WATCH THIS before you buy a CNC machine for 3D carving! (Updated) 

READ BEFORE COMMENTING: A few people seem to listen to only part of the video, and then they run right to the comment section to tell me "any machine can cut 3D with the right software!" YES, that's what the video says! This video is about the need to find the right software if your machine won't do what you want it to do. I am NOT saying you have to get a whole new machine! I said I got a new one, but I ALSO said I had to upgrade the software on it to carve in 3D. Buy the machine you want. If it does everything you want, great. If not, you may still be able to do it if you find different software. It's all in the video...

I found this video very informative, and brought in issues and concepts a person thinking about getting into a CNC device may not know or understand. I appreciate the time it took to present the information, while allowing viewers to decide if the content was probative. We all have our opinions, even if sometimes, listening or reading them, is a not what one hoped.

Stumpy: My wife and I just watched this video together. She is quite impressed with seeing CNC carving in process for the first time. She and I both took from this video everything you intended for folks to take away from it. But, I suspect that's because we paid attention. :-)

Pokémon esque music! Like it! Thank you for being so thorough about your review, it certainly helps!

So glad I found this video before making my purchase. Thanks!

I'm so happy i arrived at this awesome world from the 3d modelling/cad world. CNC made me have a physical output

5:10 that watch definitely works perfect. Really save your time :D

“It’s hard enough getting any approval for a purchase of a machine like this from the spouse” - so very true 👍😂😂

you are an incredible teacher. thank you for such helpful info and guidance

5:10 Looks like it's time for you to go...? No way! It's time for you to fix that clock, as it's running backwards! ;) Anyway, greetings from Portugal.

I like your commentary. These are words of wisdom. great video.

great Vid James, for me CNC is an extension to wood working and can make difficult jobs easier

I can't imagine what the 432 negative people have against this video. It was straightforward and easy to understand, even for me and I'm shopping. Well done Stumpy

Thanks for this. The Shark is what I'm planning to buy, and this is the best video of it in operation that I've seen.

Thanks for explaining 3D vs 2.5D in the CNC context. I was vaguely aware of the concept without the name. 30 years ago, a friend was working in a set construction shop and she invited me to come see the latest machine they acquired. It was a CNC panel router they had acquired for a specific movie production. They needed to make temple walls with carved out text (bas relief I think was the word used) but they were using forced perspective to make the temple set look bigger than it really was. It was described to me as being a giant printer with a router as the print head. I remember they were using Adobe illustrator to distort the postscript text. They hired a programmer to write the bridge software between illustrator and the CNC software. There was a lot of finishing by hand, but the panel router saved a lot of time and the movie had a pretty big budget. Hitting deadlines was critical. Iirc, the cost was in the tens of thousands-north of 50k.

Thanks for the intro to CNC. Kind thought it was a software thing--had enough of that in my past life.

I spent last winder not in the wood shop, for a change, but in the dining room surrounded by stepper motors, arduinos, wiring and an awful lot of soldering tools, a microscope, and so on. In the end I had built my own 3D printer from scratch. Fantastically challenging and rewarding. I’d love to get into building a CNC and/or an etcher/cutter. I have yet to research this and I’m curious and hopeful to see how much of my knowledge and experience in FFM will apply to these other solutions. It took a ton of reading and video watching to arrive at a finished product. Hopefully there are good resources for these, as well.

Great video Stumpy Nubs! Thank you for your kind words and spreading good to know tips before purchasing a CNC and software to go with it. Your Zipper clock project came out amazing! 🙌

Great advice dude. Millions of appreciations. Thanks

This video is spot on. Fortunately for me, I had plenty of time to do the research as I built my own homebrew CNC router, so by the time it was running, I was already getting in practice with basic software, and had advanced software pretty well picked out. It wasn't long at all before I went ahead and bought a full-on software suite, because my wants and needs immediately outgrew the basic tools. Years, a great deal of wood, and many, many bits and endmills later, I can speak on the subject with considerable authority, (for a hobbyist, at least). I completely agree that most people fall way short on their research when they first buy a router, and that the software is absolutely the "Secret Sauce" that unlocks the real potential of the machine. It absolutely isn't cheap, especially the all-in-one solutions like Vectric Aspire. There are other ways to go about it though. If a steep learning curve is acceptable, there are standalone 3D CAD packages for free, (FreeCAD), and low-cost, (Alibre Atom), that can precisely model anything you can imagine in 3D. Did I mention a steep learning curve? These are both packages meant for engineering and design/manufacture, and there's nothing basic about them, especially to begin with. There are lots of good user-made tutorials out there on RU-vid, and perseverance will really pay off. Once CAD is covered, CAM software is needed to compute the toolpaths that will guide the machine as it carves the model. There are a number of standalone CAM packages with various capabilities and pricing. Some basic CAM is built into FreeCAD, but it's not really a fully cooked system. Alibre offers a relatively low-cost bundle with MeshCAM, which is one of the better standalone CAM packages. Another good one is Deskproto, and there are others. The all-in-one solutions, like Vectric Aspire, definitely have usability going for them. They'll get a new user up and running faster, but at the cost of, well, cost. Lots of cost, lol. I hope this will offer some leads to folks looking for software, especially first timers.

