What a freelance CAD designer actually sends a small workshop

I got an email last month that said: “We build custom plywood furniture on a small CNC router. Can you just send us the files?” That is a common way people find a freelance CAD designer CNC files plywood furniture. They want the design turned into something their machine can read without a meeting.

The answer is yes, but the files have to be right. A messy DXF or a G-code with the wrong post-processor is worse than no file at all. Here is what I deliver when a small workshop hires me for a CNC file preparation service for small workshop jobs.

The core package

For flat-panel plywood work, the minimum useful set is a clean DXF plus a cut list. The DXF carries the geometry: outside profiles, holes, slots, dogbones. The cut list tells the operator how many of each part, what sheet, and what material thickness. Without the cut list, the operator has to count and guess.

If the project has 3D machined parts — brackets, fittings, feet — I add a STEP file. STEP carries mathematically defined solid geometry, so the fabricator can load it into their CAM software and generate toolpaths. I do not send native CAD files unless asked. They tie the shop to software they may not use.

When I include G-code

I only include G-code if the workshop asks for it and tells me exactly which machine and controller they run. G-code is not universal. A file posted for one controller can crash another. I have seen a Z-probe routine that was harmless on one machine cause a head crash on a different control because the syntax differed.

If they run a common 3-axis router with a Mach3 or GRBL controller, I can usually post safely. If the machine is something exotic, I leave the CAM to them. Better they spend twenty minutes posting than I spend two hours fixing a crash.

What the DXF has to look like

The DXF has to be clean. That means one closed polyline per cut contour, no duplicate lines, no dimensions, no title block, no construction geometry. I organize layers by cut type: outside profiles on one layer, internal cuts on another, engraving on a third. Some shops want everything on one layer. I ask before I export.

I also label the parts directly in the DXF. A small text tag near each panel tells the operator which part it is. When you are nesting ten different panels on a single 2500 × 1250 sheet, labels save hours.

The drawing that goes with it

Even for flat-panel work, I send a PDF drawing. It does not have to be fancy. It shows the overall dimensions, material thickness, joint details, and any notes like “pre-drill M6 clearance holes” or “dogbone radius 3 mm”. The PDF is for the person assembling the furniture, not the CNC operator. But often that is the same person in a small shop.

The notes I add

I write a short text file with assumptions. Actual plywood thickness measured at 17.8 mm, so slots are sized for that. Router bit assumed 6 mm diameter. Tabs left on for sheet stability, to be removed after cutting. Edge banding not included in DXF. These notes stop the phone from ringing.

The other thing I put in the notes is what I do not know. If I guessed the material grade or assumed a standard hardware size, I say so. A small workshop will catch those assumptions fast if they are flagged.

Why this matters

A lot of designers send a pretty 3D model and call it done. That is useless to a small workshop. The shop needs geometry their machine can read, a list of parts, and enough context to assemble the thing without calling back. That is the difference between a freelance CAD designer CNC files plywood furniture who actually delivers and one who just renders.

The best feedback I get is silence. If the shop cuts the parts, builds the cabinet, and never emails me, the package was right.

[IMAGE: A dark workshop flat-lay showing a laptop screen with CAD nested panels, a sheet of birch plywood, a USB drive labeled G-code, printed cut list, and caliper. Amber highlights on DXF, STEP, and G-code icons. Graph paper texture background. Clean, technical, premium aesthetic. No text. 3:2 aspect ratio.]