Horizontal routers like this are neat. Wood is more forgiving than most materials, but the traditional problem in bringing things to workpiece is still the same

Horizontal routers like this are neat. Wood is more forgiving than most materials, but the traditional problem in bringing things to workpiece is still the same - rigidity. While it doesn't matter quite as much for edge treatment that gets sanded, it matters a lot for joinery - the difference between a perfect fit and a very loose not working joint is 0.005 inches. (For a real cnc, that would be a very very crappy tolerance). The easiest way to maintain these is making very rigid machines, and the easiest way to do that is adding weight. This is why my wood gantry router weighs 1800+ lbs, and that is very light. I have a horizontal aggregate that can already do exactly what this thing does. For teaching people though, or for messing around as a hobby, I think things like this are fun.