How to Use a CNC Mill to Create Miniatures for Rpgs, Painting and Display

My name is Sam and i am a student at Minnetonka High School. This is a guide on how to create miniatures for games like dnd using a Cnc router. With that said, let’s get started!

Materials:

• Wood sheet of you choice
• If you choose to use hardwoods, go with oak, maple, to walnut or for softwoods use pine, or cedar

Tools:

• CNC router
• Fine grit sandpaper
• Wood saw of choice (if chosen wood will not fit on router)

This is not a guide on how to make the models of the miniatures but rather a guide on how to take it from a digital model to a physical one.

The first thing you will need to do is locate or create the model for your miniature. (If you are designing it you should do it in Autodesk which is the service this tutorial is set up for. That aside, it is a great computer design software that i would highly recommend). You can chose whatever 2d model you want though you should be aware of the limitations of the cnc machine you are using. To make 3d figures you will need to assemble several 2d parts. Using this method you can create a ton of cool (albeit boxy) stuff.

First you up will need to obtain the wood that you want to cut your miniature out of. The piece of wood should be as uniform as possible and lacking imperfections like knots as these might ruin your miniature. You should also look to see if the sheet of wood is warped or curved. If it is, don’t use it. Finally, check to be sure that the sheet of wood you are using will fit in your router. If it will not, cut it to size.

Opening your model:

1. Run the Autodesk Fusion 360, then from the file menu click the open button
2. Select open from my computer and select the model you want to use
3. You should now see your model though it might take a moment to load

From this point on I don’t feel comfortable giving instructions as Ther are others that are far more qualified than I am to do so. I will include a link to a video that does a great job of explaining the rest of the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsSWVtjp8c0. Once you have followed the video, you are almost done!

Once you have the miniature, sand down any rough edges or parts that the machine might not have gotten perfect.

After that you can paint you miniature and play whatever game your heart desires with it or just enjoy looking at it. Have fun making your miniatures!