The CNC Show

What separates a beginner CNC project from one that looks professional? Andy Bird welcomes back Kyle from Learn Your CNC, the show’s very first guest, who has more than 15 years of hobby and industrial CNC experience. Using real student projects as examples, Kyle shares simple ways to take your work to the next level.In this episode:Small design details that set a project apart, like curved text, custom shapes, and added colorWhy your CNC should cut shapes nobody else can make, not just circles and rectanglesFinishing and toolpath tips to cut down on sandingUsing AI as a design tool without letting it replace your creativityKnowing when a design is done, and avoiding spending hours to save minutesRapid Fire Q&A: running long carves safely, molding toolpaths in VCarve, choosing wood, workholding and fences, and why carve time estimates are offAI Feud: Andy and Kyle face off in a Family Feud-style game where AI wrote the surveyReport your CNC sales and help the community reach 10,000 sales at www.andybirdbuilds.com/10000Find free resources, courses, and coaching at www.andybirdbuilds.comLearn Vectric and AI design with Kyle at www.learnyourcnc.com

How do you make money with your CNC now and keep it going for the long haul? Andy Bird sits down live with returning guest Garrett from IDC Woodcraft, who has filled more than 50,000 router bit orders, to talk about the mindset, habits, and pricing decisions behind a profitable CNC business.In this episode:Why fear of failure keeps so many makers stuck, and how to push past itHow Garrett would land his first 10 customers if he started over today with only a machine in the garageWhy getting known for a niche (like Jeep gear or wedding decor) beats trying to sell to everyoneOver or Under: Andy and Garrett guess the prices of real CNC products, from a Funko Pop display to a $5,490 parametric room divider, and learn a lot about pricing for the right customerRapid Fire Q&A: learning from failure, finding time with a full-time job, pricing beyond cost plus markup, and marketing online vs. in personReport your CNC sales and help the community reach 10,000 sales at www.andybirdbuilds.com/10000Find free resources, courses, and coaching at www.andybirdbuilds.comCheck out Garrett’s bits and gear at www.idcwoodcraft.com

What do you get from a $12,000 laser that a $6,000 one doesn’t give you? Andy Bird sits down with Philip from Miller Made Workshop, a maker and YouTuber with more than 50,000 subscribers who runs his own woodworking business. Philip owns both a glass tube CO2 laser and an RF laser, and he explains what the extra money actually buys you.In this episode:The first question to ask before buying a laser: hobby or business?Glass tube CO2 vs. RF lasers, explained simply, and why Philip would choose RFTube life, water chillers vs. air cooling, and the real cost of ownershipWhy build quality, rails, and customer support matter when downtime costs you moneyHow Philip decided buying a laser was cheaper than outsourcing his engravingAndy’s IWF recap, including new table saw safety tech from SawStop and HarveyCNC Taboo: Andy and Philip go head to head Rapid Fire Q&A: CNC-mounted lasers vs. standalone machines, choosing wattage, diode lasers for branding, and LightBurn vs. manufacturer softwareReport your CNC sales and help the community reach 10,000 sales at www.andybirdbuilds.com/10000Find free resources, courses, and coaching at www.andybirdbuilds.comSee Philip’s projects and hardware at www.millermadeworkshop.com

The CNC Show is back for Season 3! Andy Bird kicks off the season with Pete from PeteSquared, a maker who spent 25 years in video games (Age of Empires, Halo Wars, Temple Run 2) and later worked at Apple and Netflix. Now he designs and sells his own products full time. Together they walk through what it takes to turn an idea into a CNC product people want to buy.In this episode:How to get past “blank screen syndrome” and start with something you’re passionate aboutTesting ideas with your audience before you invest in themWhy perfect products never ship, and how to avoid feature creepProduct winners and losers: what worked (big Lego sorters) and what floppedWhen to manufacture yourself vs. bring in a partner to scaleGuess the Price: a kinetic sailboat, a cherry lyre, an acoustic wall panel, and more from EtsyRapid Fire Q&A: choosing your first CNC, setting up tool databases in VCarve, fixing machine wobble, and marketing your work without showing your faceReport your CNC sales and help the community reach 10,000 sales at www.andybirdbuilds.com/10000Find free resources, courses, and coaching at www.andybirdbuilds.comFollow Pete’s builds at www.petesquared23.com

