[Darknite]

Hello, I am a professional woodworker, specialising mostly in solid wood door production and staircases. I am interested in using CNC machinery for my work. I want to know how to begin this journey.i don't have any experience using the design softwares mentioned with these machines either.

Look fwd to your replies..thanks

[RaderSidetrack]

It would be good if you could explain how your clients communicate to you what they want. Do they show you a photo, or maybe provide you with a .dxf file, or just describe verbally what they want, or ... ???

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
to jump into CNC with a machine big enough and rigid enough to do a professional job on doors and similar is a very big ask, and will cost a fortune.

I would advise starting with a very much smaller machine, even some of the cheap Chinese machines or a second hand machine, and start there. To be certain you will not be able to make parts suitable for
sale with such a small and flimsy machine......but you can get a start for a thousand bucks or so.

Once you've got some experience in making CNC parts you'll be much better placed to understand what you actually require, the cost of such a machine and whether you have the technical skills
to make it pay.

Craig

[cncmakers001]

It is better you can find a way to study basic knowledge of the CNC programming, machine operation, etc.
On site learning is the best, or you can find and learn on YouTube.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
I started this a a hobby a little over ten years ago.

My first machine was small, and being my first design had faults and inaccuracies...as you might expect. None-the-less it worked pretty well and I used it on a hobby basis for seven years.

I then designed and built a much bigger, more powerful machine, and have been adding to it ever since. For the last 3.5 years I've been using it for business, indeed much of my business relies on it.
I'm very glad I did not attempt to build a business ready machine from the get go, I'd have failed miserably. My new machine is however very useful.

One of the problems with CNC is that it is very easy to waste an inordinate amount of time, money and materials before you learn enough to be productive with it.

The field is huge, from the mechanics of the machine, the control electronics and machine controller. Then there is all the operating procedures you have to learn, and while your learning you will
CRASH....and more than once. One thing to crash with a cheap tool on an inexpensive piece of material. To crash an expensive tool into a customers lovely piece of oak or teak or mahogany or whatever is a disaster!!
Another huge learning curve is the CAD/CAM. It will absorb a huge amount of time before you become proficient enough to call yourself 'productive' without any crashes and other disasters.

I urge you consider CNC a hobby.......that may in time prove to be sufficiently useful and reliable to be used as a business tool. If you maintain that attitude, all those disasters can be chalked up to learning,
which is psychologically much better than 'a stuff-up on a customers job!'.

Craig

[automationtechinc]

If you come to office, Give us your file. We can show you how to run the machine

check the link here to see

https://www.automationtechnologiesin...ine-cnc-router

[awerby]

You'll have to define what your expectations are for the CNC machine you buy. If you think it's going to replace all the machinery you're currently using and do everything more efficiently, think again. But if you want to make, for example, ornamental panels to set in doors, or fancy balustrades for the staircases, that's totally possible. The easiest way to go about that would be to hire someone who knows design software and CNC router operation and dedicate them to the task. But if you're a one-man operation and want to keep it that way, start studying CAD modeling now. As you're doing that, you'll have ample time to research the capabilities and requirements of the various machines available, prior to purchasing one.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
I don't know what sort of shop you have, but I'd be prepared to guess similar to many a pro workshop here......some very solidly made but often 'old school' gear.

A friend of mine whom is what I would call a 'master craftsman' with respect to furniture and the likes, and you'd swear most of his gear came out of the ark. Its all cast iron,
and extremely heavy. The big bandsaw must weigh three tons on its own!

If you want a CNC machine to give you the same quality results then it stands to reason that the CNC machine will need to be similarly rigidly constructed. You can imagine the weight and cost
of a machine big enough to take a full 2.4 x 1.2m sheet for instance. If you imagine that a much lighter and cheaper machine would be adequate then be prepared to be disappointed. The quality and accuracy of
the cuts will probably fall well short of what you'd call 'professional'.

Buy small....to start with. Much easier to build a 600mm x 600mm machine rigidly than 2500mm x 1250mm.

Craig

[metalmayhem]

Hello, I am a professional woodworker, specialising mostly in solid wood door production and staircases.

A good place to start is facebook market place and craigslist . I often see cabinet shops or similar sell industrial grade routers at reasonable prices . With that you can go look at what they have been making and learn a few things just by talking with various sellers . If they can show examples from the machines they are selling that match close to what you want to accomplish then thats the first part of the battle . The next battle is learning how to use it , and with a bit of help you will learn it

[routalot]

Looking at the outline requirements,it is clear that the advice in post #7 is at the root of the solution.A one man operation tends not to have the time to gather information about what the possibilities are if he's keeping busy.I still encounter people who imagine that CNC work involves sitting in from of a control panel and pushing buttons to tell the machine what it will be doing.The reality is that the programming will be done on a computer and the finished Gcode loaded from the computer by some means or other.The problem for a beginner is how to filter the advice and make use of it for his own situation.Many people,particularly hobbyists,are so overwhelmed by what a CNC machine can do that they believe the software they use is the best thing ever invented.Similarly when choosing a CAD system old names crop up frequently because they have been around for a long time and have been read about.

If its possible to find a mentor in a similar business,outside you normal trading area and spend an hour or two asking questions,much can be learned.Asking sales representatives and expecting unbiased answers is hardly realistic compared to real world experiences.The level of immersion in the CAD world will vary as cutting panels with rebates or pockets can be done with only a little knowledge compared to doors with a 3D object in a panel or two.For some decorative features you can buy the 3D files and simply work out the surfacing routines.

Stairs are an interesting aspect as the strings are normally longer than the bed of a machine that will handle standard panel sizes but the speed and repeatability of a CNC is highly desirable.Do you buy a specialist machine or try to arrive at a fixture that will allow movement of the part?

I am tempted to recommend taking a look at Vectric software in spite of it's quirks as you buy it and don't need to pay annual fees and if you need to upgrade,they will sell you the next level package at an advantageous rate.It does the CAD part and the toolpath generation,with the ability to watch a simulation of the job on a machine.It is a lot less expensive to make your mistakes on a monitor than in the workshop.

For panel cutting you will often use vacuum holding and when you add the electrical consumption of the pump to that of the motions system and spindle,not to mention the extractor,the supply to the building needs to be adequate.Do you have the electrical capacity?

[elephantcnc]

Hello friends, you can learn about the machine first and choose to buy a machine that suits you. You can browse here to learn more.
https://www.elephant-cnc.com/

[routalot]

I think the comments in my second paragraph of the previous post might be applicable.