Until fairly recently, machining has been a high-cost manufacturing technique available only to large corporations and specialist machine shops. With today’s cheaper and more powerful computers, CNC milling and 3D printing technology has become practical, affordable, and accessible to just about anyone.

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Tabletop CNC machines are every hobbyist’s dream, providing the tools needed to cut and shape materials such as glass, wood, plastics, and aluminum.

In CNC Milling for Makers, author Christian Rattat explains how CNC technology works and he walks you through the entire milling process: starting with a blank piece of material, Rattat takes you step by step through to a finished product.

Rattat offers advice on selecting and purchasing the best machine for your own particular needs. He also demonstrates how to assemble a machine from a kit and explains all the steps required to mill your first project. Moving past the basics, Rattat introduces a variety of cutting tools and provides hands-on examples of how to use them to mill a wide variety of materials.

CNC control of milling machines is now available to even the smallest of workshops. This allows designers to be more ambitious and machinists to be more confident of the production of parts, and thereby greatly increase the potential of milling at home.This new accessible guide takes a practical approach to software and techniques, and explains how you can make full use of your CNC mill to produce ambitious work of a high standard. Includes: Authoritative advice on programming and operating a CNC mill; Guide to the major CAD/CAM/CNC software such as Mach3, LinuxCNC and Vectric packages, without being restricted to any particular make of machine; Practical projects throughout and examples of a wide range of finished work; A practical approach to how you can make full use of your CNC mill to produce ambitious work. Aimed at everyone with a workshop - particularly modelmakers and horologists. Superbly illustrated with 280 colour illustrations. Dr Marcus Bowman has been machining metal for forty years and is a lifelong maker of models, clocks and tools.

Getting Started with CNC is the definitive introduction to working with affordable desktop and benchtop CNCs, written by the creator of the popular open hardware CNC, the Shapeoko. Accessible 3D printing introduced the masses to computer-controlled additive fabrication. But the flip side of that is subtractive fabrication: instead of adding material to create a shape like a 3D printer does, a CNC starts with a solid piece of material and takes away from it. Although inexpensive 3D printers can make great things with plastic, a CNC can carve highly durable pieces out of a block of aluminum, wood, and other materials. This book covers the fundamentals of designing for--and working with--affordable ($500-$3000) CNCs.

This ultimate guide for tech makers covers everything from hand tools to robots plus essential techniques for completing almost any DIY project. Makers, get ready: This is your must-have guide to taking your DIY projects to the next level. Legendary fabricator and alternative engineer Chris Hackett teams up with the editors of Popular Science to offer detailed instruction on everything from basic wood- and metalworking skills to 3D printing and laser-cutting wizardry. Hackett also explains the entrepreneurial and crowd-sourcing tactics needed to transform your back-of-the-envelope idea into a gleaming finished product. In The Big Book of Maker Skills, readers learn tried-and-true techniques from the shop classes of yore—how to use a metal lathe, or pick the perfect drill bit or saw—and get introduced to a whole new world of modern manufacturing technologies, like using CAD software, printing circuits, and more. Step-by-step illustrations, helpful diagrams, and exceptional photography make this book an easy-to-follow guide to getting your project done.

This is the first really new machine shop practice text in nearly 20 years.

Do you like to build things? Are you ever frustrated at having to compromise your designs to fit whatever parts happen to be available? Would you like to fabricate your own parts? Build Your Own CNC Machine is the book to get you started. CNC expert Patrick Hood-Daniel and best-selling author James Kelly team up to show you how to construct your very own CNC machine. Then they go on to show you how to use it, how to document your designs in computer-aided design (CAD) programs, and how to output your designs as specifications and tool paths that feed into the CNC machine, controlling it as it builds whatever parts your imagination can dream up. Don't be intimidated by abbreviations like CNC and terms like computer-aided design. Patrick and James have chosen a CNC-machine design that is simple to fabricate. You need only basic woodworking skills and a budget of perhaps $500 to $1,000 to spend on the wood, a router, and various other parts that you'll need. With some patience and some follow-through, you'll soon be up and running with a really fun machine that'll unleash your creativity and turn your imagination into physical reality. The authors go on to show you how to test your machine, including configuring the software. Provides links for learning how to design and mill whatever you can dream up The perfect parent/child project that is also suitable for scouting groups, clubs, school shop classes, and other organizations that benefit from projects that foster skills development and teamwork No unusual tools needed beyond a circular saw and what you likely already have in your home toolbox Teaches you to design and mill your very own wooden and aluminum parts, toys, gadgets—whatever you can dream up

This unique reference features nearly all of the activities a typical CNC operator performs on a daily basis. Starting with overall descriptions and in-depth explanations of various features, it goes much further and is sure to be a valuable resource for anyone involved in CNC.