Meet The Self-Made Woodworker Who Works Out of His Garage
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CNC inlay master @Broinwood shows me his unique crafting process firsthand. He shares his strategies behind pricing, marketing, and selling high-ticket CNC products. This video is all about inspiring you to fuel your passion and elevate your CNC game! Enjoy!
What to watch next! 5 High Profit Christmas Projects https://youtu.be/Gi6tnXkghWI
Check out His Amazing Work Here - https://www.youtube.com/@Broinwood Nik's course - https://broinwood.com/products/how-i-am-finding-inlay-parameters
Free Resources: CNC Supply Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/supply-guide/ Perfect Project Checklist - https://thecncsidehustle.com/checklist/ Pricing For Maximum Profits Guide - https://thecncsidehustle.com/pricing-profits/ Join my Free CNC community - https://discord.gg/UtRjnsurc4 The full list of tools and supplies I recommend - https://www.andybirdbuilds.com/tools-i-use
Courses and Training: Create Projects You’re Proud Of - https://thecncsidehustle.com/kickstart-special/ Turn Your CNC Woodworking Into Income - https://thecncsidehustle.com/special/ Live CNC Side Hustle Group Coaching - https://www.cnc.school/membership
CNC Machines I Recommend: Shapeoko - https://shop.carbide3d.com/andybirdbuilds Avid - https://www.avidcnc.com/creator Genmitsu 4040 Pro Max - https://tidd.ly/4kCoTht
Additional Resources I Recommend: IDC Router Bits - https://idcwoodcraft.com/?ref=ANDYBIRD Vectric CAD/CAM software - https://vectric.com/andybird Learn Vectric Software - SAVE 10% with code ANDYBIRD https://academy.learnyourcnc.com/a/2147507626/MFYZkVCU Vacuum Workholding - https://airweights.com/?ref=nnmqojog Save 10% with code ANDYBIRD
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Nick offered a $500 discount to a client he deeply respected for a $2,000 cutting board, but the client refused the discount and insisted on paying the full price, even increasing appreciation for Nick's design work.
“I got very interesting order and I really wanted to make and that person is kind of I respect that person yeah and I really wanted to make the design and I offered 500 discount so the board usually cost 2,000 and I offered 500 discount just because I really want I really wanted to make this board and when I sent him design he sent me message back that you exceed my expectation I will pay you 2,000 and it's nonnegotiable”
Nick's first CNC machine was a very cheap model that he describes as 'awful' with quality issues, which taught him that producing high-quality results with cheap equipment is a real challenge.
“we had um the cheapest and I mean if you will scroll down my Instagram you will see my first CNC and it was awful and then I decided something wrong with that CNC”
Nick finds that people often overestimate how easy CNC woodworking is after seeing YouTube videos, not understanding the complexity until they attempt it themselves.
“I thought yeah it's kind of easy I can do the same thing”
Nick credits learning design and CNC operation to a combination of self-study, experimentation, and continuous iteration rather than formal instruction or external courses.
“when you first uh started doing this was how long did you have any experience with with vectric or did you like designing or anything like that no so just right from the beginning you just kind of jumped from SC so I I even didn't know how to run CC so I mean I started from zero and how many years ago was that uh five years ago five years ago”
Nick uses hydraulic press units with metal frames and bottle jacks to apply pressure during inlay assembly, finding that proper pressure is essential for achieving tight gaps and good results, and he has built multiple presses as his business scaled and boards got larger.
“my first lay I tried I just put some weight and I noticed that first of all I used uh 60° rad through bits okay so uh and I put some weight like maybe 20 lb or 30 lb uh to the my to my inlay and I didn't get very good result I understand that I need more pressure yeah so I went to Harbor Freight and bought some cheapest uh bottle jack press I mean like metal frame and nothing special so I just slightly uh adjusted for my needs”
Nick started his CNC woodworking business 5 years ago with zero knowledge of both CNC machining and woodworking, beginning in a two-car garage with space constraints.
“I started this from scratch with uh zero knowledge about CNC and about woodworking 5 years ago”
Nick's most complex project was a house design containing 1,700 individual elements spread across 11 layers, requiring significant design work to correctly split and arrange elements for proper CNC execution.
“the house was like 17 let you tell them uh house contains 1,700 elements I I actually it's a bit more I just can't remember the exact numbers but uh there was 11 11 layers”
CNC work involves continuous learning because wood behavior varies significantly across different parameters (feed rate, speed, RPM) and grain types (end grain vs face grain), making it an endless learning process.
“it's a endless process I mean you always need to learn so to learn how the wood uh will behave in a different situation I mean in a different feed rate speed rates RPMs and Etc uh phase grain end grain you need to learn everything about there's a lot to learn”
Nick has experienced severe burnout from working 3+ months in a row without days off and 10-12 hour workdays, which caused him to stop posting content and withdraw from social media last year.
“sometimes I worked like three months in a row without any day offs and I could spend in the shop like 10 to 12 hours just to make uh cutting boards to design them and Etc”
Nick's most common design request from clients is to ask about the specific CNC parameters (feed rate, speed, RPM) needed for different router bits, which is why he created a short video course focused specifically on finding proper parameters for inlay work.
“most common question to me it uh what is your parameter so and there is no constant numbers for different bits you need to use different numbers for the inlay so and I created my own small short video course where I'm explaining how to find proper parameters”
Nick's second CNC machine (Axiom) was extensively modified and upgraded by him personally, including replacement of all stepper motors to increase rigidity and precision compared to the stock configuration.
“we decided to buy this machine uh this is axom it was axom uh right now we completely rebuild this yeah so this is modified it's modified modified axium I modified it I mean yeah we I I switched I changed all of the uh stepper Motors”
Nick performs fit-test milling of pockets before cutting the final inlay plugs to verify that the inlay will fit without gaps, requiring cleaning of both the pocket and the test plug to ensure proper validation.
