Veneer cutting test

Testing in some cardboard. As this is incompatible with the workstation, I added some shaper tape with the dominoes so that the CNC can track its position, then used a smaller 1/8” bit to cut 1mm down into the cardboard. First cut with a little offset and when that looked accurate (I put the original plastic foil template on the cardboard in the picture to test the fit), a quick pass at zero offset. The precision is amazing. There are some shape inaccuracies which are caused by the folds in the pattern plastic. I have bought some Scotch Spray Mount to temporarily glue the pattern down for the picture to eliminate those errors.

So how this CNC works accurately: you move it by hand but the machine can also move the bit in all directions within a limit. You follow a line in augmented reality (like Pokémon Go) on the display that you must keep within a circle, with the machine doing the corrections to precisely stay on the cut line. There isn’t really a limit to the size of your cuts: RAN Sailing on YouTube is building a 50+ foot sailboat with it.

We have some veneer and teak for test projects underway :-)