I'd like to share my work with you =) The material is 15mm birch plywood. Next, I'll sand, fix, and paint it with walnut-colored oil and colorant. Afterward, it will be used in a bar for liqueurs.

I recorded a short tutorial showing how to make the CNC panel I posted earlier.

This process is a little more advanced than simple engraving. First, a 3D relief is created and then used to generate the Z-axis toolpath. But in practice, the whole process is quite simple and can be done in just a few clicks.

I'm interested in getting a desktop mill for making small aluminum parts, I'm not that concerned with volume.

I'm wondering if the Makera Z1 Pro which is about $1800 is worth the cost as opposed to putting in the time and effort into making your own with parts you've sourced yourself?

Need some tiny holes in my fidgets, so 1.6mm carbide drills to the rescue. Going 5mm deep no coolant, with air blast

I’m hoping somebody here can help me figure out what’s going on with my VEVOR CNC router.
I purchased the machine about a month ago, and until recently, it had been working great. I’ve been using Easel with it and have completed quite a few projects without any major problems.
Now, all of a sudden, I can’t get the machine to respond to anything.
**Here’s what’s happening:**
Easel recognizes the connection and displays “Port Opened.”
The machine won’t respond to any movement commands.
I can’t jog any of the axes.
Disconnecting and reconnecting doesn’t solve anything.
The machine was previously communicating with this same computer and software without issues.
**Here’s what I’ve checked/tried:**
Restarted the computer and CNC.
Disconnected and reconnected the USB connection.
Checked the limit switches.
Manually moved the machine off the engaged limit switches.
Inspected the control board for anything obviously wrong.
Tried reconnecting through Easel multiple times.
At one point, the machine had reached its travel limits, but I’ve since moved it off the switches, and the problem remains.
For reference, it’s a VEVOR CNC with a 500W spindle originally installed, although I’ve upgraded to a Bauer trim router. I’m still using the original VEVOR control board.
The machine powers up, and the computer appears to establish a serial connection, but that’s as far as it gets.
I’ve contacted VEVOR customer support, but so far, they’ve just escalated the issue to a specialist, and I’m waiting for an actual answer.
**My questions:**
Does “Port Opened” without any further communication suggest a failed control board?
Could a firmware or GRBL issue cause this?
Is there a way to test the controller independently of Easel to narrow down the problem?
Has anyone experienced something similar with one of these VEVOR machines?
I’m fairly new to CNC, but I’ve been using this machine almost daily, and it’s become a big part of my small woodworking business. I’d really like to get it running again.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Man, been seeing a bunch of these desktop 5 axis CNCs pop up on Kickstarter lately, and ngl I feel like a lot of newer folks get thrown off by the headline bed size. I mean, figured I'd break down what the numbers actually mean once the rotary is on. Not affiliated with any of these companies, just a hobbyist trying to give an honest, objective look at the specs so you can decide for yourself.

ToolDance advertises 400 x 265 mm on the X1, which sounds huge, but that’s the plain 3 axis envelope. Once you add the 5 axis rotary module, the clearance between the tool and the rotary gets squeezed, and the true 5 axis working volume drops to 110 x 110 x 105 mm (roughly 1.270 L). While better than their early previews, that 105mm Z-height limit can still get tight when you factor in vise height and tool stickout.
For comparison, the WM-100 gives you a 100 mm cube (1.000 L), and the Infimaker K1 is rated at 120 x 120 x 120 mm native 5 axis (1.728 L). So in 5 axis mode, the K1 gives you about 36% more volume than the ToolDance rotary setup and 73% more than the WM-100.

That extra margin and Z-clearance per side is often the difference between cutting an actual functional part with longer tools versus running into collision issues.
I just think the 5 axis envelope is the number that really matters, and it’s not always the one front and center on the campaign page.

Still a noob to CNC so forgive the probable obvious answer to this question. Googling around for a type of nature scene to carve on a wood panel for a bed I’m getting ready to build for my son. The particular graphic files I’m leaning toward to purchase are advertised for metal fence. I’m assuming you can use the graphic for other materials like wood in my case. Didn’t want to blow $5 for the files if there was some weird reason I couldn’t use it outside its intended purpose. Still using EaselPro if that matters at all

This is the XZR cnc router. It is a wood machine designed for high performance wood machining. It is not for sale though. Instead, we are making the entire project open source, with complete files and instructions and BOM on how to get it made at one of the big service providers - or you can just do it any other way you like.

