In need of Family Crests.

[SomeGuys2007]

Does anyone know where to get family crests for CNC applications?
Thanks in advance for any help! :)

[myxpykalix]

Are you looking for 3D models or 2D vectors?
http://search.doverpublications.com/search?keywords=family%20crests

google is your friend:D

[scottp55]

Haven't checked these out very much but ran across them when doing research for another project. Be careful, like I said I just skimmed them.

http://www.freecoatsofarms.com/

http://www.heraldryclipart.com/

[Call-Tech]

depends on if you are looking for authentic "your family" crest or just a cool design to make a crest. I have done some research on my family and discovered the following which is pretty accurate. Many websites will try to sell you "your family" coat of arms or crest, however if you go to several of these sites you will soon realize that they are fake and the crest they offer as yours differs on each and every site.

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Do you have a "family" coat of arms? If so, it may not be exactly what you think. Many people throughout history have used coats of arms ornamentally without giving much thought to the accuracy of their design or their own right to use them. Beginning in the 19th century, the crest which appears on the helmet was mistakenly dubbed a "family crest" by some, and has become an inaccurate synonym for a full coat of arms. In addition, there are many companies in business today who will sell you "your family coat of arms" on a t-shirt, mug, or 'handsomely engraved' plaque. For my husband's surname, POWELL, there is an entire catalog full of such items! While these companies are not necessarily out to scam you, their sales pitch is very misleading and, in some cases, outright incorrect. Except for a few individual exceptions from some parts of Eastern Europe, there is no such thing as a coat of arms for a surname - despite the claims and implications of some companies to the contrary. Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families or surnames. A form of property, coats of arms may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Such grants were (and are) made by the proper heraldic authority for the country in question.
The next time you come across a product or scroll with a family coat of arms for your surname, remember that just because your surname is SMITH, for example, doesn't give you the right to any of the hundreds of coats of arms borne throughout history by others named SMITH. Therefore, how could an individual or company that has not researched your direct family tree know whether you have inherited the right to display a particular coat of arms? If you're looking for something fun to wear on a t-shirt or display in your home, then these items are okay, though misrepresentative. But if you're looking for something from your own family history, then buyer beware!
If you would like to learn if a coat of arms was awarded to your ancestor, you will first need to research your family tree back to the ancestor you believe may have been granted a coats of arms, and then contact the College of Arms or appropriate authority for the country your ancestor was from and request a search in their records (they usually provide this service for a fee). In most countries you can also design and even register your own individual coat of arms based on the arms of someone who shared your surname, or from scratch to mean something special to your family and its history.

By Kimberly Powell
Genealogy Expert


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[phil_o]

Can you be more specific? I've made quite a few family crests. My website show some of them. http://customfamilycrests.weebly.com/family-crests.html
Vectorart3D has a number of models to work with.

Phil

[adrianm]

I've used Armorial Gold (http://www.heraldryclipart.com/) a lot.

They offer all the individual parts to make a family crest in vector format and provide research tools to look up various designs that might be suitable but they don't try to make out that one size fits all.

[SomeGuys2007]

I am actually looking for family crests of family last names. Pre designed but vectorized in a manner that can be carved with a CNC machine.

[scottp55]

Mark, Just a short story to show it's not that simple.
Recently had the World Acadian Congress in Madawaska, Maine. Acadians are extremely proud of their heritage and there were 60 major families attending. What a great idea to offer their family crests!:) Our Limestone,Maine Desktop is operated by Kirk and his Dad was on the planning Board so we had a chance to run some previews past the family members. First thing we found was that NONE of the internet sites family crests matched Kirk's Family that has been passed down for generations!!
Second was that after much searching and Node Editing and printing previews for the board members, the most common comment was "That's not Ours" and the second was "It's close---But I wouldn't buy it".
Just looked up my families and ours is fairly easy as a Harvard grad who was a Genealogist married into the family in 1850 and gave his bride to be a family history and included Roger Plaisted's (Roger Plaisted Garrison) Journal with leather cover embossed with family coat of arms (1670'ish). NONE of the internet ones are CLOSE except a couple have the 3 "Boars Heads".
Long winded, but just noting a couple of the many pitfalls. Needless to say, we didn't make 60 family crests:)