Hello. I am another new member from west Cumbria (cockermouth). I am a complete CNC beginner and hoping to learn enough to purchase a good value machine and have it working for me in the early new year.

My specific interest is 3d hardwood carving. I am looking at machines with bed size up to around 1200mm square, with working depth of at least 75mm. I may start with something smaller though to get the hang of it.

I would be grateful if someone could point me to CNC beginners guides, books, tutorials, online tips etc. I am currently trying to get my head around the different types of hardware and software, and how it all works together, before taking the plunge and getting my credit card out.

You will be hearing plenty from me in the near future, with posts desperately begging for help as I struggle to achieve my goals. At the moment I am a bit intimidated by it all as I try to get my head around the whole process. I am no stranger to steep learning curves however. My last big project was a self build house. My motto is 'how hard can it be?'

Chris