Wondering what else to do with your new CNC milling machine? There are tons of projects and plans available to keep you busy, and the good news is that you can also opt to purchase used CNC milling machines and they all don’t have to be used in the machine shop.
If you have the creative bug and want to put your handy skills to work, keep reading to gather some DIY ideas that are as fun as they are useful.
Laptop Stand
Having good posture is fun, right? Well straighten up and build yourself an elevated laptop stand to keep from hunching over. If you are into CNC milling as much as we are, you’ll be spending quite a bit of time designing new projects on your computer. A laptop stand is a useful tool that will aid you in your quest to design more fun plans for your milling machine!
Christmas Tree Ornaments
Snowflakes, tiny toboggans, Christmas trees- all great ideas for your CNC mill! People cherish home-made gifts around the holidays, so give hand them out with joy as you save money and have fun designing your own set of ornaments. Plus, it will be a handy tool to help explain what is a CNC mill to your relatives.
Animal Coat Hangers
Once you get the hang of the milling process, test out your skills by attempting to make 3-dimensional coat hangers. Take the faces of a few different animals and stack their features to give this some depth. Start with a broad face and add ears, pile on the eyes, mouth and a nose long enough to hold up a small jacket. Hang these down low so your kids can reach them. Show me a kid who doesn’t want to hang their jacket on a pig’s snout and I’ll show you, well, another project idea.
Lamp Covers
We’re not talking about your granddad’s desk lamp. This is a chance to get creative and use a light source to cast an interesting mixture of light and shadows on the wall. Think planetarium. If mapping out the constellations sounds like a fun task, use your milling machine to puncture tiny holes in a piece that will entirely encase a lightbulb. be The holes will cast light, projecting star constellations onto the walls and ceiling of a bedroom.
Serving Tray
The people at Inventables have tons of useful projects for your CNC milling machine. One we liked was a serving tray. A multi-piece tray will have to be fit together after milling processing. The fun part about this is you can mill any design of your choosing onto the surface of the tray. Finish with epoxy for a durable water-resistant piece that will hold up to lots of use.
Light Switch Cover
A fun and cost-efficient way to update your house is to design and mill your own light switch covers. Try testing out different bits to etch eye-catching designs into the face of these otherwise boring home necessities.
Done Milling About?
Hopefully, you’re charged up with enough ideas to get you going on your CNC Milling. Simply choose the best small CNC mill and start milling. Remember that these projects are supposed to be fun, so take some creative liberties! But if you still need some inspiration, check out some of our other tips for handymen to get you going.