“usually I mean when I get yeah when I get a new rotor be I need to uh run meal test just to make sure that my uh inlay will fit perfectly so since this new beat what what we can do uh I can just run uh the pocket so M the pocket and then before we will uh M the plug I will need to run meal test to make sure that everything will fit perfectly without any gaps without any anything”
Simple cutting board designs can take 4 hours of design layout work even when they contain no complex elements, demonstrating the time-intensive nature of achieving visual quality in repetitive patterns.
“but I spent 4 hours just to make layouts what I really like I mean and it seems this is really nothing special about the design but I still spent a lot of time just to make it lay”
The critical difference between end grain and face grain wood is fiber direction: end grain has fibers going perpendicular to the cutting surface (up), so the router bit goes around them with minimal chipping, while face grain has fibers going in multiple directions, making it much more prone to chipping and tearout.
“for me it's the biggest difference it's a fiber Direction so andrain the fibers go up and when we Mill the rotor be just go around them and there is almost zero chance to get chips or something like this the little fine details chipping out you don't have that with I don't have any problems with end grain but for face grain just because the Fiers goes in the different directions and they goes kind of across the road through bit it's much easier to get these chips and the teer uh your piece apart”
The majority of Nick's clients currently come from YouTube and Instagram, with Instagram showing stronger momentum due to recent algorithm improvements that make it easier to gain visibility than it was five years ago.
“most of my clients they come from YouTube uh right now I have more clients from Instagram just because Instagram I know I'm not sure they changed uh their algorithm alith yeah so and now to gain uh more views and attract more people much easier than it was before I mean when it was five years ago”
Nick uses Vectric software and vector design files to create cutting board designs, initially purchasing vector files from stock sources like Shutterstock, but now employs a dedicated artist to create original designs.
“in the beginning I used to buy some Vector files from shatter sto and something like this uh then I found artist uh and we started working together”
Nick's average custom cutting board price is approximately $1,500, though this varies, with his most recent orders ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 each depending on complexity.
“my average price for the custom build is about uh 1,500 but it's average just because some of them cheaper some of them more expensive”
Nick's custom PVC-based clamping system uses 3/4-inch MDF as a wasteboard with milled hold-down points, and 3/4-inch PVC pipe as clamps, which is fast, reliable, and safe because the soft PVC will not damage CNC bits if accidentally contacted.
“you just have PVC pipe yeah on the edges and then you're just using these to yeah dve it that's really it's again it's fast I mean it's hold very well yeah I like that so you just have PVC pipe yeah on the edges and then you're just using these to yeah dve it that's really it's again it's fast I mean it's hold very well”
Nick's clients frequently have different visual expectations than what he initially imagines, but he usually exceeds their expectations through careful design refinement, suggesting his design taste may be more refined than typical clients'.
“I like what you do though like because everybody has a vision in their mind like I want it to look like this yeah and sometimes we have different Visions just because in my mind the picture should look like yeah this one yeah in client's mind it should look in a different way usually I'm exceeding their expectation”
Nick preferred clients who give him creative freedom and say 'you can do whatever you want,' as he considers these his favorite projects because they allow him to exercise full creative judgment.
“sometimes uh clients uh they want it's actually it's my favorite part when they uh came with just idea and say you can do whatever you want so uh one of my clients uh he asked to make a cutting board uh for him and his brother with the forest Beetle [9:57] and he just described the main idea what he's wanting and the last part I like it he said but you can do whatever you want I will happy to have whatever you make so I mean it's really I really grateful uh yeah and uh I offered the design and he really loved it so I put a lot of meanings he asked me to put and he loved this design and me personally too so it's my favorite part when clients they just give me uh freedom to action”
Nick's brother joined him in the woodworking business, but even with his brother's help, Nick still has to handle design work and client communication, creating a significant workload bottleneck.
“I mean it's my problem too even when my brother helped me to do the work I mean I still need to film the process I design talk with clients I mean there's it's just too much for one person”
Nick's first Instagram client came organically from him interacting with other users' content—he liked pictures of random people, they saw his work, and requested a custom cutting board, which was his initial revenue source.
“five years ago I got my for first uh clients uh client uh through the Instagram I just went uh through the Instagram and liked some pictures of uh random people and they could see my work and after that I got first request to make a cutting board”
The interviewer and Nick both spent approximately 1 hour designing the current demonstration project, which represents an intermediate complexity level relative to Nick's range of work.
“so we spent here like uh 1 hour to design your cutting board approximately”
Nick's StepCraft CNC machine is currently being used for a project whose details he's keeping unrevealed for future video content.
“for biggest bigger projects I have uh stepcraft it's currently making something that you'll have to wait to see what it is”
Nick describes his shop as 'not fancy' and just a 'regular messy garage or workshop,' suggesting he maintains a humble perspective on his physical workspace despite its being a full commercial operation.
“I mean there is nothing fancy it's just regular uh messy garage or shop Workshop I don't think it's I think it's cool”
The interviewer had never previously understood the difference between face grain and end grain before visiting Nick's shop, suggesting this is domain-specific knowledge not widely understood outside woodworking.
“The first thing I learned today when I walked in is about face grain and end grain and I know it's like second nature to you but for me and for someone that doesn't do vcars day in and day out explain the difference”
The Samurai-themed cutting board Nick showed weighs close to 50 pounds, demonstrating the substantial material density and size of his complex custom pieces.
“when you ship these it's like almost almost 50 lb close to 50 lbs with package”
Nick just received a new custom order during the filming session, illustrating the frequency and timing of incoming commissions.
“by the way I got new order he got an order right now that's awesome”