First Sign

[thecabinetconnection@earthlink.net]

Hi Everyone,

I need to make a couple small plaques/signs out of solid surface. They are going to be used as a marketing tool to give to a couple high end general contractors that I'm wanting to pick up.

Anyway, I have a Her-Saf 90deg V-groove bit and I want to simply route their name and address. Possible some little design from the Vector Mega-Art disc.

Question: I have Vector 9.4x. Can you give me some pointers on how to do this successfully?

Thanks,

Chris Robinson

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

Chris,

The Typesetter program in the new Windoze Software will do the names. To do the V-carving of other stuff you need a software that can define the bit path or the knowledge to do it in a CAD program or the ability to write the interface yourself.

The "V-Carve" program from the folks who supply VECTOR used to have a trial period that would allow you to make enough files for what you need.

HTH,
Ron

[kerrazy]

Chris,
Purchase a 60Degree V-bit, for plaques. I do quite a few over the course of a year, from 4 X 6 right up and the 90 degree will not let you cut the letters clear enough. But the 60 deg. will do a great job for you. Use fonts like Times New Roman, as it is nice and wide so you can get letters down to 1/2 inch in height very clear. I also clear my blank with a laquer finish before I carve it, then I fill in the letters with a contrasting colour, then sand the surface clean and recoat all with laquer.
Dale

[srwtlc]

The newest typsetter has a problem with the jitters at the moment as stated here. http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/1843/1864.html?1067200320

V-carvz works when it feels like it. I've tried the demo a number of times on various computers and no matter how clean the .dxf is, or how much you play with the parameters, it creates some bad moves and can't do a simple rectangle inside a rectangle. There appears to be no desire to update it either.

Try the 15 day demo of Rams 3d. It does a great job of v-carving. (internal skeleton cut).

[jamesgilliam]

Chris,

I would have to agree with Dale on the 60 degree V-bit. I use a 3 flute, 60 degree, solid carbide V bit. ( Woodtek # 932292 from Woodworkers Supply ) I have been cutting signs and plaques for the last two years and it works the best for anything needing alot of detail. We have cut plaques with as small as 1/4" text. Most of the plaques have been in poplar, agathis, cedar, and cypress, and there has been a bit of a learning curve to see what looks the best. Some of the text in some fonts will cut either too shallow of too deep, but by resetting the z-zero it can be fixed. The best advise I can give on cutting graphics is to start shallow, and then deepen if you need to. It's easy to take another cut, and better than scrapping stock. Jo-Anne, my wife, does alot of the design work for me allowing me more time on the machine. She uses PartsWizard that we got from Shop Bot. As far as the graphics alot of ours come from the Vector Mega Collection, and some from the internet. For larger signs I have been using 1/8" end mills for the outline of the letters and coming back and doing an area clear with 1/4" end mills. After cutting the leters are painted with black acrylic paint, and any overage is easily sanded off, at least within 4 hours of painting anyway. Then they are stained, varnished, and given a hand rub before the go into stock. If you would like to see some pictures of the smaller plaques they are at www.jgremembrances.com Website is still under construction so please pardon the look, and some of the pictures are missing, but should be there soon. Hope this helps.

James Gilliam Remembrances Bellville, Tx.

[robinsoncr@naxs.net]

Everyone,

Thanks for your help and advice. I'll look into the 90deg bit. As for the other programs, I'll do some research. I don't have the Parts Wizard.

Oh, and sorry for posting here. It wasn't my intention! I guess I was lost!...

Thanks,

Chris

[stickman]

Hello Guys and Gals,

I am in the process of putting together a quote for a golf course sign. It was a redwood sandblasted sign that got ran through by a golf cart driven by a six year old.

Anyhow. I'm looking to bid it as a routed sign, instead of a sandblasted sign.

I got a small length of cypress to try a sample cut. I was using a 1/4" spiral upcut, 13,000 rpms at .75 ips, area clear, conventional cutting. I got some horrid tear-out at the bottoms of the lettering and lots of splintering. Its a little soft. Has anyone had experience cutting cypress. I can do it in Western Red Cedar as well, but I haven't had much luck keeping the lettering together on it, either.

I've thought about looking into Lyptus as well.

Your thoughts.

Thanks, Jay

[gerald_d]

Jay, sorry to ask the obvious....Was it a new (sharp) cutter that you used?

[stickman]

Gerald,

It was one of my "newer" cutters. I have used it before. So I guess you could say it was dull.

Jay

[ron brown]

Jay,

Redwood and Cypress are both soft in texture. They do not cut well. A straight bit or spiral down bit will give you a cleaner cut of the top surface. I will sometimes cut the surface of woods that splinter with a "spiral down" bit then clean the background with a different type bit.

One can also paint or oil the surface to help harden the material enough to machine well.

Ron

[stickman]

Gerald,

I cut my sample sign again. I used a brand new 1/4" downcut. This time I cut with a climb mill direction instead of the conventional cut. I got a much better cut out of that.

Thanks.

[gerald_d]

Can you actually see a significant difference between the climb/conventional directions? We never saw a significant difference - except when going around a sharp point in the final object, and then conventional direction is much better. Hence we always go conventional, and spend the effort rather on tool sharpness, speed and feed rate. Oh, we don't do clean-up cuts either. Rather boring, we know.