How it's made
Four steps, none of them automated as much as people expect.
Drawing
Everything starts as vector line work. That is the part people underestimate. A font that looks lovely on screen often falls apart when it is cut, because the joins between letters are thinner than the beam itself. Script lettering nearly always needs redrawing by hand so the whole word holds together as one piece.
Nesting
Parts get arranged on the sheet so the offcut from one becomes the blank for another. A coaster rack comes out of the middle of the coasters. It is the difference between a sensible price and a silly one, and it is why sizes are fixed rather than fully custom.
Cutting
Power and speed get set per material and per thickness, and dialled in on a test piece first. Push too hard and the edge chars and smells of bonfire. Too gentle and it does not cut through. Oak, ply, acrylic and slate each want completely different settings, and so does the same timber from a different batch.
Finishing
Cut edges come off the machine with a fine layer of soot. Every piece is cleaned, sanded by hand and then oiled or waxed depending on where it is going to live. Outdoor pieces get three coats. This is the slowest part of the job and the one that decides whether something looks handmade or homemade.
What I cut, and what I won't
Timber, birch ply, acrylic, card, cork, leather, slate and anodised aluminium.
Not PVC or vinyl, at any price. It releases chlorine gas when it is cut, which wrecks the machine and is genuinely dangerous. If a job needs it, I will tell you and point you at someone who routes rather than cuts.