Just finished my long dragged out king size bedframe. 90% of the work on this piece was done with my CNC. So, is this woodworking or not?
Is this woodworking?
- Thread starter chris_goris
- Start date
Why wouldn't it be? It's wood and you worked on it...
some people claim using a CNC isnt!
If you tried to say it was hand carved I would disagree. Otherwise, no problem.
Agree it is absolutely woodworking to me. There's not even a question. Please disregard all nay-sayers.
Is a mass produced piece of furniture from a factory woodworking? Yes, to me it is, industrial style not individually crafted. Industrial capacity is not the way I do things (well of course not, since I'm a hobbiest and I don't have a factory), but it is still woodworking.
Sort of like the question of 'what is a hike?' Is a walk in the woods a hike, or is it only a hike if it involves an overnight camp-out? I don't care, I walk on hiking trails regularly, without camping. I day-hike, not backpack, but I really don't care what others think or define. it's an activity i enjoy, whatever your label for it. Doesn't NCWW have a CAD/CAM/CNC type forum? Doesn't that validate the inclusion of CNC as a form of ww-ing? All rhetorical questions to me, not debate topics.
And I love the piece BTW. I personally prefer a little more contrast in my pieces (varying species, etc.) but I still very much like that result.
Is a mass produced piece of furniture from a factory woodworking? Yes, to me it is, industrial style not individually crafted. Industrial capacity is not the way I do things (well of course not, since I'm a hobbiest and I don't have a factory), but it is still woodworking.
Sort of like the question of 'what is a hike?' Is a walk in the woods a hike, or is it only a hike if it involves an overnight camp-out? I don't care, I walk on hiking trails regularly, without camping. I day-hike, not backpack, but I really don't care what others think or define. it's an activity i enjoy, whatever your label for it. Doesn't NCWW have a CAD/CAM/CNC type forum? Doesn't that validate the inclusion of CNC as a form of ww-ing? All rhetorical questions to me, not debate topics.
And I love the piece BTW. I personally prefer a little more contrast in my pieces (varying species, etc.) but I still very much like that result.
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I had a fellow woodworker tell me several times that using a CNC machine was cheating, because all I had to do was turn on my machine and watch it do the work…I let him put a piece of wood on my machine and turn it on…when nothing happened, because he hadn’t programmed anything, I think that’s when he realized there was more to it than turning it on and watching…CNC machines are like any other tool that requires learning how to use it efficiently and safely.
Your ? is the new millenium version of "If I use power tools is it hand crafted?" back in the early 20th century. Woodworking, finishing, and design techniques are evolving at a faster pace than most of us realize. Each of us has the freedom to resist the changes, but to dismiss advancements in our craft is to denigrate our entire craft. We woodworkers should allow each other to choose our own techniques instead of criticizing how others do their work. Let's put our energies into admiring the finished product of fellow craftsmen.
Im 63 Jim! Never too old to learn! I must say though, I had all the CAD/CAM part done when I got my machine, I just discovered early on, I wasnt an machine operator!.
I picked up a onefinity cnc back in... 2020? 2021? One or the other. Great 'prosumer' machine although as with any rapidly evolving space, there are better options now. I would really like a larger machine, but it's hard to justify the space commitment. A 4x8 or 5x10 would take up an entire garage bay... I'd have to really restructure around it. My garage is solely my wood shop, but that would take about 3x the footprint my current machine does.
Incidentally I bought the machine from a member here who was doing exactly that, and now I fully understand why! I did a large run of 4' long signs in extira on Monday, and while the work itself presented no real complications, it would have been wonderful to do it in 'one shot' on a sheet-size CNC, or even with a tool changer if I was feeling foggy.
Incidentally I bought the machine from a member here who was doing exactly that, and now I fully understand why! I did a large run of 4' long signs in extira on Monday, and while the work itself presented no real complications, it would have been wonderful to do it in 'one shot' on a sheet-size CNC, or even with a tool changer if I was feeling foggy.
Is this woodworking? Who gets to decide that? Of course everybody has an opinion…. But so what? You came up with an idea and you did a great job executing it. You’ve made something that couldn’t be bought and hasn’t been made before, one of a kind. That’s creativity, doesn’t need a label. CNC might not be for everybody but you made it work - for you.
Check out Peter Follansbee’s work. He doesn’t have as much as a light bulb socket in his shop. Is that more “woodworking”?
Check out Peter Follansbee’s work. He doesn’t have as much as a light bulb socket in his shop. Is that more “woodworking”?
Really nice work Chris! Looks like the headboard and footboard slats are made of MDF….what material did you use for the rails? Maple? How did you join the rails to the legs? How are the slats attached to the rails?
Thanks John!. base shapes of head/footboards are MDF set in full 3/4x3/4 dadoes to the posts. Rails are solid maple. All maple is soft maple. Caps are soft maple one piece as shown as well as base caps (same profile as uppers but through posts. Bun feet are also maple turnings. posts are 3.5" Sq maple.
A few years ago I went to a presentation by representatives of the Stickley furniture company. At one point someone in the crowd said that the "new stuff" wasn't the quality of the old hand crafted furniture. The rep showed us some pictures of the fixes that were common in the furniture that Stickley built "by hand". There were tons of little slim "feathers" of wood pounded into poorly fitted joints, patches and spliced pieces. He went on to say, Stickley used the most advanced wood working techniques and MACHINES that were available at the time and you would never find any of the production fixes that were common in the old furniture in the new Stickley products that were done with CNC machines. In short, the new Stickley furniture was BETTER than the old and would remain strong and servicable longer than the antique hand made stuff.
You can make of that what you will. I agree with Mike D, it's definitely woodworking, just don't say it's hand made.
You can make of that what you will. I agree with Mike D, it's definitely woodworking, just don't say it's hand made.
Love it! If that ain’t woodworking, I don’t know what is. Thanks for sharing!
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