OK ... not every furniture maker has or needs a CNC, but we
bought one back in 2005 after working with a local signmaker
who helped us with some very tricky inlays while reproducing
a pair of federal era card tables for a special client ...
it must have taken forever to build a couple of those tables
by hand back in the 1800s.
the link above takes you to a discussion of
handwork vs machine work, and does it matter?
what i have found is that a cnc allows you to confidently
create designs that very few clients would pay you to do by hand.
so many things are possible ...
mother of pearl, abalone, steel ... here's a slideshow link to
'stuff you can do with a cnc' about 150 photos there
that, literally, barely scratches the surface of what is possible
some background ...
here's ours ... a 2005 multicam 1000, 50 x 100 work surface.
it has held up well, and still holds tight tolerances for
inlays where the difference between the size of the pocket
and the size of the inlay piece is measured in thousandths.
it handles bits from 1/64th of an inch to up 2.5" diameter for surfacing
we put everything back together with stainless steel screws in case
we decide to move it (likely) to a different building next year.
two of our favorite cnc projects below ...
and..
