I’m a new furniture maker eager to level up my portfolio, and I’m torn between an 8‑week evening veneering course with a vacuum bag or a two‑day CNC intro covering basic CAM and jigging. For those who’ve done both, which gave you faster, portfolio-worthy results, and what did you complete by the end?
If your goal is “portfolio-worthy results” fast, take the 8‑week veneering — by week two you can press a starburst or parquetry panel and finish a box lid or small tabletop that photographs great; it’s a wow-factor cheat code. If you’ll have regular CNC access after class, though, the two‑day can quickly level up your jigs and consistent joinery; @OP do you have a machine you can use afterward?
@OP I got quicker portfolio pieces from the 8‑week “vacuum bag” class — bringing pre‑cut, edge‑banded ply cores on day one let me press a bookmatched door and a small miter‑wrapped box by week 4. The 2‑day CNC intro gave me a clean inlay and a drilling jig, but I still needed another weekend to turn that into something shootable. Are you trying to show finished pieces or process?