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DIY Smart Saw review: what you actually get
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DIY Smart Saw (CNC)
A low-cost manual and video series for building your own small CNC router, according to the vendor. Budget separately for motors, electronics and materials.
What is DIY Smart Saw, exactly?
The name and the sales video make it sound like a saw you buy. It isn’t. DIY Smart Saw is a set of instructions for building your own small CNC router: a machine that moves a spinning cutter along three axes under computer control, so it can cut, carve and engrave shapes you draw on screen.
The vendor’s own footnote says the product “contains a manual and a playlist of videos that are downloadable from your personal member area”. It’s sold through ClickBank (vendor ID cncwood) from the site diymagicmachine.com. We haven’t built the machine ourselves. This review is based on the sales page, the vendor’s FAQ and order form, and published descriptions from buyers. Where a figure comes from the vendor, we say so.
What’s inside the package?
| Part | What the vendor describes | Our note |
|---|---|---|
| Build manual (PDF) | Step-by-step written instructions split into four phases, with illustrated 3D drawings of each part | Buyers describe it as detailed, with imperial and metric measurements |
| Build videos | A downloadable video series (seven “Hobby” parts on the download page) showing the machine being assembled | Downloadable, so you can watch offline in the workshop |
| Parts and tools list | A full list of the tools and parts used, given up front | Price every item before you start |
| 3D parts viewer | A web app showing every part with dimensions and CAD files | Large download if you want it offline |
| Bonus | A “101 Woodworking” video training | General skills, useful if you’re new to tools |
| Upsells at checkout | A larger “XXL” machine plan and a library of project plans | Optional; you can decline both |
The order form lists a single payment of $39 and ClickBank’s 60-day refund window. Prices and bundles can change, so check the checkout page.
DIY Smart Saw (CNC)
A low-cost manual and video series for building your own small CNC router, according to the vendor. Budget separately for motors, electronics and materials.
How big is the machine and what can it cut?
According to the vendor’s FAQ, the finished machine is about 740 mm wide, 1,200 mm long and 1,610 mm tall (29 × 47 × 63 in) and the cutting area is about 372 × 385 mm with 135 mm of height (roughly 14.6 × 15.2 × 5.3 in).
That working area suits signs, plaques, small boxes, toy parts, engraving, inlays and small furniture components. It won’t cut a full sheet of plywood or a tabletop in one go. The sales page lists projects like coffee tables and surfboards; on a machine this size you’d be cutting parts of those in sections, not whole panels.
The vendor also says a first-time builder should finish in under four days once all the parts have arrived. Treat that as their estimate; allow longer if you’ve never wired electronics.
What else will you need to buy?
This is the part the sales video skips over. The guide is cheap. The machine isn’t free. Before you buy, budget for:
- Motion parts: stepper motors, motor drivers, a power supply, linear rails or rods, bearings and lead screws.
- A cutting tool: a trim router or spindle, plus router bits.
- Frame materials: sheet material, timber or extrusions, fixings.
- Software and a PC: the vendor says the machine is controlled with Mach3, Windows software that runs G-code. You’ll also want CAD software to draw designs and CAM software to turn them into toolpaths. Older Mach3 set-ups used a PC parallel port, which most modern computers don’t have, so check whether you’ll need a USB or Ethernet motion controller.
- Safety kit: eye and hearing protection, dust extraction and an emergency stop.
Put every item from the parts list into a spreadsheet with local prices before you commit. For most builders, the hardware will cost many times more than the guide.
Who is DIY Smart Saw good for, and who should skip it?
Good fit: tinkerers who enjoy a technical project, makers who already own basic tools and want to understand how a CNC router works by building one, and anyone who’d rather learn the mechanics than buy a sealed box.
Skip it if: you’re a complete beginner who just wants to start making things this weekend, you want a warranty and support, or you need a large cutting area. In those cases a ready-made desktop CNC kit with its own software and support may be better value. And if you haven’t yet got the basics, start with our beginner woodworking tools list and projects you can build with basic tools.
Our verdict: is it worth it?
As a low-cost way to get a full set of build instructions for a small DIY CNC router, DIY Smart Saw looks reasonable value: one payment, a detailed manual, build videos, a parts viewer and a 60-day refund window. The weak points are the marketing, which makes it sound like a push-button machine, and the lack of a written contents list on the sales page.
Go in with the right expectations: you’re buying a project, not a tool. If you want a CNC router to make things to sell, read our guide to woodworking projects that sell first, plan where the machine will live (see setting up a small shop on a budget), and build it on a solid, level bench like our DIY workbench. For a wider look at plans and courses, see our comparison of the best woodworking guides for beginners and our DIY Smart Saw notes.
Safety checklist before your first cut
- Wire mains power only if you’re competent; otherwise get an electrician to check it.
- Fit an emergency stop you can reach without leaning over the cutter.
- Clamp the workpiece every time. Never hold it by hand.
- Wear eye and hearing protection and use dust extraction; MDF dust in particular is harmful to breathe.
- Run a new program in the air (cutter raised) first, to check the toolpath.
- Never leave a running CNC machine unattended.
Common questions
Is DIY Smart Saw a real CNC machine?
No. It’s a digital guide (manual, videos and parts viewer) for building your own small CNC router. You buy the parts separately.
How much does DIY Smart Saw cost?
The order form lists a one-off $39 for the guide, with optional upsells. The motors, electronics and materials for the machine cost extra.
What software does DIY Smart Saw use?
The vendor says the machine is controlled with Mach3 on a Windows PC. You’ll also need CAD and CAM software to create designs and toolpaths.
How big is the DIY Smart Saw cutting area?
About 372 × 385 mm with 135 mm of height (roughly 14.6 × 15.2 × 5.3 in), according to the vendor’s FAQ.
Can I get a refund on DIY Smart Saw?
The ClickBank order form shows a 60-day refund window. Check the current terms at checkout.
What we’d look at next
DIY Smart Saw (CNC)
A low-cost manual and video series for building your own small CNC router, according to the vendor. Budget separately for motors, electronics and materials.
TedsWoodworking
If you want a big library of plans to cut on any machine, or by hand, before committing to a CNC build.
Not sure which fits? Take the 30-second quiz or see our comparisons.
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Get the free PDF
A 4-page PDF plan for a sturdy freestanding 2×4 and plywood bench, with tool list, materials, cut list and step-by-step build. Metric with imperial equivalents.