Why it matters for a shop like yours
A router bit cutting letters into cedar, a laser tracing a logo onto a tumbler, a print rising layer by layer, a mill cleaning up a pocket: people who don't own these machines like watching them. A short clip shows what a photo can't. It shows that you have real equipment, real skill and a real shop. Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts are built for exactly this kind of short vertical video.
No one can promise a video will get views. What you control is making clear, safe, short clips on a regular schedule. That's the work this page covers.
What you need
- Your phone, with the lens wiped
- A steady mount: a small tripod, a flexible "gorilla" tripod, or a magnetic or clamp phone mount you can stick to a steel bench or gantry frame (clear of moving parts)
- Light: shop lights plus one small LED panel is plenty
- Free editing: the editor built into Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, or a simple app like CapCut
- Your safety gear, same as any other day
Safety first, every clip.
• Lasers: Never look into the beam or film by staring at it without the right protection. Keep the lid closed whenever your machine requires it and never defeat an interlock to get a better shot. Film through the machine's own filtered viewing window, or through protective eyewear rated for your laser's wavelength, and put the phone on a mount instead of holding your face close. Open-frame diode lasers need an enclosure or rated eyewear for everyone in the room. A camera can be damaged by a direct or reflected beam, too.
• Routers and mills: Mount the phone before you start the job. Never reach toward a spinning tool to adjust the phone. Keep phone, cords and mount clear of the gantry path and chips.
• Everything: Keep your normal eye and hearing protection on while you film. A good clip is never worth an injury.
• Lasers: Never look into the beam or film by staring at it without the right protection. Keep the lid closed whenever your machine requires it and never defeat an interlock to get a better shot. Film through the machine's own filtered viewing window, or through protective eyewear rated for your laser's wavelength, and put the phone on a mount instead of holding your face close. Open-frame diode lasers need an enclosure or rated eyewear for everyone in the room. A camera can be damaged by a direct or reflected beam, too.
• Routers and mills: Mount the phone before you start the job. Never reach toward a spinning tool to adjust the phone. Keep phone, cords and mount clear of the gantry path and chips.
• Everything: Keep your normal eye and hearing protection on while you film. A good clip is never worth an injury.
Step-by-step: filming a clip
- Plan the shot before you press start. Decide what the clip shows: the cut, the reveal, or the finished piece. One idea per video.
- Shoot vertical (9:16). Hold or mount the phone upright. All three platforms are built around vertical video.
- Pick an angle. Good ones: low and level with the work surface, looking down the tool path; straight down from above for flat engraving or carving; close-up on the tool at an angle; wide to show the whole machine for a few seconds.
- Mount it steady. Shaky handheld video looks rough. Lock focus and exposure by pressing and holding on the work area on your phone screen.
- Light the work, not the room. Aim a light at the cutting area from the side. Avoid bright light directly behind the machine.
- Get sound right. Machine sound is part of the appeal, but it can be loud and harsh. Record it, then lower the volume in editing or mix it under music. If you talk, do it before or after the machine runs, or record a voiceover later.
- Record more than you need. Get 30 seconds to a few minutes, then trim to the best part.
- Get the finish shot. End on the finished piece, held up or on your plain background.
Shots that work well
Time-lapse (great for 3D printing)
Most phones have a Time-lapse mode. Mount the phone facing the print, set it, and leave it running. Many printer slicers and add-on cameras can also take a photo every layer for a smooth time-lapse where the print seems to grow in place. Keep the phone plugged in for long prints.
The reveal
- Router: the final pass, then the vacuum or brush clearing chips to show the letters
- Laser: peeling the masking off an engraved or cut piece, or wiping residue off a tumbler
- 3D print: popping the part off the bed, or pulling away supports
- Machining: unclamping the part, blowing off chips, first look at the finish
Length and format
| Platform | Format | Practical length |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram / Facebook Reels | Vertical 9:16 | Aim for 10–30 seconds for shop clips |
| TikTok | Vertical 9:16 | Aim for 10–30 seconds; longer is fine if the whole clip earns it |
| YouTube Shorts | Vertical 9:16 | Aim for under a minute |
Each platform sets its own maximum length and changes it from time to time, so check the current limit in the app. Shorter clips are faster to make and easier to keep up.
