CNC Routers: Builds, Mods, and Hacks

Over the years, I’ve owned, built, and hacked on several CNC routers. One of my early projects was putting together an X-Carve kit, which lived in my New Orleans garage until I sold it before moving to San Francisco. I upgraded the spindle with a custom adapter for a Dewalt router, and while the machine’s rigidity limited it to softer materials, it performed well for woodworking and signage projects. I eventually swapped out the original software for a Raspberry Pi running CNC.js, which gave me greater control.

At Intralox, I helped a friend, Allen, modify a large CNC router that the company was getting rid of. We replaced the old CNC controller with an Arduino+GRBLR shield and used a Raspberry Pi running PyCNC to control it. I also designed a custom dust shoe for the spindle. This resulted in a capable machine and many fun project collaborations with Allen.

When CSO Engineering shut down, I acquired their CNC machine. Despite the space constraints of San Francisco living, I managed to house it in our shared garage space with my neighbor’s approval. I even built an enclosure for it using another neighbor’s woodworking shop. I’m excited to put this machine to work and continue exploring new CNC projects.