Machine Shop: Intro to CNC Mill
Learn the essentials of the CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) Mill and how to safety operate it, and cut some metal!
On day one, you’ll learn the essentials of BARN’s CNC mill, tool library, and techniques for safe operation. We’ll cover CNC mill basics, beginning with details of the machine and understanding lathe motion on the X, Y, and Z axes. You'll also learn about selecting and establishing part-zeros, various tools, function, feeds, and speeds.
On the second day, we'll spend the morning learning Fusion 360's CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) tools to generate G-code (the language that instructs the CNC machine what to do and where to do it). These skills are essential in machining complex parts beyond what one could achieve on a manual mill. After lunch, we’ll load a model created by one of the students into Fusion 360, examine and prove the CAM setup and G-code, cut some air, and then cut some metal.
Details
If you have a model (Fusion .F3D, or .STEP files) you're interested in working from, please bring it on a thumb drive.
Prerequisites
- Machine Shop: Orientation.
- Machine Shop: Make a Nut (Intro to the Mill), or the ability to demonstrate competency on either vertical mill.
- Machine Shop: Centroid CNC.
Materials
- A $10 materials fee included in the cost of the class covers what is needed.
Class Policies
- Ages 14 and up are welcome.
Instructor
Eli Backer is an artist, composer, and engineer who works in a wide range of media and is constantly making. A Bainbridge native, she holds a master's degree in glass from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a bachelor's in computer engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Her work can be found in the Cynthia Sears Artist’s Books Collection at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, at the Center for Book Arts in NYC, and at the Fleet Library in Providence, R.I. She finds setting type and working with the presses quite meditative. In the Print and Book Studio, this monitor can certify people to use these pieces of equipment: metal type setting, wood type setting, the Vandercook proof press, the provisional presses, and the Challenge press.
Related Events
Check out other events you might be interested in!
Machine Shop Orientation
Learn about basic metal cutting, and the tools used for drilling, turning, milling, sawing, and grinding.
December 28, 2026
Machine Shop Orientation
Learn about basic metal cutting, and the tools used for drilling, turning, milling, sawing, and grinding.
December 14, 2026
Metal Fab Tidy-Friday
Time for the Metal-Fab team to get together to perform needed cleaning and maintenance, and our all-important camaraderie.
December 11, 2026