We talk shop with Paul from Bees Boards!Check out our brand new course, CNC Fun Money! https://thecncsidehustle.com/fun-money-special/Free ResourcesCNC Supply Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/supply-guide/Perfect Project Checklist - https://thecncsidehustle.com/checklist/Pricing For Maximum Profits Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/pricing-profits/Join my Free CNC community - https://discord.gg/UtRjnsurc4The full list of tools and supplies I recommend - https://www.andybirdbuilds.com/tools-i-useCourses and Training:Create Projects You’re Proud Of - https://thecncsidehustle.com/kickstart-special/Turn Your CNC Woodworking Into Income - https://thecncsidehustle.com/special/Live CNC Side Hustle Group Coaching - https://www.cnc.school/membershipCNC Machines I Recommend:Shapeoko - https://shop.carbide3d.com/andybirdbuildsAvid - https://www.avidcnc.com/creatorGenmitsu 4040 Pro Max - https://tidd.ly/4kCoThtAdditional Resources I Recommend:IDC Router Bits - https://idcwoodcraft.com/?ref=ANDYBIRDVectric CAD/CAM software - https://vectric.com/andybirdLearn Vectric Software - SAVE 10% with code ANDYBIRD https://academy.learnyourcnc.com/a/2147507626/MFYZkVCUVacuum Workholding - https://airweights.com/?ref=nnmqojogSave 10% with code ANDYBIRDAffiliate Disclaimer: A great way to support Andy Bird Builds is to purchase through the affiliate links above, you get what you need and I may receive a small commission.#cncwoodworking #cncmachine #cncrouters

Join us live as we chat craft fairs with  @DuffeyWoodcraft  Free ResourcesCNC Supply Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/supply-guide/Perfect Project Checklist - https://thecncsidehustle.com/checklist/Pricing For Maximum Profits Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/pricing-profits/Join my Free CNC community - https://discord.gg/UtRjnsurc4The full list of tools and supplies I recommend - https://www.andybirdbuilds.com/tools-i-useCourses and Training:Create Projects You’re Proud Of - https://thecncsidehustle.com/kickstart-special/Turn Your CNC Woodworking Into Income - https://thecncsidehustle.com/special/Live CNC Side Hustle Group Coaching - https://www.cnc.school/membershipCNC Machines I Recommend:Shapeoko - https://shop.carbide3d.com/andybirdbuildsAvid - https://www.avidcnc.com/creatorGenmitsu 4040 Pro Max - https://tidd.ly/4kCoThtAdditional Resources I Recommend:IDC Router Bits - https://idcwoodcraft.com/?ref=ANDYBIRDVectric CAD/CAM software - https://vectric.com/andybirdLearn Vectric Software - SAVE 10% with code ANDYBIRD https://academy.learnyourcnc.com/a/2147507626/MFYZkVCUVacuum Workholding - https://airweights.com/?ref=nnmqojogSave 10% with code ANDYBIRDAffiliate Disclaimer: A great way to support Andy Bird Builds is to purchase through the affiliate links above, you get what you need and I may receive a small commission.#cncwoodworking #cncmachine #cncrouters

Join us as we talk about bits with Cody from Cadence Manufacturing (Jenny Bits)Free ResourcesCNC Supply Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/supply-guide/Perfect Project Checklist - https://thecncsidehustle.com/checklist/Pricing For Maximum Profits Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/pricing-profits/Join my Free CNC community - https://discord.gg/UtRjnsurc4The full list of tools and supplies I recommend - https://www.andybirdbuilds.com/tools-i-useCourses and Training:Create Projects You’re Proud Of - https://thecncsidehustle.com/kickstart-special/Turn Your CNC Woodworking Into Income - https://thecncsidehustle.com/special/Live CNC Side Hustle Group Coaching - https://www.cnc.school/membershipCNC Machines I Recommend:Shapeoko - https://shop.carbide3d.com/andybirdbuildsAvid - https://www.avidcnc.com/creatorGenmitsu 4040 Pro Max - https://tidd.ly/4kCoThtAdditional Resources I Recommend:IDC Router Bits - https://idcwoodcraft.com/?ref=ANDYBIRDVectric CAD/CAM software - https://vectric.com/andybirdLearn Vectric Software - SAVE 10% with code ANDYBIRD https://academy.learnyourcnc.com/a/2147507626/MFYZkVCUVacuum Workholding - https://airweights.com/?ref=nnmqojogSave 10% with code ANDYBIRDAffiliate Disclaimer: A great way to support Andy Bird Builds is to purchase through the affiliate links above, you get what you need and I may receive a small commission.