You're absolutely correct, do your homework on your purchases this can be said for all tools. If you're just starting out then yes buy the cheap stuff to make sure this is what you want to do.

I purchased my fist cnc Router from practical cnc now APECNC .. 48 x 96 servo machine with 3.5 hp router... I purchased a 5 hp spindle for it after I got 5 feet of sea water in my shop from hurricane IKE.. bought Vectric Aspire ver 1 when it first came out..and now every update to ver 10.. used that machine for 10 years with little or no major problems.. then 2 years ago purchased a ShopSabre 408 Pro with 10 hp spindle and 4th axis rotary.. Yes with aspire you can 3D cut your own spindles and newel post.. Love this shopsabre... If you ever want to upgrade your machine look at them... great customer service and a great machine...

Thanks for your video and input. Software is very important in giving you control. Cheaper versions reduce your options. Moc3 is professional but costs 10k with yearly fees. Fission 360 is a great program but has a harsh learning curve and requires a good PC processor. All machines have limitations for speed or accuracy. 3d printers are fairly cheap, versatile with great detail. They are not fast or made for production, but great learning tool. You can not just buy a machine and expect too much with out a lot of study.

I agree. Software is the key. I use VCarve Pro. Also, get a good set of 3D carving bits for your machine.

Couple of tips from a metal machinist: Try a software that knows how to do "rest machining", like Fusion360, MasterCAM, SolidCAM. That way you can rough out your workpiece with a flat endmill and you get your large flat areas all done. Then switch to a smaller ball nose cutter to rest machine all those nooks & crannies that the flat endmill didn't get. This way you are not remachining flat areas again, saving tons of hours quickly.

Thanks for the insight. The old adage of "you get get what you pay for", applies in this instance.

Nice vid, Also I think you have created a time machine, At 5:09 your second hand on the clock starts going backwards. kewl :) Edit. I have read other post's and other have said same thing .

Thank you. I bought a bargain CNC so I could see if I really wanted to go further into the technology. Just starting up now. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thank you for sharing your amazing video. God bless you and your family

Thanks for the great and valuable advice. When I finally pull the trigger I will do so much better informed.

I have a Shapeoko3 XXL and VCarvePro software. The SO3 is great for the price and would do a great job on the carving in this project. That said, if you use your CNC a lot you will eventually want a larger and stiffer setup with more power so buy the best system you can justify and fit in your shop. CNC routers will soon become the centerpiece of many shops. I have come to value my CNC router as much as any piece of equipment in my shop.

Another great video. Thanks for sharing the info and that cool clock.

3D Carving is definitely more about the software than the machine. Any 3 Axis CNC machine will cut 3D as long as it is fed the right instructions via the G-Code file. Aspire is an awesome program but for those without that budget can get Vetrics V-Carve Pro and still cut 3D files... they just wont have the robust modeling tools available. Good to see another woodworker showing how this is just another tool in the shop. Keep up the good work!

Sounds like great advice! Great looking clock project. I am still saving up .....

James, (aka Stumpy) Thanks for the insight you have gained. The cost of even an inexpensive cnc and the additional costs as well as the learning curve will probably keep it out of my hands. Sometime you get a great deal but often you get what you pay for." And sometimes you get scammed ( that you has been me. NO LOL here)

Yup really cool stuff these cnc machine are. Alot of the 2.5d to 3d wood working is affected by the toolset / router bits you choose to use. As you mentioned at the end of your video. I say just look at the different baseboard or crown molding decoration shapes and you can see this on a large scale. The all you have to do is imagine shrinking it down to a small scale.

Nice job Stumpy. I always enjoy a good video about CNC. ;-)

Thanks for the video. The project shown was also stacked 2.5D.