Captions and on-screen text
- Add text in the first second saying what's happening, since many people watch with sound off: "Carving a cedar ranch sign."
- Keep text inside the middle of the screen. Buttons and captions cover the edges and bottom.
- Turn on auto-captions if you talk, and fix any wrong words.
- Write the same details as your photo posts: material, size, finish, how to order.
On-screen text: [What's happening, 3 to 6 words]
Caption: [Item] in [material], [size]. [Machine or process, e.g. "cut on our CNC router" / "fiber laser" / "printed in PETG" / "milled from 6061"]. Custom orders welcome. Quote form: [link]
On-screen text: Wait for the reveal
Caption: Peeling the masking on a [item] for [who, general]. [Material], [finish]. Want your logo on one? [link]
On-screen text: 6 hours in 20 seconds
Caption: Time-lapse of a [part] printing in [filament]. [One line about what it's for]. We print one-offs and small batches: [link]
20 video ideas
- Router carving a customer's name (with permission)
- Masking peel reveal on a laser-engraved piece
- 3D print time-lapse from first layer to finished part
- Mill or lathe making the first cut on a raw block or bar
- Sketch or photo on screen, then the finished piece
- Painting or color-filling carved letters
- Rotary attachment engraving a tumbler all the way around
- Pulling supports off a print
- Deburring and finishing a machined part
- "Which wood?": same design on three species
- Test cut vs. final cut: why you test first
- Setting up a job: fixturing, zeroing, focusing (no talking needed)
- Packing an order for shipping
- A day's work laid out on the bench
- Cleaning up after a job: chips, dust, the shop vac
- Broken part next to its printed or machined replacement
- A big sign going up at the customer's place
- Seasonal item: ornaments, graduation gifts, team orders
- "How it's made" in 5 quick cuts: file, setup, cut, finish, done
- Answering a common question on camera ("Can you do just one?")
Weekly routine (about 30 minutes plus filming)
| When | What |
|---|---|
| During jobs | Mount the phone on one job a day, or on the most interesting job of the week. Always get the finish shot. |
| Once a week, 20 min | Trim the best clip, add on-screen text and caption, adjust sound. |
| Same session, 10 min | Post as a Reel (Facebook and Instagram), then upload the same file to TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Reply to comments from last week. |
Checklist
- Safety gear on, lids closed, interlocks working, phone mounted clear of moving parts
- Vertical, steady, focus locked
- One idea per clip
- On-screen text in the first second
- Machine sound lowered or mixed with music
- Ends on the finished piece
- Caption has material, size, finish and how to order
- Customer permission for names, logos or parts
- Posted to Reels, TikTok and Shorts
Common mistakes
- Opening the lid or leaning over the beam for a better shot. Don't.
- Horizontal video on vertical platforms
- Long dull middle. Cut to the good part
- Full-volume spindle noise with no text to explain what's happening
- Showing customer names, logos, screens or parts without permission
- Using popular music the platform doesn't allow for business accounts. Use the app's licensed library or machine sound
- Waiting for perfect editing. A clean, steady, 15-second clip is enough
Notes by shop type
| Shop type | What's different |
|---|---|
| Wood carving & signs | Chips and dust make great footage; film with dust collection running so the cut stays visible. Low angles down the gantry show the carve. |
| Laser engraving | Film only through the filtered lid or with rated eyewear; never through an open lid with an unprotected eye. Smoke can hide the work, so good air assist and exhaust help the shot too. |
| 3D printing | Time-lapse is your best friend. Keep the camera and the printer on stable surfaces so the frame doesn't drift. |
| Machining | Coolant and chips can hit the phone. Film through the enclosure window or use a protective case and mount far back. Be careful with customer parts and prints on screen. |
Want Annie's to do this for you? Send us your raw clips and we'll trim, caption and post them to Reels, TikTok and Shorts for you.