CNC Router

A CNC router is a computerized woodworking machine - basically a router mounted on a positioning system. While it may also be able to handle other materials than wood depending on the bits you use, a proper CNC mill is more precise for machining parts out of metals and other non-wood materials.

There is also an interesting new approach of handheld CNC routing coming out which may remove the size constraints that come with any fixed-frame machine.

Uses

You can make furniture or even build a house. For more ideas, check out the CNC Milling Ideas.

WorkBee

MachineInfoBox Ooznest WorkBee CNC
Synonyms:	DE: CNC-Fräse, Portalfräsmaschine
Material:	wood
Used with:	1/4" (maybe also 1/8"?) end mills
Access Requirements:	CNC Router IntroductionSome use of "" in your query was not closed by a matching "".
Firmware:	grbl
Software:	LaserWeb, Fusion360, see G-Code Sender
Manual:	product page, click "documentation" tab
Tutors:	NitramLegov Pakue Johannes Luzian LeoSome use of "" in your query was not closed by a matching "".
Similar (More or Less):	router, CNC mill

We built the 1500mm x 1500mm version of the WorkBee CNC, which is based on the Openbuilds OX. It can currently cut sheet material of up to 20 mm thickness on a work area of approximately 1250 × 1250 mm.

Details on setting it up can be found in issue #8 - maybe you would like to help?

Router

The router mounted to it is a Dewalt D26200 (GB). It came with a 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) and 1/8 inch (3.175 mm) collar, this are the sizes you need to consider when buying your router bits.

As 1/4 inch bits are difficult to obtain in Germany, we also ordered 6 and 8 mm collars.

The collars of the DW613, DW620 and DW621 also fit the router and are easier to get in Germany.

G-Code Sender

After creating the tool paths in a suitable CAM software (e.g. Fusion 360) they need to be sent to the router in real time via the serial interface (USB).
Our experiences can be found on: G-Code Sender

Tips & Tricks

• to avoid tear-out at the edge of a sensitive workpiece, it may be worthwhile to surround it with some sacrificial material (like MDF) before routing ^[1]

Spoiler board

Ooznest recommends a 6mm spoiler board, our first one is 20mm thick. It is mounted to the frame using 4 drop-in T-nuts. Cutting into the boards will make it uneven, from time to time it is neccessary to surface the spoiler board again.

Helpful Links

• video tutorials:
  • Ooznest YouTube channel (pretty new, but specific to our setup
• other spaces with (somewhat) similar machines and good approaches/documentation:
  • Attraktor e.V.