Hey Stumpy, Just bumped into this. I spoke to a CNC pro a few days ago. He makes a good living using several CNCs. I asked what software he uses and his reply was "there's a lot of ok and good software out there, but Aspire is the only one I use". His project are way past anything I've seen. Aspire can be downloaded for free. I'm sure it's limited and expires after a bit. Thanks again for what you do!

Good info, I’ve been looking at these machines and would like to get one

Thank you for clear concise explanation

This is great information! Thanks for sharing.

Great video Stumpy and a nice looking clock!

Thanks for sharing the information! Well done!

Staring to get interested in CNC. Thanks for the warning!

Great video. Thanks. I'm not ready to dive into CNC but this info will no doubt help me out when I do. Thanks again.

Hey Stumpy- good intro video- thanks- I think a lot of folks that are commenting are basically looking at CNC through different applications AND perspectives- most folks "get" the video but it doesn't "click" with their perspective/application... most successful videos highlight pros/cons as well as a couple of different formats/applications so the confusion is mitigated to application vs need only. Overall I like the channel and like the CNC presentation- good job! Maybe do a video on why you chose the product you did- let us see your pro/con and application/solution process- then it will be a LOT clearer! Ciao!

Great info!! Thanks!!

Great Video and great info I enjoyed watching keep up the good work!

Hi James, I am ready to purchase my first CNC. Many THANKS for the effort and time you put in to make us more informed in the decision process. I have narrowed my CNC brand to either the Shark HD or the Axiom. As for the software, Vcarve then upgrade to Aspire within 1 year of purchase to further reduce intitial budget constraints. Your thoughts on why you decided on the Shark HD verses other brands (Axiom).

I’m pretty new to your channel and this seems to be the most recent one on CNC machines. I was wondering do you have any opinions or experience with shaper origin? Also, thanks for all the great content. You and the wood working for mere mortals channel have really helped me in my woodworking hobby.

Thanks for the solid advice

Thanks for the tips. I'm considering the purchase of a CNC machine. I noticed that when you changed out bits that there was some give when you tightened the colllet. Is that an issue for accuracy or do you re calibrate the location of the project with every bit change.

Great info, thanks. Do you think a CNC machine can be used for building acoustic guitars?

I've also seen some videos about making your own CNC machine at home and some piece of software that looks good and professional: Mach 4 software. Seems to be able to do anything, even import JPG/BMP files directly and use the greyscale to determine the depth of carving. When I'm ready to build my own, I'll certainly gonna try the Mach 4 software, the full version is only 200 euros.

Hi I’m Stacie and I like this video! Nice job and nice clock too!

Any particular machines one might recommend simply for doing military graphics or the likeness (bust) of a person?

Hi - Enjoying the good info in your vids. Just a comment on your hold-down method of 4 nails. If you're using an up-cut mill, especially on hardwood, the vibration and upward force exerted by the mill can shake and pull your piece loose and suck it up onto the bit, destroying your project. I trashed a $25 hickory board because my hold-down screws weren't far enough into the spoil board. Gave the spindle a good shake as well when it tore loose. So hold 'em down secure. Thx.

Great video. Got a question though: Was the document you carved an IGES format?

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm on a fixed budget and the Mrs. gives me a hard stare when In talk about getting a CNC. Can you recommend a CNC that will work with metal and wood. Thanks again.

How and where to start ab cnc machines? Looks interesting and it’s something new I wanna learn.

Love this! Great machine.

Love you Nubs...keep up the good work. You are truly an asset to the woodworking community if not the entire galaxy.

Good to watch this video.The desin software including the cnc machine pakage?

THANK YOU VERY BEAUTIFUL VIDEO

Hi, very usefull yr video. What cnc you think is better just for some wood projects. ?

That is beautiful! I would love to get a 3D carving CNC Machine. Just afraid to take that step...it is easy to teach your self how to use the software?

Hey. I have the Shark and Aspire and they work well together. I haven't made a project with a clock. Did you do something special to have yours run backwards? I'd probably want to avoid that. :)

Muito bom parabéns 👏👏👏

At 3:20 you can clearly see the wood fiber fuzzies. I have a very stable machine and use sharp bits but with most woods other than teak quality woods I have this always and cannot seem to find a way around this. Since the fibers get ripped out of the wood a bit sanding it completely smooth afterwards is also a challenge. I experience fuzzies at both climb and conventional cuts with also both spiral and straight flat and ballnose bits. I take way to much time smoothing after the cnc finished its job. What would be the best guess to try next?

