Best CNC Router for Woodworking
Woodworking is becoming a popular activity among businesses and commoners for its multifarious use across various industries.
Here is a detailed info on various aspects of this act, in the light of CNC router.
What is Woodworking and what are its different types?
Woodworking is the art, skill or process of making useful or desired items from wood.
It includes cabinet making, woodturning with woodcarving, joinery, carpentry and everything else related to woodcrafts.
Woodworking exists in vivid forms depending on the work carried out by respective industry.
Here are some prominent types:
1. Woodcarving: Woodcarving is the process of yielding a figure or making a sculptural ornamentation from the wooden object.
2. Cabinet Making: It is actually a procedure of making household furniture and cabinets from wood.
3. Woodburning: Also known as pyrography, it is an act of decorating and illustrating a wooden object with heated objects.
4. Scroll Sawing: Scroll Sawing is the operation of freehand cutting of wood with thin blades giving them the finest tiny decorations.
5. Joinery: This part of woodworking involves joining two or more wooden objects or ornaments into one single piece to obtain the desired structure.
6. Carpentry: It refers to the tasks of primary cutting, joining, and installation of building materials made from wood.
7. Wood Mosaics: This type of inlay requires a veneer to cut into a shape, inserted into another shape and then laminated.
8. Woodturning: This process of woodworking creates wooden objects on a lathe.
It is different from other woodworking types as it requires the wooden object to keep moving and uses a sharp stationary tool to give it an intended shape.
Most of the woodworkers having adept expertise in this field use these major types for their work.
These experts hold penetrating skills regarding the programming of model creation and implementing them into the router to get the proper shape.
What kind of Woodworking is possible with CNC Router?
A CNC Router is a computer-controlled cutting device with a handheld router that cuts and gives shape to various materials like wood, composites, aluminum, plastics etc.
With CNC Routers, you can:
- Make architectural decorative elements like
o Wooden capitals and carved console,
o Carved rosettes,
o Carved icons,
o Molding and frames for mirrors and paintings,
o Panels,
o Ornaments,
o Brackets,
o Pilasters, etc. - Construct cabinetry and shelves which includes
o cabinet doors,
o wooden doors,
o solid wood furniture,
o windows,
o tables,
o chairs,
o panel wood furniture etc. - Make column and balustrade for
o Staircase stuff,
o Profile statue,
o Furniture and cabinet feet,
o Kitchen island legs,
o Table legs,
o Chair legs,
o Newel posts,
o Sofa leg,
o Corbel,
o Modillion,
o Baseball bats,
o Crafts etc. - Design and make signs with
o Outdoor sign cutting,
o Badge making,
o Furniture engraving,
o Wood engraving,
o Abs cutting,
o Puzzle cutting etc.
However, before you go for woodwork, you should make your visions clear about what you are wishing to make from woods.
Next, you should consider getting a CNC Router according to your need.
Best CNC Router for Woodworking
Before you choose the best CNC Router for woodworking, you need to be clear about two things – your purpose to buy the router and your budget.
1. What do you want to do with the router?
Among the various kinds of router available on the market, every kind is best for some specific categories. So you must be clear about what you want to do with it, whether machine- drilling, cutting, boring or engraving? Being sure about your intention, if you are willing to cut a wooden object into a specific shape then you need to get a CNC Router assembled especially for cutting issues The same holds for other cases of drilling, engraving or boring. Also, a CNC router is best only when it meets your exact needs and demands.
Here are some ideas [taken from forum] by CNC wood router users about choosing the best ones:
• Your Requirements Matter:
Jason suggests that it is a hard decision to choose the best router as much depends on your needs.
There are various wood cutting machines available as metal cutting machines.
He is assuming that you are looking at CNC Router, but there are CNC panel saws, drilling, boring, dowel inserting of its types.
He would never consider anything smaller than a 4×8 table. You will be disabling yourself until you leave it and buy a 4×8 capacity machine.
He would also get a tool changer. Any more than that and he will need to have more input to help as he can only tell you what he wants to buy for what he does.
• Know Your Size:
Barron, a retired teacher suggested that if he ever purchases woodworking CNC router for himself, then it will be a 4′ X 8′ consisting a tool changer and at least three tools.
MasterCam would be his preferred CAD/CAM simply because that’s what he knows, but it is really expensive for him.
He is sure that there are less expensive CAD/CAMs that will do the same job. If you do cabinet parts, a vacuum table would be great for you.
He did not have that option at school, so he used double stick tape for everything.
• Experience Counts:
Someone anonymously wrote that he holds considerable experience of working with the higher end machines and software.
However, he has very little knowledge about any intro level machines. He uses Mastercam to program Fanuc, but he has used the Busellato conversational control up until 5 years ago.
It was easy to program simple things and you could make programs for similar parts that allow you to input a few variables.
This device ran cabinet parts and was very good at functioning. It seemed to be a lot easier to learn for newbies.
He came from a machine shop background with g code etc. and it took him longer to understand what it wanted to know, once he did, it was very easy and you did not need cam software to program it.