Come ask Kyle your Vectric questions!Free ResourcesCNC Supply Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/supply-g...Perfect Project Checklist - https://thecncsidehustle.com/checklist/Pricing For Maximum Profits Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/pricing-...Join my Free CNC community -   / discord  The full list of tools and supplies I recommend - https://www.andybirdbuilds.com/tools-...Courses and Training:Create Projects You’re Proud Of - https://thecncsidehustle.com/kickstar...Turn Your CNC Woodworking Into Income - https://thecncsidehustle.com/special/Live CNC Side Hustle Group Coaching - https://www.cnc.school/membershipCNC Machines I Recommend:Shapeoko - https://shop.carbide3d.com/andybirdbu...Avid - https://www.avidcnc.com/creatorGenmitsu 4040 Pro Max - https://tidd.ly/4kCoThtAdditional Resources I Recommend:IDC Router Bits - https://idcwoodcraft.com/?ref=ANDYBIRDVectric CAD/CAM software - https://vectric.com/andybirdLearn Vectric Software - SAVE 10% with code ANDYBIRD https://academy.learnyourcnc.com/a/21...Vacuum Workholding - https://airweights.com/?ref=nnmqojogSave 10% with code ANDYBIRDAffiliate Disclaimer: A great way to support Andy Bird Builds is to purchase through the affiliate links above, you get what you need and I may receive a small commission.

https://www.vectric.com/Free ResourcesCNC Supply Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/supply-guide/Perfect Project Checklist - https://thecncsidehustle.com/checklist/Pricing For Maximum Profits Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/pricing-profits/Join my Free CNC community - https://discord.gg/UtRjnsurc4The full list of tools and supplies I recommend - https://www.andybirdbuilds.com/tools-i-useCourses and Training:Create Projects You’re Proud Of - https://thecncsidehustle.com/kickstart-special/Turn Your CNC Woodworking Into Income - https://thecncsidehustle.com/special/Live CNC Side Hustle Group Coaching - https://www.cnc.school/membershipCNC Machines I Recommend:Shapeoko - https://shop.carbide3d.com/andybirdbuildsAvid - https://www.avidcnc.com/creatorGenmitsu 4040 Pro Max - https://tidd.ly/4kCoThtAdditional Resources I Recommend:IDC Router Bits - https://idcwoodcraft.com/?ref=ANDYBIRDVectric CAD/CAM software - https://vectric.com/andybirdLearn Vectric Software - SAVE 10% with code ANDYBIRD https://academy.learnyourcnc.com/a/2147507626/MFYZkVCUVacuum Workholding - https://airweights.com/?ref=nnmqojogSave 10% with code ANDYBIRDAffiliate Disclaimer: A great way to support Andy Bird Builds is to purchase through the affiliate links above, you get what you need and I may receive a small commission.#cncwoodworking #cncmachine #cncrouters

This week we sit down and chat about perfecting our CNC inlay projects with Nik from  @Broinwood Free ResourcesCNC Supply Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/supply-guide/Perfect Project Checklist - https://thecncsidehustle.com/checklist/Pricing For Maximum Profits Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/pricing-profits/Join my Free CNC community - https://discord.gg/UtRjnsurc4The full list of tools and supplies I recommend - https://www.andybirdbuilds.com/tools-i-useCourses and Training:Create Projects You’re Proud Of - https://thecncsidehustle.com/kickstart-special/Turn Your CNC Woodworking Into Income - https://thecncsidehustle.com/special/Live CNC Side Hustle Group Coaching - https://www.cnc.school/membershipCNC Machines I Recommend:Shapeoko - https://shop.carbide3d.com/andybirdbuildsAvid - https://www.avidcnc.com/creatorGenmitsu 4040 Pro Max - https://tidd.ly/4kCoThtAdditional Resources I Recommend:IDC Router Bits - https://idcwoodcraft.com/?ref=ANDYBIRDVectric CAD/CAM software - https://vectric.com/andybirdLearn Vectric Software - SAVE 10% with code ANDYBIRD https://academy.learnyourcnc.com/a/2147507626/MFYZkVCUVacuum Workholding - https://airweights.com/?ref=nnmqojogSave 10% with code ANDYBIRDAffiliate Disclaimer: A great way to support Andy Bird Builds is to purchase through the affiliate links above, you get what you need and I may receive a small commission.#cncwoodworking #cncmachine #cncrouters