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I’ve had my XC for almost a year and I would consider my self pretty good at getting my ideas on wood.
For software I tend to design everything on Sketch-up and transfer to V-carve. If you don’t have V-carve a solution is to still design on Sketch-up, save as an SVG and send to Makercam then Easle.
Wasteboards are kinda a pain to replace so I try to save mine with green foam insulation that is super cheap and can be bought at any home improvement store.
Double sided tape is a must have and the easy route is to buy carpet tape but there are better tapes out there. I use double sided masking tape.
There are some pricey tools that are also helpful and one thing I am glad I got is my wood planer. This allows me to buy bulk wood, or grab scrap and make it exactly the thickness I need.
Dust is another gremlin and shop vacs help but they are loud and I don’t like the idea of running them for hours on long projects so I use a dedicated dust collector. I have other wood working tools like lathes, bandsaws, table saws… So I use this for everything but I know it can run all day if I needed it to.
It can. I have that exact same planer, upgraded to a Byrd Shelix cutterhead (worth every dime, incidentally) and it’s a real winner! I’ve gone down to 1/8", and it handles it just fine. Combined with a good band saw to resaw stock, there’s VERY little you can’t make from rough!
I have the makita one and I used it to plane a 4mm board for my slingshot the other day. so I’m fairly certain 1/8" is perfectly doable, and it would surprise me if dewalt didn’t at least match that.
As far as I can tell, they’re the best planer on the market that’s not a big three-phase floorstanding unit. Particularly when upgraded with the Shelix!
I have the same planer, and with material attached to a backer board, I have planed hardwoods to .125". Could probably go thinner. The Dewalt DW735 is a great planer!
