Every shop, whether you’re a veteran machinist or a newbie to CNC, should have some basic tools – from wrenches and a socket set to proper tool holders and vises. But, there are several tools and utensils that you never knew you needed on your workbench. Some are more obvious than others, but here are nine tools every CNC workbench should contain.

A good vise is a fundamental tool for precision machining. In addition to choosing the right size vise for your machine, identifying the right types of vise for workholding is critical to making sure your workpiece is secured while its being milled. There are a three types of vises that you’ll commonly encounter in CNC milling – the machinist vise, the CNC vise, and the toolmaker vise.

The Internet can be a wasteland of information, but it can also be incredibly helpful – the challenge is navigating through it to find the most valuable and accurate information. How-tos, and general knowledge about CNC and machining can be even more challenging to navigate. While there are piles of resources to help you discover your machining prowess, these are our top resources to help make anybody a better machinist.

The Tormach mission is focused on enabling the ideas of our many users, who find themselves at varying levels of knowledge and skill when it comes to machining. CNC machining has often been restricted to those with the means to house massive manufacturing machinery and those with the knowledge-base to keep from crashing said machinery.

As some readers may know, in addition to blogging here on Milling Around, I also contribute a quarterly column to Digital Machinist magazine about CNC machining topics of interest to hobbyists and small garage shops.  The Fall 2012 column is set to be on newsstands in the next week or so. 

Meet John Grimsmo. 28. Canadian. Self-taught metal worker. Up-and-coming artisan in the custom knifemaking industry.