How to Carve Wood With a CNC Router
1
Input the program into the machine's control unit. You can usually program simple routes and cuts at the machine or you can input a program made with a computer-aided drawing (CAD) program. Many of these programs can draw tooling paths as well as blueprints.
2
Insert the router bit or drill that will be performing the cutting. CNC routers use sophisticated servo motors to move the cutting head to the locations dictated by the program. Most commercial CNC routers move on three axises, meaning the head can move in three directions: left to right, which is the X-axis; back and forth, or the Y-axis; and up and down, also known as the Z-axis.
3
Place the raw material on the work table. Most CNC routers use a vacuum pump to keep the material in place. This vacuum is very strong and will keep the wood from moving from even the deepest of cuts. You want to make sure that the wood does not come loose during the cutting operation as it may cause damage to the tool and the machine itself.
4
Set the workpiece zero related to the dimension in the program. The print has a specific point, possibly a corner or the center of the piece, where it bases all of the cutting dimensions off of so it is imperative to have your starting point on the machine at that exact location. If you choose an incorrect location, the machine will not know and your final piece will not be correct to the specifications in the print.
5
Start the machine, but lower the feed and speed rate to make sure that it is cutting correctly. Sometimes, numbers can be input incorrectly in the machine, causing the machine to cut at a dimension that is incorrect. For instance if the X dimension should be 1.4 inches and it is input as 14 inches, the machine will proceed to cut along the X axis for 14 inches, which could cause you to scrap the piece.