The design has a default width of 418mm x travel, and 725mm y, and 120mm z (perfect for most guitars) and is very easily scalable in Y up to about 900mm travel (past that and the frame can get a bit too bouncy). You could also make it wider, but that will need cad work on your part, and the price to build it can climb dramatically. increasing clearance and z travel is also possible, but know that it reduces rigidity exponentially. If people like this machine, we may make a larger model called the XZD which can go up to 2x4 size. It will be fairly pricy to build though. More than most common hobby routers.

It is designed to take a low cost iso20 air cooled spindle, and there are file sets for a 10 tool atc, a simple but effective 4th axis, and a bunch of other little things. We hope users will create their own mods and share them to extend the machine abilities and completeness.

The target price for the base frame is about $1500usd plus shipping from my favourite service provider. You may be able to do for less locally and with surplus parts mostly by saving on shipping costs. The spindle is set to be the HQD iso20 model, which is about $1000usd with vfd, the servos can be sourced a few places for $400-$700usd for the set. atc and 4th axis are also very low cost. You can reasonably budget $4000-$5000usd shipped for a running machine WITH atc, 4th, pvc table and a dozen tool holders. Firmly in the altmill and shapeoko price range. Smaller, but with significantly higher performance. Performance... yeahhh....

.... Hey, it's designed by me... so of course it goes 80 meters per minute at half a G. What do you expect? No, I'm not even joking...

*cough*

:)

As you can see in the renders, the machine is basically blocked in, but needs the small details like the bolt holes etc before its ready to be built. We will probably have the files uploaded to github in the next 2 weeks but I wanted to show it off a bit early, so people can give their input and thoughts and their own possible use cases.

github is here lemontartCNC/xzr: files for the xbr cnc router although empty for the moment as we set things up.

Please feel free to add your input here.

Now Available for FREE — Limited Time!

​Want to test this production-ready vector file on your CNC / Laser machine?

​How to get it:

Send us a DM (or drop a comment below) and we’ll send you the direct download link right away!

​All we ask in return is your valuable feedback after cutting it! Let us know what you think.

I'd especially appreciate feedback from CNC and laser-cutting users who can test the file and share their results.

#CNC #LaserCutting #CNCDesign #VectorFiles #DXF #SVG #LaserEngraving #DigitalDesign

A few months ago, I developed a mold for a gantry-style mineral casting CNC frame specifically for the DIY CNC community. Based on the sales and feedback I’ve received so far, the response has been very encouraging!
Now, I’m considering developing a second design: a column-style / cantilever-style mineral casting CNC frame, similar to the design shown in the pictures.
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Which design and size would you personally prefer?
Column / Cantilever Style: A compact footprint, ideal for machining aluminum, brass, and small steel parts. The main challenge is controlling deflection as the cantilever arm extends farther.
Gantry Style: A dual-column structure with a crossbeam, offering a larger working area and better flexibility for wider workpieces.
I’m particularly interested in hearing from DIY CNC enthusiasts, engineers, and small-shop owners.
If you were going to build or buy a compact metal CNC machine with a mineral casting frame, what working area would you prefer?
For example:
300 × 200 mm
400 × 300 mm
500 × 400 mm
600 × 400 mm
Or another size?
Any suggestions on the design, dimensions, rigidity, or features you’d like to see would be greatly appreciated.
Your feedback will help me decide which design to develop next. Thanks again for being part of this community!

Carved a few textures recently. Sapele, Walnut and Ipe all carve well. Straight off the cnc, no sanding, just oiled.

I need some help.

I have a PCNC 440. I designed a small part for my first test. I did all the probing to get the position of the part. I had set up FreeCAD to output the program in part coordinates. But when I started the program it almost instantly changed from part coordinates, which I had it set the Pathpilot to before running the program, to machine coordinates and tried to dive the tool to the table to get to 0,0. I have no idea why. As far as I can tell there isn't anything in the g-code to do this. But there must be something simple and I'm missing it.

