The machine room
CNC
The machine does the arithmetic. You still own the judgment. CNC routing for the small shop — what it’s genuinely for, how to feed it files that cut right the first time, and where handwork still wins.
Our angle
Files that cut right the first time
Most CNC frustration isn’t the machine — it’s the file. A drawing that looks right and a drawing that cuts right are different documents: the second one knows your bit diameter, your material’s true thickness, and which side of the line the cutter rides. Witness Mark plans that involve CNC work ship with DXF files drawn to cut, not just to look at — and the write-ups say exactly what they assume.
What's coming here
On the docket
- Workflow films — from drawing to toolpath to first chip, with nothing skipped.
- The precision series — what a hobby-class machine can honestly hold, how to measure it, and how to sneak up on a fit.
- Machine-ready files — DXFs included with every plan whose build used the router.
- Buying sense — what we’d actually spend at each budget, and what we’d skip.
First films are on the bench. The write-ups land here as the channel opens.