Engraving Test - Vibrating Engraver Tool

I had a need to engrave metal on a project, and didn't have an engraving bit/stylus on hand, so I came up with this prototype fixture to attach my vibrating engraver to the SB.

After some testing, I found that feed speed and Z depth do make a slight difference on the mild steel I tested on, probably more so on softer metals like brass and aluminum. I haven’t tried a double pass to see what effect that will have yet. This particular engraver starts impacting the surface at about + .01 above the material surface, when it’s running, so I can set my engraver zero at +.01 and lower it from there to achieve the result that I want.



Attachment 1083
SB made fixture to hold engraver



Attachment 1084
Test run for feed and depth on mild steel



Attachment 1085
I was surprised at how well this worked

I'm thinking this might be a useful tool to make plaques for special projects, or...

Note, I just used the Fender image/name for a test engraving. I had it on hand and it's detailed enough to show the engraver's potential. I’m not producing anything with this image - we'll, maybe a brass plaque detailing the restoration of a 60's era Fender amp that I just completed, hmm.

really a cool idea.

Opens up many possibilities....

Thanks for posting

Would this work? Russ


Attachment 1086

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46099

Russ, it should work just fine as long as you can find a way to attach it to the bot.

You'll need to do some test engraving to see what speed, feed and depth work best for your projects.

Like I mentioned, I tried to figure out what the stroke of the tip was before I started engraving.

I'd like to see your results too if you try it.

Thanks for adding the engraver source. I didn't realize how cheap these things are. Amazing...

Jim, I'm working on a mount scheme. I'm going to have it mount next to the spindle so I don't have to remove the spindle to use the engraver. I'm pretty sure I can get er' done. I'm assuming there is not much energy forced against the engrave as all the moves a very slight. I've ordered the engraver so it should be here by the weekend and then I can finalize the design and give er; a go. Thanks for coming up with the idea, should be a fun project. Russ

Jim - Kudos - Very clever engraving solution!

I often don't post to threads related to engraving and the other CNC Specialty Bits that we make and sell - we own a ShopBot and read/post to the forum regularly, so we're not interested in spamming...

The forum has had many, many new members join recently, so I thought it might be helpful to those who haven't heard of us, if I mentioned our Diamond Drag Engraving Bit as another engraving solution, in addition to Jim's engraving rig.

Here's a picture of diamond drag engraved jewelry, (aluminum and brass) done by one of our Italian customers...

Attachment 1087

Our diamond drag engraving bit uses an industrial diamond tip under adjustable pressure to produce engravings similar to a dedicated professional machine. It produces a very fine line, like the engraving in Jim's pictures above.

It fits into a 1/2" collet, just like an end mill. It engraves brass, aluminum, steel, glass, mirrors, granite, and other stone...

Attachment 1088

We have more CNC diamond drag engraving pictures, along with a much more detailed description of how our bit works and answers to frequently asked CNC engraving questions on our website:
www.WidgetWorksUnlimited.com

WidgetWorks Unlimited diamond drag engraving bits are sold by ShopBot in the Routers/Spindles/Bits section of their website and directly through the WidgetWorks Unlimited website as well.

Thanks Jim & Russ for the info. Looks great, I am going to look into this further. Any suggestions on where to get more info? Russ, the Wigetworks website looks great, good info there, Thank You.