Thanks to the Northeast Service Cooperative Career and Technology Impact Grant, in collaboration with Morning Star Woodworks of Cloquet, the high school shop got a new piece of technology!
What you see our students operating is a handheld CNC router. It uses a touchscreen to operate and can cut out any 2D shape. The router can read line art drawings transferred via WiFi or USB drive. It as a camera eye that scans domino-like squares to indicate the user’s location when making cuts, and the router can figure out where it is as long as it can see at least six dominos. The router has automatic cut correction, so as the user moves the router along the cut line, it autocorrects in real-time.
In the pictures, Olavi and Chet are making a table leg template that they will use to make 4 identical tapered legs out of 1 1/2″ thick ash. Other applications will include sign-making, joinery, large-format projects, and inlay work.