G'day @Karks13 , welcome to the forum.
New to CNC's, recommendation for 2D wood cutting
Hello I am new to this forum as I am starting a woodworking craft that is taking off and I need help with a CNC. I cut (Thickness) 1" pine designs with a max width of 18”. Can you please look at the 3 machine below and let me know if one is better cutting out my designs, I will mostly use this for CNC 2D Cutting. Any suggestions/recommendations would be great! I would like to keep my budget round 3k.
Inventables X-Carve (
X-Carve | Affordable CNC Machine | 3D Carving Machine | Inventables
Bob’s Evolution 5
Evolution 5 CNC Router Kit – BobsCNC
Mill Right – Mega V Router
Mega V Router - MillRight CNC, LLC
![Font Wood Carmine Toy Magenta]()
Inventables X-Carve (
X-Carve | Affordable CNC Machine | 3D Carving Machine | Inventables
Bob’s Evolution 5
Evolution 5 CNC Router Kit – BobsCNC
Mill Right – Mega V Router
Mega V Router - MillRight CNC, LLC
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
I don't have or seen any of those machines at work, so can't give any recommendations for the particular machines but I will say try to get the most rigid machine you can afford if you want repeatable accuracy. My hobby machine is mostly plastic and my personal experience is it can be off as much as 1/16" from cut to cut on harder lumber. Since accuracy is not a particular concern for me I don't care. 99% of the time I do individual 2.5d carves. I have a larger machine as well but I haven't learned how to use it yet so no input there.
Hopefully, someone with more experience will pipe in.
Hopefully, someone with more experience will pipe in.
Is this a true one inch or is it construction lumber around 3/4" (nominal)? I didn't click the links but I would get the strongest, fastest machine of those and go from there. I have a friend who has a OneFinity and it's a fairly rigid machine, much better than I thought it would be.1" pine designs with a max width of 18”.
Any of those machines and several others will do what you want. One thing to keep in mind is the level of detail you want in your pieces and the depth you want to cut. For example, you may want a level of detail that requires a 1/8" bit to attain, but 1/8" bits with a 1" flute length are not the norm. Long 1/8" flex a lot, too. You can find all kinds of 1/4" bits of that length, but you lose the level of detail that you may want.
I cut picture frames that are 1.25" thick using a 1/8" bit, but I cut down 3/4" and leave the remaining 1/2" to be remove by bandsaw and flush trim router bit on a router table. Those processes may not be available to you.
I cut picture frames that are 1.25" thick using a 1/8" bit, but I cut down 3/4" and leave the remaining 1/2" to be remove by bandsaw and flush trim router bit on a router table. Those processes may not be available to you.
David,Is this a true one inch or is it construction lumber around 3/4" (nominal)? I didn't click the links but I would get the strongest, fastest machine of those and go from there. I have a friend who has a OneFinity and it's a fairly rigid machine, much better than I thought it would be.
You are correct, my pine is about 3/4" thick. Thanks for your input
Honestly I would need to use a 1/8" bit for most of my designs, Do you see that being an issue? Do you not cut the entire 1.25 because there is no bit for that or because the CNC machine cannot handle that depth? Also see the pictures i added. I also cut objects like this, so I am guessing some will work on a CNC and some I may have to stick with my manual process, a scrollsaw. Open to suggestions. Thanks!Any of those machines and several others will do what you want. One thing to keep in mind is the level of detail you want in your pieces and the depth you want to cut. For example, you may want a level of detail that requires a 1/8" bit to attain, but 1/8" bits with a 1" flute length are not the norm. Long 1/8" flex a lot, too. You can find all kinds of 1/4" bits of that length, but you lose the level of detail that you may want.
I cut picture frames that are 1.25" thick using a 1/8" bit, but I cut down 3/4" and leave the remaining 1/2" to be remove by bandsaw and flush trim router bit on a router table. Those processes may not be available to you.
Thanks for your input, I will look at the durability of the systems.I don't have or seen any of those machines at work, so can't give any recommendations for the particular machines but I will say try to get the most rigid machine you can afford if you want repeatable accuracy. My hobby machine is mostly plastic and my personal experience is it can be off as much as 1/16" from cut to cut on harder lumber. Since accuracy is not a particular concern for me I don't care. 99% of the time I do individual 2.5d carves. I have a larger machine as well but I haven't learned how to use it yet so no input there.
