About CNC Starter Shop

I’m Chris. I’ve been a woodworker for about fifteen years, building furniture and custom pieces in my garage shop. Three years ago I bought my first desktop CNC router on a whim after seeing what people were making on Instagram, and it completely changed how I approach projects.

The learning curve was steeper than I expected. Not the woodworking part (I had that covered) but the CAD/CAM workflow, feeds and speeds for different bits, workholding on a machine that wants to throw your piece across the room, and all the software decisions you have to make before you ever cut anything.

I started this site because the CNC community online tends to assume you already know machining concepts. If you’re coming from traditional woodworking, there’s a translation gap that nobody addresses well. That’s what I try to fill.

I write about desktop CNC routers specifically. Machines that fit in a garage or spare room, cost under €2,000, and can produce professional-quality work if you understand their limitations. Some links on this site earn me affiliate commissions at no extra cost to you.

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