Proper CNC routers for woodworking can make your work get twofold results with half the effort. Currently, there are many excellent CNC routers for woodworking on the market. They have different types and functions to meet the needs of hobbies and businesses.
We know that the size of CNC woodworking businesses varies greatly. So there are, of course, many types of CNC routers for woodworking businesses of various sizes. Then, how to choose a CNC router machine that suits you best is a very important thing. Part of it depends on whether you are a woodworking enthusiast, a small shop owner, or a large business.
This article recommends a list of CNC routers for woodworking hobbyists and businesses after considering different needs and machine characteristics. It includes both home-use and industrial-use CNC woodworking machines.
What characteristics shall the best CNC routers for woodworking have?
CNC routers for woodworking are mainly used in furniture, doors and windows, decoration, construction, advertising, and other industries. As CNC technology develops, the CNC wood router is gradually developing in the direction of functional diversification, automation, and high precision.
Many wood products, especially mass-produced products, have high requirements for product consistency. In addition, the public’s requirements for the appearance of woodworking products have gradually increased. Therefore, the CNC routers for woodworking are facing more modern challenges.
The best CNC router machines shall have the following characteristics:
- Multiple functions, wide range of applications.
- High efficiency, smooth transmission.
- Excellent precision, high repeatability.
- Durable, long service life.
- Less maintenance, less failure rate.
Best CNC routers for woodworking hobbyists and small businesses
Woodworking enthusiasts and home-based businesses usually have a limited budget and limited space. Besides, home-based businesses have some custom orders and do not need to run their woodworking machines for a long time. Therefore, CNC routers for woodworking suitable for hobbyists and home workshops may have small sizes, simple functions, simple systems, etc.
But this doesn’t mean that the hobby CNC router can’t run for long periods of time. These small wood CNC machines are also characterized by high precision and high efficiency. They can also meet a small number of production needs.
Here are two best-selling CNC routers for woodworking hobbyists and small shops.
ELECNC 6090 hobby CNC machine
This 3-axis small CNC machine for wood is the most basic woodworking machine. Even so, it has better performance and higher precision than other electric woodworking tools.
You can use this wood router machine to process hardwood, softwood, MDF, plastic, acrylic, rubber, etc.
The effective processing area of this small CNC machine for wood is 600x900mm. Its effective travel of the Z axis is 160mm. So the maximum size you can cut is also 600x 900mm. You can choose a T-slot aluminum worktable protected by PVC materials.
Its structure with a built-in electrical cabinet is more space-saving. So you can place the small CNC router in the garage, or in any room without setting aside a workshop for it.
The 2.2kw water-cooled spindle cools the heat generated by the high-speed rotation of the spindle through water circulation. And the cooling effect is better than that of air cooling. But there are also some limitations. The water-cooled spindle needs to replace the cooling water frequently to prevent scale from blocking the pipeline. In addition, the water will freeze in winter, which will also affect its use.
This hobby CNC machine uses the Mach3 control system. Mach3 is an open numerical control system, which is simple to operate, easy to maintain, and has the characteristics of openness, stable performance, and low price.
Here is a working video showing a 6090 CNC router engraving patterns on an MDF board. Using different tools can realize the processing of different materials and processes.
Below is the feedback sent by one of our Dutch customers. He has bought three 6090 CNC routers for woodworking to expand his small but profitable business.
ELECNC 1212 small CNC machine for wood
This wood CNC machine for sale is very popular among users in the advertising industry. The effective working area is 1200x1200mm. It is more suitable for cutting acrylic light signs, advertising letters, nameplates, double-color boards, etc.
All X, Y, and Z axes of this hobby CNC machine adopt high-precision ball screws. The ball screws transmission method has features of stable running and high accuracy. But there are limitations too. Ball screw transmission has a slow speed and may deform or vibrate during long-distance operation. Therefore, ball screws are mainly used in short-distance operation.
This CNC woodworking machine adopts a 2.2kw air-cooled spindle, using ER20 collets. Different sizes of collets can clamp different CNC router tools with different diameters. For example, the ER20 can hold CNC router tools with a handle diameter of 1-13mm.
You can use this wood router machine to process most non-metallic materials, such as plastic, wood, PVC, double-color board, etc.
This small CNC machine for wood has a simple structure and uses a ground type. Equipped with an independent electric control box, it occupies a small footprint and low manufacturing cost. You can place it on any platform at will. If you don’t like this structure, you can also choose the bed as shown in the picture below. It includes all electrical elements under the bed.
It also adopts the T-slot aluminum table with PVC protection. This is quite suitable for processing hard materials such as aluminum, hardwood, etc. The processing speed of this 3 axis CNC router can reach 20m/min.
Let’s take a look at the video of using a 1212 small CNC router to process acrylic materials.
This video is feedback from a New Zealand customer using our ELE1212 CNC woodworking machine to make V-carved photos. The portraits carved on the wood are very clear and accurate.
CNC routers for woodworking factories of small and medium sizes
If you run a furniture or wood product factory, the above-mentioned CNC routers for woodworking may not meet your needs.
The most common size of MDF, melamine and other wooden panels is 1220x2440mm. So to process these panels, you need a wood CNC machine with a worktable size of at least 1220x2440mm.
ELE 1325 4×8 CNC router
If you need a CNC router that can process a variety of common sizes of panels on a budget of less than $10,000, a 3-axis 4×8 CNC router is a good choice.
This is a very practical and cost-effective CNC woodworking machine.
The travel of the X, Y, and Z axes is 1300x2500x200mm, perfect for processing panels of 1220x2440mm. It can cut 12 inches thick boards.
Except for hardwood and softwood, it can also process acrylic, PVC, ACP, and even marble and granite. Of course, they need different CNC router tools.