Hopefully, someone with more experience will pipe in.
I would skip the Bob's machine. It is a fairly old design and is made of plywood. (plywood is not necessarily bad but metal is better) I'm familiar with the MillRight. It is an OK machine though could be better designed. I think it is sturdier than the XCarve and is fairly repeatable. If I had to choose I would probably take the MW though would upgrade the control electronics. I think from your post you will be selling those things so I would look at getting an Avid desktop in the range you mention. However, their lead time is around 16 weeks. It is a very sturdy system, good for a small business. Probably a bit above your budget.
Another thing to consider, the spindle on all 3 of those machines is a trim router. You might want to look at getting a more powerful spindle. Maybe not immediately but as an upgrade fairly soon after. A spindle will give you more control over the router speed and allow you to better match "feeds and speeds" to your material and bits.
There are a lot of ways to cut something on a CNC router. For production, speed is fairly important. To cut 3/4" wood, I wouldn't use a 1/8" bit. I/4" is less likely to break. A 1/8" bit can be used but you will probably have to make multiple cuts at, say, 1/16" to 1/8" depth of cut". So maybe 6 to 12 passes. Slow. Another approach would be to cut out with 1/4" and then use a 1/8" to fill in details. More depth of cut and probably a faster feed rate. That translates into short job times but is a somewhat advanced technique. You might consider moving to 1/2" stock - faster and cheaper.
Finally, budget some money for design tools - CAD and CAM. Remember that while machine time is important, design time is too. Hard to make a recommendation at this point, though.
Another thing to consider, the spindle on all 3 of those machines is a trim router. You might want to look at getting a more powerful spindle. Maybe not immediately but as an upgrade fairly soon after. A spindle will give you more control over the router speed and allow you to better match "feeds and speeds" to your material and bits.
There are a lot of ways to cut something on a CNC router. For production, speed is fairly important. To cut 3/4" wood, I wouldn't use a 1/8" bit. I/4" is less likely to break. A 1/8" bit can be used but you will probably have to make multiple cuts at, say, 1/16" to 1/8" depth of cut". So maybe 6 to 12 passes. Slow. Another approach would be to cut out with 1/4" and then use a 1/8" to fill in details. More depth of cut and probably a faster feed rate. That translates into short job times but is a somewhat advanced technique. You might consider moving to 1/2" stock - faster and cheaper.
Finally, budget some money for design tools - CAD and CAM. Remember that while machine time is important, design time is too. Hard to make a recommendation at this point, though.
I don't cut the entire 1.25 because I don't have any 1/8" bits with a flute length that long. They are available, but flex more than I can accept. Also, by not cutting all the way through, it removes the problem of figuring out a good way to hold them down. Since I have access to both a band saw and a router table, "onion skinning" is something that I do quite a lot of. Leaving .5" of material is just a thicker onion skin. This process will likely not work for your work, though. The level of detail is more than a flush trim bit will handle.Honestly I would need to use a 1/8" bit for most of my designs, Do you see that being an issue? Do you not cut the entire 1.25 because there is no bit for that or because the CNC machine cannot handle that depth? Also see the pictures i added. I also cut objects like this, so I am guessing some will work on a CNC and some I may have to stick with my manual process, a scrollsaw. Open to suggestions.
I don't get a sense of the dimensions of the pieces in your pics. Certainly, there is nothing about them that would make them unsuitable for CNC cutting. Any CNC would be faster than using a scroll saw, I believe.
I have used two different 1/8" bits. One from IDC Woodcraft that came with his starter kit I got. That was a great bit, but alas it snapped in two during a mishap on the CNC. The advertised cut length on that bit as .7". While it was a great bit, smaller bits will break, so I opted to buy a 5 pack of 1/8" bits from Amazon. Those bits have an advertised cut length of .67". Frankly, I wouldn't want to go much longer than either of these bits as the bits are very prone to breakage. Honestly, my recommendation would be to thin the material to 5/8". No planer? No problem! The CNC can thin wood too! Also to take off additional stress of the 1/8" bit clear as much material as you can with a 1/4" but, then do the final passes with the 1/8"
You might want to look at the Long Mill CNC: LongMill Benchtop CNC MK2 | Sienci Labs And you can get 1/8" bits that can cut 28mm all the way up to 42mm long. Take 1/16" depth of cut and you'll have no problems.
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