You’re seeing them more and more often on the internet: images of ornaments and family crests/ coat of arms created using a CNC milling machine. The commercial availability of high-quality 3D scanners and very cheap CNC machines means that virtually anyone, without any training or knowledge of the art of ornamentation and woodcarving, can bring all sorts of copied items to market. Don’t be misled by ‘good reviews’ or the appearance of images offered online.
Sellers or ‘makers’ are not always entirely accurate or clear in their online communication about how these milled panels and family crests/coat of arms were produced. But fortunately, there are still a number of manufacturers who are honest about their production processes and make it clear that their work was produced using CNC machinery. However, this group is very small.
Grand terms such as ‘expert’, ‘handmade’, ‘craftsmanship’, ‘tradition’, ‘artisanal woodcarving’, etc... are recurring commercial ‘triggers’, and combined with a lack of the necessary specialist knowledge among the general public, these terms on social media are easy pickings. An audience that is becoming increasingly uninformed; and with the disappearance of highly specialised training programmes and skilled tradespeople who can still recognise true high-end craftsmanship, this knowledge is also vanishing from our society, and the internet and social media are gradually being replaced by slick, empty rhetoric images.
There is a
growing number of people who cannot tell the difference between traditional
craftsmanship and work milled using a CNC machine. These days, it is all too
easy to fool such people with flashy photographs and quick-fix solutions
produced using new techniques such as CNC milling, 3D printing and AI.
Fortunately,
however, I have completed 11 years of training – six years as a cabinetmaker
and four years as a woodcarver – and have been a self-employed ornamental
woodcarver for 35 years, so I can safely say that I am someone who very easily
recognises these online pitfalls and smooth talk when it comes to my craft.
Sometimes I
do take the trouble to confront these ‘makers’ on social media about their
claims of ‘handmade’ and keep asking them why they don’t simply say it’s made
with a CNC machine. And then they always start beating about the bush,
constantly looking for excuses, saying that it’s a lot of work – sometimes
taking up to four weeks – a claim I regard as a lie. Or they bring up the fact
that there is some finishing work involved.
This
finishing work (sanding) consists of removing the milling marks or
imperfections left behind by the CNC router on the surface of the wood, and in
doing so they give themselves carte blanche to claim that their CNC-made
product was also created by hand.
It is
common knowledge in the woodworking sector that a CNC-machined relief or family
crest /coat of arms in wood looks ‘lifelessly’ stiff or metallic; this cheap-looking finish
is often due to a lack of the necessary training or an inability to give depth
or relief to the milled surface. Because a milling machine does exactly what it
is instructed to do and is very limited in its capabilities, it strips the
milled product of all its natural vitality and character.
The lack of natural movement, the undercuts in the wood carving, the carved facets –etc.. all of this is missing, which is why these pieces look and feel lifeless.
The
complexity of a hand-crafted family coat of arms, created by a woodcarver with
professional experience spanning decades, cannot possibly be replicated by a
CNC machine. This skilled craftsman has built up years of expertise and
possesses a sense of design and a mastery of fine detail, which ultimately
makes all the difference visually.
It is
precisely these small but significant details that ensure handmade products
result in a high-quality, artisanal item – one that offers added value to the
purchase, intended for people with a long-term vision.
I come along every week myself, as I also teach a woodcarving course at a school that has four professional CNC-controlled milling machines, and I regularly bring along a hand-carved family crest or ornament to show the teachers/operators of these CNC machines so they can comment on my latest carving. Always love their reaction.
And I’m always told, ‘We
can do a lot, but the character and depth in your carvings – that’s something even our
machines can’t achieve.’ And that’s always nice to hear; it strokes my ego.
For the
true connoisseur, CNC-milled work – whether ornaments or family crests/ coat of arms – has no
lasting value in the long run, because it lacks the unique character and
artisanal finesse that distinguish it from hand-carved creativity. After all,
authentic craftsmanship is recognisable by its subtle details and personal
touch, something that machine production can never fully replicate.
Legacy
Moreover,
whilst the original value of works by a woodcarving artist only increases over
time, the value of a machine-machined piece – or even mass-produced items –
declines. Naturally, such machine-produced pieces or copies lack recognition.
The lack of
character, craftsmanship and artistry – combined with any potential future
collector’s or antique value – will ensure that your ‘CNC identity or family
name’ is used in a very cheap way to put your family story in the spotlight: an
heirloom or solution that will ultimately remain irrevocably linked to the
client. And that is actually a great pity.
CNC sold online
Furthermore,
even some manufacturers of CNC milling machines who sell and promote their
machines online do not always provide accurate visual information. With a
number of manufacturers, it is clear that AI has influenced the images of the
milling results, and in some images of CNC machines, the end result shown is
one that is impossible to achieve with that particular machine or technique.
In other words,
the unsuspecting customer who may be considering purchasing a CNC machine is
misled from the very start.
Here are a few examples of CNC milling machines, with AI-processed photos or examples of milling work that cannot be achieved with these machines; the red arrows indicate these.
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| Not possible with this machine ( red arrow) |
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| Image as seen is not possible to make with this machine. |
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| The image featuring elephants was created by AI |
.jpg "CNC milling machines | Coat of arms & crests made with a CNC milling machine.") |
| https://www.patrickdamiaens.info |
