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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Compass is an open-source handheld CNC router project, not a verified ready-to-buy consumer product. You guide the router over a workpiece while its motorized gantry shifts the cutter toward a programmed path; a display shows where to move and warns when you stray too far. Mechanical engineer and maker Cameron Chaney created the project to make CNC routing more accessible.
What is a handheld CNC router?
A conventional CNC router moves a cutting tool along programmed axes while the workpiece or machine is held in place. Compass reverses part of that arrangement: the operator moves the handheld device across the material, and a small motorized gantry adjusts the cutter to track the design. It is still a powered cutting tool, so the operator has to follow the on-screen guidance while managing the workpiece and cut.
Chaney describes the goal this way: “I created Compass because I wanted to make a device that could lower the barrier to entry to making, and give more people this channel to unleash their creativity.”
How does Compass know where it is?
Optical-flow sensors estimate motion
Four PMW3360 optical-flow mouse sensors, mounted underneath the device, observe movement across the work surface. A single mouse sensor can estimate movement; using several lets Compass estimate both translation and rotation and provides redundant readings. A Teensy 4.1 microcontroller processes the sensor data.
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As the operator moves the router, the controller drives a leadscrew-based gantry to adjust the cutter relative to the body of the tool. The display guides the operator along the uploaded toolpath and alerts them if they move too far off track. The described workflow is to upload a toolpath, set an origin on the workpiece, and then follow the display.
Relative positioning has a drift trade-off
Compass estimates position by adding up sensor movement from its starting point, rather than continually locating itself at an absolute position. Small measurement errors can therefore accumulate over a long cut. Chaney notes: “This means that with Compass, over a long enough run, the sensor readings will begin to drift.”
The 2025 Make project article describes several ways the design manages this limitation: redundant sensors, high-sensitivity sensors, predicting surface quality, and pausing to re-home the device with a simple 3D-printed corner bracket. Make contrasts Compass’s relative sensing with Shaper Origin’s absolute-positioning approach and says Compass does not require computer vision or proprietary fiducial tape. That description is not a current, controlled head-to-head performance comparison.
What does the project include?
The Make materials list describes a build that combines a rotary tool, custom electronics, motion components, and fabricated parts. Key items include:
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- Strong Motor, Power for Your Woodworks: With 630W 5.3 Amp motor, this trim router provides sufficient power & smooth operation for woodworking projects, no excessive vibration. Air vent prevents overheat and motor burnt-out during prolonged use. Replacement brushes for extended lifespan & consistent performance over time
- High Speed & 3 Guide Modes for Efficient Woodworking: 35,000 RPM allow users to finish work pieces efficiently, with straight guide and roller gudie included, suitable for intricate detailed cutting, routing, slotting, grooving and trimming door hinges, etc.
- Precise Depth Adjustments & Secure Fixed Base: This hand router features smooth depth adjustment system for precise height setting. Secure fix base ensures stable fine positioning for intricate cuts during routing
- Collet, Router Bits & Accessories Included, Easy to Install: Palm router includes 1/4” collet and 5pcs 1/4 shank router bits, edge & roller router guide. It’s easy to change router bit with 2 wrenches
- Ergonomic & Comfortable to Use: Rubber handheld router base secures grip. Corded electric and lightweight design enhances flexibility
- A Dremel 3000 rotary tool and a 3D-printed spindle mount, frame, and carriage parts.
- Four PMW3360 optical-flow sensors with lenses, a Teensy 4.1, a Compass motherboard PCB, and four Compass sensor PCBs.
- Two NEMA 17 stepper motors and two BigTreeTech TMC2209 V1.3 stepper-driver boards.
- Motion hardware: two 8 mm leadscrews, four leadscrew nuts, two flex couplers, ten linear bearings, two pillow bearings, and two 8 mm smooth rods.
- A 24 V power supply, locking LED power button, rotary encoder, Waveshare 1.28-inch round color LCD, two momentary pushbuttons, and two limit switches.
- A quarter-inch aluminum base plate, cables, wire, hardware, and connectors.
The listed tools include a 3D printer, soldering iron and solder, 1.5 mm, 2.5 mm, and 6 mm Allen wrenches, a screwdriver, a deburring tool, and M3 and M8 thread taps. The described assembly joins the spindle mount, bearings, leadscrews, rods, and motors; mounts the parts to the aluminum base; routes wiring; and calibrates the device. The project is open source, and Chaney says its build instructions, code, 3D files, and bill of materials are available online. Check the current project files for exact specifications and compatibility before sourcing components.
Can you build the Compass CNC yourself?
The project is presented as a DIY build: its creator describes the designs and firmware as open source, with instructions and files online. But “open source” does not mean that every part is easy to source or that the assembly is a plug-and-play beginner project. The listed build calls for custom circuit boards, soldering, a machined aluminum base, printed components, mechanical assembly, wiring, and calibration.
Make’s author describes assembly as straightforward once the parts are in hand. That is an account of this project, not a guarantee that every builder will find the process simple. Review the parts list, fabrication requirements, and instructions before deciding whether the build suits your tools and experience.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How much does Compass cost, and can you buy one?
Make’s 2025 article gives a project-estimated DIY range of $500–$700 and says a reader could make one for about $500 or buy a kit for more. These are the article’s estimates, not a current parts quote or confirmed kit price. Cameron Chaney’s Make author profile later listed a July 18, 2025 entry saying Compass CNC was ready to launch V1.0, but that historical notice does not establish present stock or a current way to order.
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- 【Widely Application】 This compact router is widely used in wood processing, cabinet processing, handicraft production, plastic sheeting, wood veneer and other similar materials chamfering, grooving, surface finishing, curve cutting, planing wood edge, pattern processing and DIY.
- 【You will Get】Our wood trimmer comes with a range of accessories. You'll receive not only the router machine itself but also 15 woodworking router bits, a straight guide, a trimming guide, wrenches, carbon brush, a wooden organizer, bolts and screws. Whether you're a professional or a DIY enthusiast, this compact wood router tool is a valuable addition to your toolbox.
The sources available here do not verify current kit availability, a purchase link, or current component prices. Treat Compass as a build project unless the creator confirms an active offer directly.
What has been demonstrated?
Make recounts the creator’s prototype testing: first using a pen to check movement, then routing a small sine wave in corkboard. Its account reports the Dremel running at 35,000 rpm during that corkboard demonstration; that is a detail of the reported demo, not a specification for every Dremel 3000 variant.
A 2025 conference demo submission by Cameron M. Chaney reported that early user testing achieved “<1% error (and frequently closer to 0.1%) per distance traveled.” This is a project-reported result, not an independent controlled test or a guarantee for another build. The submission also describes event demonstrations using drawing and supervised cutting. It lists physical shielding, vacuum debris management, and emergency-stop protocols for the planned cutting demonstration; those event measures are not a complete operating-safety manual.
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