembling the kit will not be warranted, and mistakes could be costly. Most of the kit manufacturers I have talked to are enthusiasts themselves and are very helpful in answering questions. And there are usually online forums where customers share tips and information.

Buying a...