Community Spotlight

We want to introduce you to a local “Maker” and artisan; Matt Smith. Matt is a Columbia County resident, local business owner and enjoys wood working in his spare time. The wooden sign, (shown above), greeting folks to Lake City which is located at the Tourist Development Council offices, is one of his latest creations. Let’s dig a little deeper, and get to know how Matt got into being a creative Maker.

Matt was born in Southern Louisiana, attended school in Northern Louisiana, and has also lived in Mississippi and Arkansas before moving to Florida. In college, while studying for his engineering degree, Matt built his own computers, and tinkered with electronics. It was there that he was introduced to CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machines. Those early CNC devices only used to teach because they were so costly, however, so the students were never allowed to touch or operate them. Still, this engineering student could appreciate how versatile this tool would be on so many levels.

So you ask, “What is a CNC Machine“? A router that is being controlled by a computer, and related programs, in such a way that it will cut or create a precision design out of wood, metal or plastic materials. It allows the precise cutting necessary to engrave names and designs into wood, and to cut out shapes that are perfectly symmetrical every time. It is a precise woodworking tool, controlled by a computer and 3D modeling software.

After attaining his Master Degree in college, Mr. Smith worked for GE as a Mechanical Engineer. There he worked on a machine automation project which taught him a valuable insight into automating a process. Matt Stated “Automation is Easy to apply if you break the process down into several segments, then use ladder logic to complete the task.” Many simple devices, (like a limit switch), can make a complex automation task much simpler to accomplish. Ladder logic takes each segment, makes a decision, then presses forward to the next task; like checking to see if a space is vacant, before advancing a conveyer belt to deliver a new part.

Over the next couple of decades, Matt worked as a plant manager overseeing the automated manufacturing lines of a Construction Materials manufacturer. In this capacity, Matt found the benefits of working with an employment placement agency made his job easier, when looking for specific talent in the engineer career fields he was hiring for. This is important, because it inspired him to open his own employment agency, years later.

Matt and his family moved to Florida in 2012, first landing in Micanopy, then a year later settling in High Springs where they now reside. Matt opened “Express Employment Professionals” in Lake City, 2 years later in November of 2016. Now he helps to find staff for other business owners looking for specialized talent, reliable employees and temporary assistance.

Meanwhile, Matt & his wife went Christmas shopping in 2015 and they fell in love with some Christmas ornaments they found. These were not just any ornaments, they were custom monogrammed with your name on them, made from wood. They were made on a CNC router, similar to the ones Matt studied on in College. A light bulb went off in his mind. Decades had passed, and he was sure the cost had come down on this technology, similar to the way other technologies had become more affordable. And, to his utter delight, when he researched it he found out that the machines which previously cost tens of thousands of dollars, now that they had scaled down to personal sized devices, could be obtained for a couple thousand dollars or less.

With his engineering background, Matt found it more interesting, and much more affordable, to build his own CNC Router system. His research had yielded open source plans, ideas, software and designs for Do-It-Yourself people to build their own CNC equipment, both for additive and reductive manufacturing processes, (3D Printing, or CNC Routing). He set out to build his first CNC Router in early 2016.

By building his own system, he could build it to whatever size he wanted, which was important. Many of the commercially available systems were either too big or too small for his desired projects. Too big was too expensive, and too small was, well, too small. He decided to build a 36″ square bed for his first system. It took about 3 months to research the parts needed, build the frame and bed, and connect all of the electronics to it to make it functional. He said he felt complete and utter joy when he programmed the machine to cut a perfect circle in a piece of wood, and it did so effortlessly. Something a human simply couldn’t do by him or herself.

Matt was kind enough to share many of his learnings, from his experience. He stated that a person should assemble the electronics, motors, and controllers first, test everything, then assemble the bed, frame, ball rods and gantry. In addition, he offered this sage advice: He said once you get the machine working, spend time learning about the materials you are cutting, and the limitation of the router bits you use. By learning about different hardness’s of material, and the rate of cutting needed, you can extend the life of your bits and equipment, significantly! Otherwise you spend half your time and lots of money replacing bits. Also laying out the shapes on a block of wood using software, to minimize the loss or waste of wood, takes practice and time to learn.

The CNC Router that Matt built cost him around $800, but he admitted he had a lot of wood and materials already on-hand, so with a little coaxing he admitted I might have to spend a couple hundred dollars more to build the same unit. Still, a CNC router that I could operate from home for around $1,000 sure sounds like a deal when it used to cost tens of thousands of dollars to purchase one.

Open Source technology coupled with low cost electronics is what helps to make this equipment so affordable. The design includes an Arduino controller, a Break-out Board for motor control and firmware called GRBL as the microprocess controller for the system. Value is around $100 for these items, as shown below.

I asked Matt what the first project he made on his new CNC router was. “Christmas Ornaments, Of Course” is what he told me. We can assume they had the “Smith” family name on them… I’m quite sure his wife was pleased with his efforts as well.

Now Matt uses the CNC router he built as a hobby tool that pays for itself. He makes engraved items from wood; like cutting boards, and leather items like patches or belts for area clients, who give them as gifts to their employees or valued customers. He typically makes small batches of products like a dozen or a few dozen items for a client, since the materials are still hand fed into his CNC machine. He also uses the CNC Router to make modifications to itself, and is using it to build components for the next CNC Router which will be a little larger. The money he makes from these projects goes into purchasing more router bits, accessories and to pay for maintenance to his equipment.

Matt Smith is a family man, an engineer and a local business owner who is active in his community. He also has a hobby that is self sustaining, continuously educational and deeply rewarding. I am so thrilled to say that Matt has agreed to assist us at the Columbia County Makerspace assemble our first CNC Router, as he desires to teach others about this exciting technology. Matt is a teacher at heart, and wants to get young kids involved with technology sooner rather than later in life. He attests that his own son is studying to be a mechanical engineer, largely as a result of being exposed to technology at an early age.

We are now talking with Matt about a series of classes that we will host, during which we will learn about and ultimately construct our own CNC Router. Thank you Matt, for inspiring us all to learn more about Computer Navigation Control, and for being a role model to our next generation.

We want to introduce you to a local “Maker” and artisan; Matt Smith. Matt is a Columbia County resident, local business owner and enjoys wood working in his spare time. The wooden sign, (shown above), greeting folks to Lake City which is located at the Tourist Development Council offices, is one of his latest creations.…

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