Can Your CNC Router Replace Your Planer?

When we think of CNC routers and their capabilities we often go right to the feats of complexity and precision. Impossible inlays, hundreds of exact copies of parts, complex shaping and carving, and perfect joints but not everything you use your bot for needs to be so complicated. Flattening table topsĀ is by far my favorite …

Tiki Head – stacked model case study

I was recently asked to build a tiki head statue for a local restaurant. The lure of rum soaked drinks made the job hard to turn down. I figured my recently acquired CNC router made the task possible for me since I have no formal sculpture training. As with most everything, it seemed simple before …

An intro to 5-axis CNC machining – part 1

I had the opportunity to tag along on a road trip with some members of the ShopBot team. They were headed to a shop in Wisconsin to help a customer with two ShopBot machines, a monster 16×5 3-axis machine and a brand new 5-axis machine. I have to admit I was there for the 5-axis. …

Wicked Awesome Movies from Tom Sachs

Always be knolling! Tom Sachs has worked with Frank Gehry in his LA furniture shop. In 1990 he found studio space in the evaporating machinery district in downtown New York and named it Allied Cultural Prosthetics. Among many other things, he has a knack for creating entertaining and dry videos that he uses as instruction …