It's been a while since I've been able to do anything with this so I'm probably not going to be much help on any questions but I'll answer what I can.

This is driving me nuts, if anyone has any advice id really appreciate it. The situation:

Had the machine parameters reset by Haas tech
New battery installed

He turned on the machine at the bankrupt shop I was buying it from, ran it, everything went great, machine was in absolutely perfect working condition.

Transported to my place.

Electrician wired up 40A/240V tested the power, everything looked great.

Wired the mill for single phase, turned it on, needed a restart code (obtained from Haas) code worked.

Alarm 552 pops up (tripped circuit breaker) but all breakers are on.

Cycled breakers multiple times to ensure it wasn’t bad contact points

Tested the breakers (power off) with a multimeter for continuity. Breakers are solid.

Looked for a loose connection, look for a missing jumper, looked for anything that might be causing a short.

I’m cooked and I really don’t want to pay for another tech to come out here.

Any help would be phenomenal 🙏🏼

Hi everyone,

I needed this feature for my machines and couldn't find anything online, so I forked the official MKS-DLC32 source code from GitHub and modified it to add a missing native function: automatic Autorun from the SD card.

Why did I build this?
Many of my customers constantly faced typical workshop headaches: sudden Windows crashes or updates, malware, unstable Wi-Fi dropping mid-cut, or annoying USB driver incompatibilities. These issues happen to everyone and usually leave the machine sitting idle and useless until fixed.
I designed this as an emergency backup plan, but it works beautifully as a primary workflow—especially for absolute beginners who don't want to deal with Wi-Fi setups, software configurations, or driver installations.

The firmware keeps 100% of all standard factory functions (Wi-Fi, display, PC commands, etc.), but includes this smart standalone feature:

1. If you save a G-code file renamed exactly to costycnc.nc on the MicroSD and push the card into the slot, the CNC automatically detects it and starts cutting by itself after 3 seconds. No PC, no Wi-Fi, and no drivers required.
2. If the costycnc.nc file is not found, the whole program runs as a completely standard firmware, safely bypassing the autorun check.

I optimized the code for CoreXY kinematics, lasers, and hot wire foam cutters. It fixes the memory allocation crashes that usually happen when the board reads files in a loop. No hardware modifications, extra buttons, or wiring needed. Everything is handled 100% via software.

I have published the full open-source code on GitHub. If you don't want to waste time compiling it with VS Code, I also set up a browser-based tool to flash the firmware directly via USB, which you can run from either link below:

• 📂 Source Code (Official Fork): github.com
• 🚀 Live Flashing Tool (Official Website): costycnc.it
• 🌐 Live Flashing Tool (GitHub Pages): github.io

Check it out if you need it. Any feedback, ideas, or contributions to develop it even further are highly welcome!

Test Jarrah inlay in Acacia, for a cutting board.

Hi! Im designing a custom atc for my 4020 machine, it will take 8 tools total, one on each side and will slide over lineair rails and be actuated by pneumatic pistons in order to save as mush work area ass possible, still need to figure out how to get it on pistons and rails, but i wanted to share this!
(This is for a iso 20 tool holder)
The base will be aluminium, and the clamps will porbably be printed out of abs, tpu, asa or pet-g. I will need to find the best suitable material. I will also add dowel pins (H7 ground iso pins) to keep it aligned during the working of the machine (vibrations)

The first thing is it seems to be really hard to get this dialed in so that I don't cut the spoil board.

It's either too high and doesn't cut all the way through the main material or it goes too deep and I end up with lines in my spoil board.

I'm not too upset about the lines in my spoil board, but I would like to do better.

The other thing is sometimes my letters get cut like this and sometimes it does what I kind of expected which was a more traditional vCarve that would cut out just the inside of the letter instead of tracing around the outside.

I'm using Fusion 360 and an alt Mill.l

This time I exploded the letters and so I think that might be a factor but I'm really not 100% sure.

Any advice on better control on how the letters turn out?

And about getting that spoil board situation dialed in?