Is CNC cheating?

[Brian Harnett]

I consider it cheating when someone buys a cnc machine and uses files bought or shared instead of designing their work, I was on a facebook CNC group for a short time the level of file sharing of copyrighted material was astounding, I said something about it and all hell broke loose. Needles to say I am not part of the group anymore.

Its just a tool it has made my life way more effective and efficient and profitable.

[dlcw]

This argument has been ongoing for years. A CNC is just another tool, like a tablesaw, jointer or planer. It just takes new types of skills to use a CNC machine then it takes to run other woodshop power tools. People that get all hung up on powertools versus handtools are comparing apples to oranges. They are two different types of processes with the goal of achieving the same results.

[Red F]

I know I'm kind of a smart ass, but I named my router "Hand". Got around that "hand made" problem.

[coryatjohn]

The CNC machine to me is not only a tool, it's a capability that allows me to turn my ideas into material objects in a manner I would be unable to do with typical shop tools.

I'm currently working on a project that so far has consumed over 1,000 parts to build two mirror image pieces. A few days ago I was checking tolerance and the difference between the two parts was less than a 1/16". I wasn't surprised. There is no way possible that I, with my low level of skill, could turn out such a project without a CNC doing the intricate cutting.

[WaltzWorks]

If it is, don't tell my wife that I have one!

[gergistheword]

I know I'm preaching to the choir here but I gave up on my local woodworker's guild for the same reasons chiloquinruss did. I wanted to share what I had learned and learn from the other members. I participated in the annual shows. I went to monthly meetings. I considered getting involved in the board. I was the only one to enter and win in the "Best use of CNC or Laser" 2 years running and both years, I used my time accepting the award to argue that there should be no discrete category for CNC. It's about the final product, right? It's about learning to make something you've never made before, right?

In the third year, Scott Grove was brought in as a guest judge and speaker. If you are not familiar, he's an author and sculptor. He has some pretty closed-minded views on digital fabrication. His Ted Talk entitled "Your Craftsmen May Be Lying To You" is especially frustrating to watch. That year the CNC category was unceremoniously dropped from the show catalog the night before the show as well because there was "not enough interest". I had worked especially hard that year to make something that would not be attempted by hand. A pair of canoe paddles, twisted around each other and so thin you could see light through them. I guess took it rather personally since I had been the sole advocate of CNC in the guild. I and a few other vocal members took issue with Scott during his tear-down of CNC craft at the awards banquet. I finally snapped when he kept harping on about how all you need to do is "push a button" and the work comes off the machine finished with no effort. I asked where to buy one of these buttons. That was my last real involvement with the guild.

Here's Scott Video. It's especially funny when you know that he worked for Wendell Castle, one of my heroes in pushing the boundaries of design and woodcraft. http://www.wendellcastle.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfCOBDx4tvg

The tide is shifting. CNC craft is more appreciated now than ever. Uninteresting works can be made by hand or even faster on a CNC. As CNC becomes more common in shops, this argument will fade and the discussion will focus on the next frightening new tech to threaten those unwilling to give it a shot.

[bill.young]

It's interesting that you bring up Scott Grove...he has a Handibot with an indexer and I've been helping him out a bit.

[Rtibbs]

It's interesting that you bring up Scott Grove...he has a Handibot with an indexer and I've been helping him out a bit.

I guess that means he’s no longer a “Craftsmen”. He’s now, to use his own words, a Technocraftsmen”

[steve_g]

“Techno-Craftsman” … I kind of like that! If it makes someone feel better about themselves, they can call me that… It speaks to my woodworking skillset and my acceptance of the technology current in our day!

SG

[Bobtail Farms]

I know I'm kind of a smart ass, but I named my router "Hand". Got around that "hand made" problem.

LOL. (this parenthetical included because system message informs post >= 10 characters)