You can make almost anything with a CNC router or mill!

CNC routers and mills are one of the most versatile ways to unleash your creativity.  They allow you to make parts out of almost any material with high accuracy and without having to spend years learning tedious techniques that are required for hand tools and some manual power tools.  Below are just a few of the hundreds of pieces I've made with my CNC router over the last couple of years...

Click on or hover over images to see descriptions

Blower impeller machined out of a solid piece of 1/2" Polycarbonate plastic.

SO3 CNC control panel machined out of Polycarbonate. The labels were also machined using the SO3.

Shapeoko 3 XXL housing with clamshell door and Lexan viewing window. Computer shelf is built into the side of the enclosure.

2 sided machined handle for the SO3 enclosure lid. There's no other way to make this shape out of wood other than hand carving.

This is a bandsaw accessory I developed that I attempted to license to Rockler. Most of the parts were CNC cut.

Tap and drill set holder and label.

Aluminum spanner wrenches.

Prototype spray can holder rack

Prototype spray can holder made out of 1/2" plywood.

French cleat cordless saw tool holder.

French cleat cordless saw tool holder with saw

The trunnions and brackets for this ceiling mounted articulating lumber storage system were all CNC machined.

Prototype push stick assembly

Gear set machined from PVC

This sign was machined into a thin piece of plastic. The letters were spray painted while the masking was still on the plastic.

Prototype blower impeller parts were all CNC machined.

The mold pieces for this silicone gasket were CNC machined. One wood mold will produce hundreds of cast parts before having to be remade.

The mold pieces for this silicone gasket were CNC machined. One wood mold will produce hundreds of cast parts before having to be remade.

Parts for a custom HVAC air duct transition machined out of foam sheet.

Parts for a custom HVAC air duct transition machined out of foam sheet then assembled using caulk and aluminum tape.

Parts for a designer table were cut from 1/2" MDF then bent into complex shapes to form the table.

Parts for a designer table were cut from 1/2" MDF then bent into complex shapes to form the table.

I CNC cut every piece of this designer table from 1/2" MDF then bent into complex shapes to form the table.

Simple V-carve into a scrap piece of plywood.

Custom sign with scalloping cut into a plate of 1/4" PVC.

Very simple Vcarve sign. I've not played much with Vcarving so this is about as simple as it gets.

Simple sign takes about 2 minutes to cut out of 1/4" plywood. 1. Apply masking before cutting 2. Spray on clear polyurethane to prevent bleeding when the paint is applied in the next step. 3. Paint red 4. Remove masking.

Pen holders cut from MDF

Prototype pen holder cut from foam sheet.

Articulating TV wall bracket. All parts cut using a CNC.

3D emblem machined into machining wax using a ball mill. This was later converted into a silicone mold.

The silicone mold on the right was machined out of machining wax to make cast silicone parts. The CNC'd mold on the right was much higher resolution than the 3D printed mold on the left.

Combination lithophane center CNC'd based on a photograph with a CNC'd outer frame.

Thanks to the digital revolution you can now make parts and artwork in your home workshop for pennies that used to cost thousands of dollars each and several weeks to have made by machine shops.  You can turn pieces of scrap metal, plastic or wood into precise parts that make up complex machines, signs, sculptures, artwork or any number of gadgets and gizmos that you can dream up.  Your imagination is now the only limit to what you can make.  Even if you don't want to dream up your own creations you can download thousands of plans and files that can be turned into real parts and pieces before your eyes with a simple download and the push of a button.

​You will hear many old school craftsmen say, "CNC machines take the craftsmanship out of woodworking".  But if you ask them if they use power tools they will say, "Of course! It would take too long to make a piece without power tools".  They wouldn't think of an electric table saw or router as limiting their creativity at all.  In fact, they would defend these tools as ways to unleash their creativity by eliminating the monotonous had tool tasks and freeing up time to build whatever they can imagine.  Old habits die hard but we are in a new world where many digital fabrication tools often cost less than a table saw.  Not to mention, many popular software options are free and well supported by growing communities of makers, like the Shop Hack's community, who are able and willing to help newcomers learn how to use these tools.  We are living in the future so it is a great time to embrace the future.