About the CNC Cookbook

The CNC Cookbook is all about collecting Information for Machinists, and providing Software like G-Wizard to Machinists.

5 years ago, I started out CNCCookbook in an effort to clean up and organize a mess of notes, project logs, and other machining information to make things easier to track down, and so others can benefit. It's been quite a journey, and today, I have a decent-sized mill I've converted to CNC, a bunch of time spent making things with the mill and lathe, a lot of time spent talking to other machinists and researching a variety of machining topics, as well as time spent with Fadal and Haas milling machines.

By profession, I am a software engineer and entrepreneur. I've founded or participated in 5 software startups so far. Inevitably, I have turned those skills to the Machining realm which resulted in G-Wizard, my machinist's calculator. When calculating feeds and speeds, and many other subjects, it's hard to do it all by hand, even if you've amassed all the formulas and reference materials. There are just too many steps to build it all in and get it done in a reasonable time. G-Wizard encapsulates all that learning as software so you can get the benefit of all the rules of thumb my research has uncovered just by entering a few simple parameters into the calculator. It's available for trial on the G-Wizard page, and I encourage you to give it a shot. It may just save you a lot of time too!

BTW, my very first startup resulted in Quattro Pro, the spreadsheet, so I know a thing or two about Calculator software. If you're interested in the Software Business or in starting and running your own company, I also write a blog called Smoothspan that is devoted to that. One of the things I notice about the world of software for the Machinist, is that it isn't very up to date compared with mainstream software. CNCCookbook's Software and Strategy are different in some very fundamental ways that will benefit its users tremendously.

CNCCookbook is organized into the following sections:

- Blog: A collection of short articles that cover interesting things I find on the web or what I'm currently working on.

- Dictionary: A dictionary of largely CNC-related terminology to put together as part of my learning process.

- Cookbook: A series of short articles and notes pages where I've recorded some of my learnings about machine work and CNC. This is the theory and tips portion of the site.

- Workshop: Information about my workshop as well as my Home Shop Hall of Fame that chronicles some really great shops others have built. You'll find ideas for organization as well as just photos of lots of shops.

- Projects: Articles about the things I've made in my shop as well as my "wish list" of things yet to be built.

- Videos: A few videos taken around my shop. Once you get into CNC, video is key because things are moving.

- Resources: Web links galore for suppliers, individuals, and other useful information sources.

- About: You are here!

To learn the fascinating art of the machinist, I used a number of resources as well as practical hands-on experience. It occurs to me that some may want to know more about where all this stuff comes from. Let me describe my learning and editorial process with respect to online information. I read a number of online machinist discussion groups daily, especially Practical Machinist, CNC Zone, and many other sources. In addition, I will frequently go out and research various topics by searching such forums and by using Google. I don't have time to write everything interesting I encounter up for the blog or the other CNC Cookbook pages. When I find something interesting, but don't write about it immediately, I add the link together with a description to my del.icio.us pagewhich has well over 1000 links as I write this.

It is amazing what you can learn if you put your mind to it. We live in a time when access to information has never been easier. I want to thank the many individuals in the extended Internet machinist's community, both professionals and amateurs, who facilitated this process for me. I hope you can benefit from the Information and Software for Machinist's provided by CNCCookbook.

Sincerely,

Bob Warfield