CNC machining, CAM development, and open-source manufacturing. I work on the CAM workbench in FreeCAD.
What I Learned Visiting Knox Makers
The FreeCAD North American meetup was hosted by Knox Makers in Knoxville, Tennessee in August 2026. I went for the meetup and came away thoroughly impressed with the host. These are my notes. Knox Makers is a big, mature space with about 450 active members. It runs on clear rules, distributed authority, and an uncompromising open-source stance. What struck me most was how much of it comes down to simple, repeatable processes that respect volunteer time. That’s a model worth copying, and most of it is cheap to copy. ...
The Machines Are Getting Cheap. The Toolpaths Are Not.
Something big is happening in desktop CNC. I don’t think most people see the problem hiding inside it. I work on the CAM workbench in FreeCAD. A lot of people have been sending me Facebook and Kickstarter links to a new wave of desktop milling machines. I’ve spent years thinking about how toolpaths get made and what they cost. So when I look at these machines, I don’t see what the Kickstarter videos show. I see a gap. This post is about that gap. ...