Absolutely right , most hobbyists start with a 3018 and use carbide and easel but have no real idea after they have used it for a year whats next, just to let you know so far I have invested 2500 in my own open builds machine , Lead screw water cooled spindle and nearly another 2 k in software You need to shelve out real money if you want to CNC properly not 500 GBP/USD low thousands for something decent and 7.5K for a brilliant setup. DIY 4/5K will cover it with quality materials and software for a 2 metre by 1 metre bed. Not Shapeoko thats a hobbyists toy as is Inventables they are part time machines at 2 k and both without proper software, Easel is ok and is Carbide but both have problems and are not true 3d. So people bear that in mind, 3018's teach you grbl to a point but Vectric IMHO is the best which is why is so expensive because it works, its relatively easy to use after you train and because you paid for it you can get all the goodies and free projects that they send out and you can make stuff that will sell and you can recover your costs and make a profitable business.. There are makers versions of Vectric which are cheaper but size limited so bear that in mind if you want unlimited size and the goodies you need to pay for the full pack. If you want to produce good quality work you have to pay the price for the machine , software and bits

Old Video, but still true and nice to see.

Nice job.i wish best luck for you

Thanks for the info

ANY 3 axis cnc is capable of true 3d but as pointed out in the video its all in the software. There is a number of 3d capable programs out there such as Vectrics aspire and V-carve. V carve WILL cut a true 3d but you cannot create 3d stuff within it. Aspire does both. These programs include a huge number of post procesors that converts from the program to some specific CNC controller. G-code is not exactly universal as claimed. Many machines have some features such as tool changers and so on. Just use the post processor that is made for your setup. I use v-carve desktop for say half of what I do even where I need true 3d. I just create the model in another program and import it in to v-carve. That being said you need to stay away from the el-chepo cncs around for anything more than basic simple hobby stuff. Typically for the smaller ones about half the cost is the cnc and the other is the software. For most you can easily upgrade the software part but you will be stuck with the controller program unless you are very experenced in digital electronics and have a good background in programming. My personal take on a cnc --- The best tool I have in the shop. If I had to choose between my home brew cnc or the table saw -- the table saw would be history. I use it for all sorts of things from just making oddball weird shaped holes, making hooles where there is no standard drillbit made for the size I need. Sometimes Ill slap a chunk of some firewood on it, mill off a flat spot and carve something in it.. Often I wind up with some wood that is shaped something close to an airplane prop and I want it dead flat and parallel. Usually its too small to run through a thickness planer or deal with safely on a table saw. I just clamp it down on the cnc with shims to get it stable then mill off one face., flip it over and do the same taking it right down to the thickness I want. At the same time ill run a pass along one side and an end. I wind up with stock with a KNOWN square corner and a straight side and end. I work with a lot of wood that goes for about $20 a board foot and up. WELL worth the time to "fix" bad chunks of it. As far as CNC goes in woodworking. Its just another tool. If youre a crap woodworker the cnc will turn out crap work. Same goes if youre a real craftsman.. you will get top of the line results. A cnc can produce 3d stuff thats almost impossible to tell from hand carved by eye. Its all in the skill level used in the cad/cam side. For those that want to stay with "traditional" non power tool woodworking go for it. Theres plenty of room for everybody's slant on making sawdust. My little CNC is a total home brew, no plans either. It can hold within5 thou across 2 feet if I run it slower but it can run rapids in the 250 IPM range . Stout enough to snap a quarter inch bit clean into hitting a clamp without loosing steps. Close to the same size as the one in the video and has comparable specs. Controller software is Mach 3 running on a 15 year old desktop. That desktop still runs faster than this 2 year old laptop. Ignoring the old desktop, I got right at $500 in it including Mach 3. I played around with a shark, nice machine but I DESPISE the controller software. I DONT need all the hand holding but I understand why its that way --- PRODUCT LIABILITY issues. Mach 3 or 4 are FAR better controller programs. Sharks now come with a version of Vetrics V-carve from what Ive been told. So using the same V-carve at right at $350 ( best I rember) my total cost is in the $800 to $900 range. Now That dont include labor either. For those that dont have the skillset or ability to make a CNC themselves the Shark in the video is one of the 2 In that size range I have NO problem recommending even though I despise the controller software. Good solid cnc with good support.