How to fix the panel on the worktable is a tough job. But with a vacuum worktable, this problem is easily solved. The entire worktable falls into 4 areas, each controlled by a vacuum valve. The panel can be fixed to the table to prevent slippage during cutting.
Due to the long travel, X and Y axes adopt rack and pinion transmission to prevent vibration and deformation. But the Z-axis of this CNC router machine for sale still uses the high-precision ball screw drive.
This 3 axis CNC router adopts a DSP handle control system. It can run offline. Without a computer during the engraving process, the operation can be controlled by operating the handwheel. The handwheel has a large memory, can save multiple processing files at the same time, and can read them arbitrarily. In addition, it has good self-diagnosis ability. So it can diagnose various input and output signals and supports remote dynamic upgrades.
The video below shows the process of machining MDF with a 4×8 CNC router.
ELE 1530 4 axis CNC router
This CNC 3D wood carving machine is a better choice if you want to improve work efficiency.
You need to change CNC router tools manually for the above 4×8 CNC wood router. That said, to make other types of patterns on the board, you need to stop the machine, remove the tool and install another manually. This obviously takes more time and slows down work efficiency.
However, this 4 axis CNC router can greatly reduce the shutdown time. Because it has an ATC spindle and a linear tool magazine carrying 6 CNC tools. The whole tool changing process is done automatically without stopping the machine. This reduces non-production time and maximizes work efficiency.
The working area of this CNC router machine for sale is upgraded to 1500x3000mm, suitable for large-sized wooden panels.
The 9kW air-cooled spindle uses ER32 collets, and its rotary speed is adjustable from 0-24000RPM.
In addition, this CNC wood cutting machine also has a 3.5kW horizontal speed. This helps to meet the horizontal machining requirements. You may need to use other electric tools to drill holes or make hinges on the panel side before. However, with this horizontal spindle, all horizontal drilling, and slotting work can be done in one operation. It doubles the efficiency.
You also need to carve table legs? That’s OK. The rotary device beside the table is designed for carving cylindrical parts. It can realize 3D carving of table legs, chair gets, handrails, building pillars, etc.
Let’s watch the video of this cool 3D wood carving machine.
Best CNC router for woodworking industrial production
The following CNC routers for woodworking are quite suitable for serious production work. They can run continuously to complete mass production for large woodwork businesses.
ELECNC 2130 auto labeling CNC wood cutting machine
If you’re not just satisfied with the ATC CNC router and want more hands-free, check out this machine.
It is equipped with an ATC spindle, HSD drill bank, automatic labeling device, and automatic loading & unloading platforms. These upgraded configurations will maximize automatic machining and improve machining efficiency.
The effective working size of this CNC wood cutting machine is 2100x3000x200mm. With the labeling, feeding, and unloading platform, the total length could be over 6m. You can also choose the common worktable size, such as 1300x2500mm and 1500x3000mm if you find 2130 is too large.
The automatic labeling device can paste the label to the corresponding panels automatically. This sets a good foundation for the subsequent punching process. It saves manual labeling time and reduces the error rate.
The HSD drill bank beside the ATC spindle has 5 vertical and 4 horizontal bits. It can complete both vertical and horizontal drilling work in one operation.
The two suction cups on the automatic feeding device can suck the panel. And then drag the panel to the table through the movement of the gantry. After all processing is completed, the push device pushes the panels to the unloading platform. You can pick up the boards on the unloading platform while the feeding device starts the feeding of the next panel. This greatly improves the efficiency of mass production.
Accordingly, the price of automated CNC routers for woodworking is relatively high. The specific price is subject to the specific configuration.
The video below shows the working demonstration of the 2130 automated CNC wood cutting machine.
Smart nesting CNC workstation
A large furniture factory will certainly not have only one CNC router machine. If you are considering expanding your business, please take a look at this smart cutting station first.
This workstation is suitable for mass production of various panel furniture, such as office furniture, cabinets, wardrobes, shelves, etc.
We also call it a 1+2 nesting CNC cell. 1 refers to the one set of automatic labeling machine, and 2 stands for the two nesting CNC routers for woodworking. With the conveyor platforms and a central control system, they form complete labeling and cutting connection line.
The imported high-speed automatic labeling machine can complete the labeling work with high efficiency. After labeling, the rollers convey the wooden panels to the two nesting CNC machines respectively. Then the two ELE1328 CNC routers for woodworking will cut the panels based on the given path.
Besides, you can connect your own wood CNC router to this line to improve the machine utilization rate.
The central control system automatically distributes panels for two CNC routers for woodworking. And the cutting efficiency is increased by at least 30%. 240 sheets can be processed in 8 hours.
You just need to copy the processing program into the central control system and start the machines. There’s no need to operate each machine separately.
Several shifts of working are possible for this nesting CNC station, reducing the labor limitation and standby time.
Let’s see how the nesting CNC cell works.
Conclusion
CNC routers for woodworking are essential machines for people in the woodworking industry. Different machine models are suitable for different processing needs. Therefore, when choosing a wood CNC machine for sale, be sure to clarify your own needs.
For example, business scale, processing materials, processing size, etc. If you are skilled at CNC machines, you can also determine the required spindle power, motor and drive power, etc. Besides, there is no need to worry even for newbies. Our professional sales team will customize the most suitable CNC routers for woodworking according to your needs.
What’s more, how much you can pay for the CNC wood router also matters. A sufficient budget can buy a wood CNC machine with high configurations. But I’m not suggesting spending more money on high-level configuration that you don’t need. What suits you best is the right one.
Blue Elephant provides a wide range of CNC routers for woodworking businesses of any scale. Over 8,000 customers witness the good quality and complete services of Blue Elephant. Come and make an inquiry!
