Furniture making is a craft, and for many craftspeople, the skill never goes beyond a hobby. Often they lack the correct resources to turn their affinity for the talent into a business. Technology like computer numerical control (CNC) routers can help you achieve this aspiration. Learn more on how to get started with Laguna Tools.
Using CNC Technology for Furniture Making
While you can make unique, beautiful, and durable furniture with hand tools and power tools alone, a CNC machine can expand your capabilities with woodworking. What’s more, you can combine CNC production with these tools to streamline many woodworking processes. You can craft or enhance the production of the following wood furniture pieces with a CNC router:
- Cabinets
- Dining tables and chairs
- Entertainment centers
- Bookshelves
- Storage units
- Coffee and end tables
- Desks/work tables and chairs
- Bed frames
- Bar stools
- Headboards
- Decorative garden structures
- Décor piece
Versatility with Different Types of Wood
As an experienced woodworker, you know how important material is for achieving your vision of a final product. One of the many benefits of CNC machinery is its capability with multiple types of wood. Using CNC to boost the production of pieces made with the following materials:
- Hardwood (hickory, maple, and walnut)
- Softwood (pine and cedar)
- Engineered wood (medium-density fiberboard (MDF and plywood)
Wood Furniture You Can Build With CNC Machines
From Garage Woodworker to International Furniture Success
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Enhance Furniture Making Techniques with CNC
Carpenters like you use several techniques to design, build, and restore wood furniture. Discover how CNC routers can assist at each stage of production:
Measuring and Marking
From speed squares and sliding T-bevels to marking knives and marking gauges – woodworkers have many tools at their disposal for increasing the accuracy of their cuts and delivering a high-quality product. The various CNC router models at Laguna Tools all share a common trait – they each provide enhanced precision to provide a more structurally sound and visually appealing piece.
Pro tip: On larger projects (like a bookcase), be sure the two diagonal measurements from corner to corner are the same. This helps ensure the entire unit is square.
Cutting and Shaping
Expertly cutting and shaping lumber is a skill. Saws and other cutting tools get larger boards down to size. However, they can only take you so far – this is where hand tools come into play.
One of the most advantageous aspects of CNC machines is their flexibility in handling varying needs. Designed to accommodate different industry applications, CNC enables you to cut and shape furniture and achieve the construction you or your customers most desire.
Pro tip: Cutting pieces with the same measurements at the same time helps streamline your project. Also, make test joints with scrap wood first to ensure the real joinery will be perfect.
Joinery
Joinery is essential in woodworking to ensure pieces of wood are affixed together securely. From the butt joint to the dovetail joint to the mortise and tendon joint, rely on CNC technology to help you realize greater accuracy with joinery.
Sanding and Finishing
You know how vital sanding and finishing are to creating a flawless final product. Since a CNC router can increase precision, you’ll be left with a piece that’s much easier to finish before it’s ready for use, no matter if you use an oil-based, water-based, or gel-based stain or a varnish.
Designing
You may plan your project using graph paper, drawing what you’d like your piece to look like with measurements. The brainstorming phase may take a while, but once you have an idea in place, you’re ready to begin.
With a CNC router, you gain the speed and performance you need to move from the initial construction phase to the final product with less interruption. This benefit can not only make manufacturing furniture a more stress-free experience but also potentially more profitable.
Explore Our Furniture Making CNC Machinery
See our collection of CNC machines and routers for furniture making. Increase your production efficiency drastically and speed up your furniture projects.
Overall Benefits of CNC for Furniture Making
Given the advantages of CNC machinery at each phase of the woodworking process, it’s natural the technology would be beneficial for furniture making as a whole. In empowering experienced craftspeople like you to cut with extreme precision and unmatched consistency, CNC routers deliver the following additional gains:
- Efficient timelines across projects
- Easier design replication
- Lower production costs
- Quicker furniture assembly
- Less material waste
Steps to Ensure CNC Serves Your Furniture-Making Business
Scaling up your carpentry business is an investment in your craftsmanship and equipment. If you believe CNC machinery can augment your woodworking efforts, consider the following tips to make the most of the technology:
Selecting the Right CNC Router
When you begin shopping for CNC router machines, you’ll discover there are many different models based on size, function, and features. Review your options to choose the one most suited to your applications. We offer several models at Laguna Tools, including:
Securing the Proper Software
Computer-aided design and drafting (CAD) software guides you when using CNC machines. Different models come with their own CNC software, so ensure you purchase the technology from a manufacturer that includes the necessary software and other resources for use.
Utilizing CAD Software with Your CNC Router
Using CAD software, you can design woodworking plans and upload them for manufacturing. Make sure you review the design before turning on the CNC router and follow any instructions provided to ensure the safe use of the machine.
Make Your Own Furniture
Whether you have years of experience with furniture making and are just now considering turning this skill into a business, or already craft and market furniture and want to expand your business, CNC router machines can help you achieve your goals sooner.
At Laguna Tools, our CNC routers can work with every variety of wood and additional materials such as acrylic, foams, non-ferrous metals, and many more materials. This helps DIY hobbyists and professional furniture makers alike take their creativity to the next level. To learn more about woodworking and furniture making with CNC machinery, contact Laguna Tools today