• The Importance of Associated Parts:
Another user of CNC router work on a router that the local school had and it seemed to be a good machine for what they wanted to do.
It came with a software package that drew part features with different colors. It was too uncontrollable for his liking.
This specific router was 4×4 and it did not have a tool changer.
He would be very frustrated without a tool changer.
One of his customers talks about a 4×8 techno with a tool changer, with which he has made a lot of parts with it.
2. What is Your Budget?
Your budget holds high importance in choosing a convenient and affordable machine.
For instance, if you want to buy a high-end device for the relatively low wood project, it will be good for nothing.
Hence, it is wise to check for an affordable budget at first and then proceed to buy any of these machines.
The best CNC Router will be the one that fulfills your woodworking-related needs and is available well within your budget.
How to choose the best CNC Router for Woodworking?
Among all the CNC Routers available in the market, choosing a feasible one can be difficult.
Evidently, considering some technical tips about these machines would be helpful.
• Find Your Demands and Budget:
Looking out for your exact needs and demands for creating a wooden structure is the primary stage of choosing the best device.
As you should be aware, your need should decide what you will buy.
For example, if you have a task of wood engraving then you must consider ordering a CNC Router Wood Engraving Machine.
After shortlisting the best ones, find out if they fit your budget limit and then go to the next tip.
Also, the CNC router buyer guide can help you to choose the best one for your purpose.
• Go through User Reviews of that Chosen Router:
User reviews are the welcome options for getting authentic ideas about your specific device.
You can expect the users to give correct information about the product quality, efficiency and about any disputes regarding the product if they exist.
Plenty of websites are available with user reviews that may actually help you to understand more about the product.
So, make sure to go through user reviews about what people are saying about Omni and get benefited with the role of CNC router users.
- Watch its Working Video:
Though clear about buying a chosen router, it is even better to watch working videos of that particular machine.
You may or may not be expert in woodworking, but it is safe and helpful as well as to get more experienced with the machine.
Modern updates of the router can be different, and the same holds for the accompanying software.
Therefore, it is wise to look at the working videos and get a clear vision of your work.
• Get Trained:
Getting the correct training is necessary for any woodworker.
Having or hiring someone who is trained to operate the machinery and who is actually able to control the process of using it to complete a job, is really crucial.
People sometimes overlook this fundamental idea and end up with an under-used machine.
This will contribute to your loss because you aren’t using it to its fullest capability. So, it is better to get proper training before you start woodworking.
It will bring the best performance from a CNC Router.
• Have Technical Support:
Owning a technical instrument that saves time and gives an extraordinary result is fascinating but it can bring issues with technical related terms anytime.
A machine can start having problems if not well maintained.
So, you need to have technical support like basic instruments to check some basic problems, a technician etc.
In addition, several basic questions may arise about the machine after buying it. So, having the answers in advance or having a support get the answers quickly is the key to have best CNC Router.
It is essential to have technical support to keep up going with CNC router’s maintenance and getting its best performance.
• Get Necessary Spare Parts:
In the woodworking industry, dust is a real problem.
So, you should have the necessary spare parts to make the area dust free from wood dust. Various dust collector system, vacuum hold-down table, vacuum pump, popup pin etc. are the most needed spare parts to buy.
By following all these tips, you can choose and buy the best CNC Router and benefit from its flawless performance in your woodworking purpose.
What wood is suitable for CNC Carving, CNC Engraving, and CNC Cutting?
Wood comes in many species and it is important to be aware of each wood’s individual characteristics for woodworking purpose.
Choosing the best wood for a particular process will make the processes easy and feasible for users.
• Basswood is the most popular choice for CNC carving process. Also Aspen, Butternut, Black Walnut and Oak are suitable for this.
• Boxwood is mostly used wood for engraving. Birch Plywood, Timber wood can also be used suitably for CNC engraving operation.
• Mapple is the most popular selection of users for the CNC cutting process. Also, Pecan, Walnut, Teak are good choices for this.
Notably, CNC Router is ripe for all these tasks.
For example, woodworking gives the programmed shape with the automated cutting process.
Likewise, a CNC router wood engraving machine can be programmed with a software before it starts working and it will give smooth carving, engraving, and cutting.
So a CNC wood router is always suitable for any operations and it can help you get the desired structure.
Therefore, abiding by all these important tips can help you get the best CNC Router for your woodwork.
Ideally, opting for CNC routers from OMNI CNC is the most advisable move in this regard as the company excels in offering word class machines for cutting, engraving and carving processes, respectively.
Our other blogs for Woodworking CNC Router you may like:
CNC Router Woodworking – Contributing to Enhanced Competence
Achieve Elegance with Woodworking CNC Router at Ease
The Exciting Appeal and Applications of Woodworking CNC Routers
CNC Wood Router for Sale – The Ideal Machine To Carve Out Engaging Creations
Investing in CNC Wood Carving Machine – A Profitable Affair!