Great video. Best part [in kind]: Knowing specifically what you want and knowing how to get there before you invest. In short; Invest your time first! Respect!

Hi there, loved the video. I'm completely new to the CNC world but have just built my own CNC machine and now need the software to run it. I'm going to use LinuxCNC to run the actual motors but I'm really interested in the Vectric software you showed off. I wondered how you knew when to change "bits" in your spindle? Does the software tell you that? How do you know what "bits" to use and when?? Thanks again for the great video and any help you can give me (or anyone else who wants to answer this for me) Cheers :)

Jaja good video but what did you make? A tennis racket strung with a clock?

it seems that you have set very low max speed on the z-axis... push it more up and u gonna save lots of mins... the lead-screw u have on the z... can handle great speeds... nice video :)

yes, cheaper machines with cheaper software was all i could afford. so i bought it, made signs and nametags and such simpler projects wich i sold so i could buy the expensive software and upgrade my machine. buying cheaper is not always bad. it got my business going.

Excellent informative video!! Thanks for taking the time friend!!.... :))............

I worked for two years on an industrial 300 000 dollars cnc machine that mills all sort of metal and you just made me realise that the software of our workshop does only 2,5D milling 🤯

Cool stuff. What model shark do u have and or do they come with the software or are all req to get different programs. I’ve been out of the cnc design since the 90s looking to retire and get back into it but year I need full 3D and be able to cut out larger pieces if possible we’re a good start to look. So many options. Thx dan

It’s interesting reading comments from different sources for the same machine, some are great, some terrible. In programming we have a term “Do what I mean, not what I say”. I’m wondering if that is what is happening here, with the reviews? So the question is does the device follow the instructions programmed, and if so does it perform within specifications? I expect my machine to carve a design in to wood to a depth of 1/2”. Both software & hardware must meet that requirement. It does not need to construct Terminator 2.

Good information

Thankfully OpenSource and Fusion 360 supports this. Not that I expect to use more than 2.5D usually.

Hay there, I'm a woodwork twidler my self . Have you had any feed back about the snap maker 2.1 ? I'm interested in that 4in1 CNC mill.

Hi James, I see this video has been out there a while, don't know if this has been asked before - I was thinking of using basic cnc to do the outline and big details on a carving, then carve the rest by hand. Do you think this is a good idea, or maybe impractical?

Thanks Nubs

to 3D carve you need a 3d model. If you can't design something complex by yourself hire someone to do it or indeed you can quit. The software is not the main concern. You can CAM just about anything if you have the CAD :)

Hi, just started looking at CNBC machines. Your info was excellent, hadn't thought at all about 3D. Could I ask what hardness of wood do the cnc machines cope. Am a wrinkly getting into wood carving, suffering the joys of arthritis, and I have no great experience with wood other than DIY, any help or advice would be greatly appreciated......Bill 😎

Great video!!

Hi im new with CNC and i was wondering if the X-crave can do a real 3D carving, im asking about that machine in particular because is the one i have access, great video btw!

Thank you very much for the great video. What exact machine and software are you using in the video? Would you upgrade to another, if so why. Thanks again 😁

I scored a complete fully licensed copy of Mastercam9, including the mill, lathe, router, edm, multi-axis, solids, design, and metacut utilities, including the dongle for my computer when my company was bought out a few years back.. It doesn't get any better.....

which version do you use from Vectric? also I assume, if you have a 3d software it can do regular cnc routing or do you need another software for that as well thanks for the video

Thanks great video, it did clear things up....just one question coming from a clock guy.....was that clock running backwards at the end of the video?

I am looking for a machine with 24x24x6 size range. any suggestions. love your channel.

Can you make a video on your setup? Or please link one if you already did it I'm looking at making a wood shop in a year or so from now. One of the things I liked about your setup is the TV that showed what was going on at that time, and I think I might do the same. Anyways, I think when I make my shop I will have 2 CNC machines. 1 like what you have and another being a rotary. I'm also going to have a laser cutter/engraver. And the normal stuff. I'm going to have some metal working parts in the mix. Things like brake, cutters, and so on. Part of the shop will be section off. In it's own room I will have a 3D printer area. I already have this one, but filament can't stand humidity so I'm giving it it's own space. I'm also going to have a workstation/desk in both areas. Something I'm wondering is how did you get your TV to show where you're at in your project. I know with my 3D printer, I might need an extra Pi or something since I don't think Octoprint works directly with any monitor.

Your video is awesome but that design is....well :)