What Is A CNC Router And What Type Of Woodworking Can It Be Used For?

There are a variety of wood routers suitable for a myriad of woodworking projects on the market these days. Most of the designs have been around for a number of years, and if you're a serious woodworker, you likely have more than one in your workshop right now.

There are fixed-base, plunge, and combination hand-held routers, and even routers that are attached to a table. While the different router types are intended for specific purposes, they all rely on the user to control the rate of cutting speed (feed rate) and precise movement of the tool or workpiece by hand.

One of the upsides of hand-held routers, and even router tables, is the relatively low cost of ownership. However, if you're looking to level up your woodworking game in terms of precision and complexity, a CNC router could help and reduce the time it takes to turn out first-class woodworking projects.

A CNC router combines all the best traits of traditional routers and uses Computer Numerical Control (CNC) to precisely move the router, which is mounted onto the machine, at preset feed rates to create projects with exact dimensions. There are free options online to use when creating CNC router programs for custom projects. However, it might be just as easy, and faster (although not always free), to download a proven CNC router project program to copy someone else's project.

CNC routers are suitable for creating projects that range from small woodworking projects that are great for beginners to complex constructions that will leave those viewing them staring in awe. One of the key benefits of using a CNC router to create your woodworking projects is that it bypasses the need to use multiple woodworking tools to fabricate the project's pieces.

When creating a simple cutting board, like the one pictured above for instance, without a CNC router would require cutting out the rough shape with a saw, sanding the edges to the final size, drilling and cutting the lanyard hole in the handle, hand-routing or sanding the edges, and hand carving the vine pattern. Creating this project on a CNC router eliminates all of those steps by cutting the finished project from a single board complete with the engraved vine pattern, ready for final sanding and desired finish. It also allows finishing the project in a fraction of the time it would take to do it by hand.

More complicated projects include the mini Skee Ball table shown at the beginning of this article, or adding an engraving to nearly any other woodworking project. It's important to realize that while wine racks, engraved coasters, and cutting boards aren't complex projects, the ability to reproduce them quickly and accurately makes them more fun and/or profitable.