They’ve been working on this for a long time and have gone through several prototypes and are working hard to put out a good product.

I worked primarily with Sam while I was there, (who you’ll meet on the demo videos), and met most of the rest of the team too.

The spindle moves independently of the router so as you move the router the best you can to follow the pattern it corrects the position of the cutter to keep it where it should be. You visually position your pattern on the board using the screen on the router and then move the router along the pattern by watching a “cursor” on the screen. The router has vision and uses the domino looking tape you can see in the picture above to accurately know where it is on the board. You upload the design you want to cut onto the router, like you would with a CNC router. My definition of the tool is that it’s a cross between a hand-held and a CNC router. I think the best link to fully understand what it is and how it works is the “ Features” link where there are a series of videos demonstrating various features of the tool. If you’re interested in woodworking and haven’t seen or heard of the new Shaper Origin router you need go check out their website. A couple of weeks ago I was able to spend some time at the headquarters of Shaper Tools to have a little time with their new Shaper Origin tool and work with them on building a better integration with Fusion 360.

Fusion 360 for woodworking tutorial