cnc router, almost

Hand plane requires skill which I dont have. What I DO have is arthritic thumbs making most hand tools painful to use.

Sanding I can do as there isnt any jolts to the hands, but Its very time consuming and I am not good enough to get the surfaces parallel and square. This is the really big issue, I need square in both directions.

I have a dedicated router sled. It takes time, its extremely noisy and even messier, and every time I set it up i just think there has to be a a better way.

Cost IS important, but ease of use and convenience is also a high priority.

I think a drum sander would be the answer, but they are almost as much as a basic cnc router and as I havent actually used either, i'm looking for your advice. Theres no way I'm going to build my own drum sander, i just cant be arsed with all of that, too many times I have bought machines before thinking they would be the answer to my prayers, and have mostly been disappointed.

Is it not possible to just set up a small cnc to cut a flat surface without all the thousand dollar programmes?

@sunnybob

Rather than the elaborate sled as demonstrated by HarrySin which requires that the router be mounted to it, why not something as simple as shown in the photo - it could be made out of wood rather than aluminum. As you are only working on smallish pieces, sitting the sled across two pieces of wood would be sufficient, and the router only has to be dropped in the sled, no "mounting" required. If the piece was badly warped/twisted, it would still require shimming underneath to stabilize it for machining - but the same would be required if you were trying to do the job on a CNC.

Bob

For small parts I use a Delta 31-450C belt/disk sander. Bought this years ago for $100 and still going strong. Or if you have a regular belt sander you could look at Jay Bates design at this link: