There are definitely times where I just want to work with my hands in the workshop but I have plenty to do there too, so a detour to the CNC doesn't feel like it detracts from that.
As a timber framer, most small to medium size shops don't use one because the upfront cost is astronomical. You need a 24' bed, 5-axis head, and probably an auto-loader because the boards can weigh up to 250 lbs. If you're cranking out identical kits and shipping them nation-wide it may make sense, but it takes a long time to get to that point. Most of my work is custom one-off projects, where it would take longer to program the tool paths and load / unload pieces than to just do them by hand with specific tools. We also use green rough-sawn wood that varies in dimensions by up to 3/16", so you'd have to probe every piece somewhat thoroughly.
As Inheritance Machining showed in his most recent video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3sjsu1FPCk) it's totally possible to beat CNCs on speed alone the first time, but impossible when it comes to mass-producing. For the hobbyist woodworker doing one-off projects in their free time, I would also say it's better to enjoy the process manually.
A CNC can get accuracies and scale that's hard to reproduce by hand. Also, a lot of hand tools can be very hard on your joints.
Once that slippery layer on your bones between the joints is rubbed down, it never comes back and then you have painful arthritis for the rest of your life, so anything you can do to avoid grinding your hands down, you should do.
I own a MILC digital camera and mostly make photographs with my iPhone these days, but greatly prefer making photographs on film with medium and large format cameras. They’re not necessarily better per se, but the physical connection I get to my work from shooting on film, and then processing and printing by hand is what really matters to me.
I think there’s a time and place for digital (I love being able to send photos and videos of my toddler to the grandparents in near real time), but I find making physical artifacts to be a much more fulfilling outcome than having another couple hundred DNGs to delete in Lightroom.
Similar here. I do wood carving as a hobby. I could buy some carving tools, like chisels of various shapes and sizes, and a mallet or two, but I prefer to just use a knife - a normal kitchen knife, a Cartini, somewhat more expensive than a no-name brand, but still cheap. Of course, that means that I cannot create even moderately complex pieces, but that's okay. I am still a beginner at it, and I am fine with creating only simple stuff. I just do it for fun.
After some time, I do plan to research some carving tools, and may buy a few if I get good advice on it, and if the tools seem to make sense for me.
Makes sense, thanks.
>Making your own tools gives great satisfaction, both when you make it, and later when you use it.
Ha ha, true, and in the software field too. Like many others, I sometimes make small utilities for use in my own dev work.
You can’t over plan it, and as you work progress is very clear.
It sure is. I forget any issues or worries I have while doing it.
What kind of wood do you use for carving?
I have used pine in the past, e.g., I once carved a spoon out of it. One advantage of pine is that, having resin, it has a good scent.
Currently I am using old teak, a piece which a sawmill shop guy gave me for free, and which I was pleasantly surprise to find, was soft enough to carve with my knife. I would have thought that it would be too hard to carve, because I have heard that teak is a strong wood, but maybe that kind of strength is not the same as hardness, in terms of physical properties of materials. I need to read up on that topic.
It's cheaper at my local lumber store than online as well.
I haven't been very adventurous with other woods because of that.
Basswood is light and easy to carve, but it doesn't finish as well as other woods.
We need more sites like these on the net, instead of the garbage piles that are much more common nowadays.
surprised, typo
I'm too lazy to spend an hour making something by hand, but perfectly enthusiastic to spend a day getting a machine to make it.