I’m new to CNC and just getting started with my first few projects. I’ve been exploring different tools and materials, but honestly, it feels a bit overwhelming at the beginning.
I wanted to ask the community — what are some of the best beginner tips you wish you knew when you first started?
Which materials are easiest to practice on?
Any common mistakes I should avoid?
Recommended settings or simple starter projects?
I’d really appreciate any advice, resources, or personal experiences you can share.
MDF or PVC are probably the easiest and most affordable things to practice on.
But PVC may require special plastic bits depending on your project.
Learn to set your Z zero at the machine bed for jobs you plan cut through. You can use material surface for things where you won’t cut though.
If you use tabs get a tiny flush cut trim bit you can use in a trim router for cleanup.
Start with simple pockets and profiles to get a rhythm for the machine and develop a workflow that works for you.
Make sure you tighten the collet enough and make sure your workholding is adequate.
It’s very easy to get trapped going down various rabbit holes such as epoxy, inlays and 3D. They are good areas to explore but it’s best to get the fundamentals under your belt.
Having said that, I did a lot of learning by trying things I had no clue how to do.
Glad to have you and look forward to seeing your progress. I can honestly say that I have made a ton of give a way projects (mostly just family / friend give aways) and not yet gotten into the intricacies of epoxy, inlays or 3D. Carbide Create Free version paired with Carbide Motion is one of the best decisions I made. Stick with simple designs first from the gallery here or Cutrocket (All Projects - CutRocket)…from that you gain experience and confidence to start creating and cutting your own designs and just build up from there. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, by following this forum you will see that EVERYONE talks about mistakes and making firewood. Don’t be afraid to ask questions here…I’ve asked a lot and always get great feedback. MDF, Pine, even cheap plywood are great materials to cut your teeth in and just remember…beauty is in the eye of the beholder! You can do a lot with 1/8", 1/4", 60 and 90 degree vbits as a starter bit pack, maybe even a good surfacing bit…as I mangled up my spoil board quite a bit in the early stages. Read this forum OFTEN, it’s educational, encouraging, inspirational, and very often a source of quick, reliable answers when you have questions. Good luck in this journey!
First off, welcome to the community!! My first tip is become an active part of this community. I was in the same boat as you a year ago and I struggled right from the get go, starting with connecting my computer to the CNC. This community was right here for me, rapidly answering questions all along the way!
I feel you!! I was right there too.
Learning to set zero is huge and doesn’t cost any material. You will learn to maneuver around your machine at no cost in material. But that zero is a very basic fundamental key!
Come up with a project goal and head single mindedly towards that until you accomplish exactly what you are striving for. My initial goal was to create a replica of a specific sign and I gradually worked my way towards that until I fully achieved it (and now it’s literally is second nature to me and I’ve created probably 40-50 of those name signs with different names)
Start small. The above mentioned sign, I started with one letter and tried to replicate that. I eventually expanded to the full sign, with several speed bumps along the way. But stuck to it until I had it!
Like @Jeffish said, go through all the training videos. The best way to learn is to do!!
Learn to clean your collet every time! From the get go, I cleaned my collet at each bit change by banging it off on the spoiler board then blowing it out. It’s habit now and I’m glad I did it!
Maybe others will disagree with me, but I didn’t buy a whole bunch of expensive bits at the beginning. I went with a few of the very basic bits and got them from Amazon. As you expand what you do you will realize what you will use often and get those. Nonetheless…even with that, I STILL have a drawer full of bits, some of which I haven’t put in a collet yet.
I would not recommend new Cedar. Any scrap wood you have around is what I would start on. Come up with a tray plan and make one. Funny…I’ve never used MDF, but I know several people love it. Hard wood cuts cleaner and needs slower speeds. To start out with, use the speeds that are loaded into Carbide Create. You can always adjust them in the future as you get used to them.
And good luck and have fun! Sitting at my computer planning a new carve and then carving it is one of my very happiest places.
Agree any scrap wood you have is best to start with, but a sheet of MDF is inexpensive and can be had in sizes which will fit on the machine bed and in a typical car. I’m cheap, and my wife hates it, but I’ve gotten pretty good at estimating how much lumber there is in an abandoned piece of furniture by the side of the road…
The biggest mistakes I see on support (most of which have already been mentioned here) are:
skipping over the documentation/making assumptions/not asking questions
not installing tools/collets correctly and failing to clean an assembled ER-11 collet/nut
workholding — there’s actually a post on that:
I wrote up a beginning to end post at:
and that and:
and if you want to do 3D modeling in Carbide Create Pro:
should cover the basics — anything you can’t find in the above, or by searching here:
Everyone learns differently and I highly encourage experimentation! The best part is that you can play with the settings and then check the results. It helps me understand what is happening with each setting if I make large adjustments and then preview what’s changed. Everything is reversable with a quick “CTRL-Z” or changing the settings back.
Don’t over tighten the collet as it places excessive wear on the threads resulting in the purchase of a new spindle ($$$). If you got the spindle kit it comes with a 12" wrench I generally hold it as close to the spindle head as possible when tightening so that its harder to over tighten.
I prefer maple and walnut for final projects as the wood has tight grans and cuts nicely.
Things I’ve learned while using my Mac Laptop, unplugging the USB after I’m done for the night and not plugging it back in until I’m ready to connect to the machine. Sometimes the USB port doesn’t recognize that it’s connected to my CNC and this fixes it every time.
We are glad to have you and if you can read the forums daily and ask questions. I learn stuff almost every day here.
never leave the machine running out of sight and smell. Have at least a fire extinguisher or two handy. Have a separate circuit for the spindle and the mainboard installed. Never come near the moving and rotating bit with your fingers. Always wait before you manipulate anything on the table for the machine to come to a complete stop. Use protection goggles, one cannot imagine how fast broken bit parts can shoot through the shop. Use cheap bits first: you will break some. Use noise protection if you like to enjoy music still in some years: I started with the CNC in a corner of a shop of a friend, a carpenter, who already makes a lot of noise, he asked me to leave after several months: the constant noise was too much even for him.
“Never” and “Always” mean “never” and “always”. Leaving the shop for 5 minutes to check the tire pressure on your car means it will not be just 5 minutes, and wood chips catch fire very fast. Removing a piece of wood from the rotating machine path may work, or it may not. The time you spend in the ER does not compare to the time needed to wait for the machine to stop.
From the standpoint of stock price some recommend to use MDF, but that is mainly plastic, hard with a lot of wear and tear on the bits, the dust is really nasty, the edges IMO do not look pretty. Hard wood IMO even for the beginning gives nice results, sharp, smooth edges, and the chips and dust are somehow nicer and better to handle.
Plastic is tricky. Need special bit: O-flute, some experiments with feed and speed, and the dust suction produces static electricity that causes the connection to the mainboard to get lost, I recommend to keep plastic projects for later.