The most important number for a bit is the angle not the max width.
Did you really use a .5 mm end mill? That is very small
What is the length and width of the design you are trying to cut.
I don’t understand your question about the m8 rod. It does not make any difference what z axis rod you have when picking an end mill to use.
in vacarve , there are many type of v cut size, like 0.5 inch 90 degree, i ask if i can use it with my cnc xcarve, with threaded rod m8. or if i want to use small bit ,it is make different in the job, you see that real photo of my job not complete cut the surface in spite off the desgine.
Blair, I’m extremely impressed with the quality of the baseball “plaque?”. Please share your speed/feed/stepover and process steps that were required. The detail is so very fine, that I suspect there was a small cutter and lots of time involved… please verify! Thanks much for sharing, -EP
Are you wanting the letters to be cut into the wood or do you want to cut the wood out around the letters (leaving the letters standing above)?
If you want the letters to be cut into the wood then only select the letters and choose a vcarve operation. The vbit will work very very well for this type of cut.
If you select the outside vector and the letters and choose a vcarve operation then everything except the letters will be carved. A vbit is not the best choice for this type of cut. You should use a small endmill.
Again, it does not matter if you have an M8 threaded rod or the ACME rod on the Z axis.
Vcarve offers a very nice 3D preview for you to see exactly what the finished carve will look like. I suggest you use that preview feature before you cut to be sure the results will be what you expect.
Vectric has some very good video tutorials showing exactly how to do vbit carving. You should watch those videos.
Yes i want to cut out side the letter, I use two bit and two file, one is use v bit and and the other use end mill, end mill to carve around the letter, but I have not the same results like 3d show, you can see my work , there’s some wood need to carve, I think I use not the same dimeter bit, as I set up in program, I have to buy some bit and use the same diemeter,.
If you want to cut outside the letters then use a small flat bottom bit. Not a vbit,
The size of the bit is determined by the size of the text. The smaller the text the smaller the bit you will need. For what you are trying you will probably need to use a 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) endmill (flat bottom).
You know my cnc 50.50 cm, so maximum job about 30.30 cm, when I saw vertic video , they use v bit to letter, I have one, I want to use it,
Vbits are perfect if you are wanting to cut the letter into the wood. If you want to use the vbit then use it to cut the letters into the wood it will work very well for that,
But it looks like you are trying to clear the wood out from around the letters, The very tiny tip of the vbit is not good at clearing large areas of material.
It makes no difference how big your CNC is.
Hi Eric -
The models were purchased from the Design and Make website (I think now owned by Vectric).
I generated toolpaths in VCarve Pro, and was done in 3 parts.
Roughing Pass - 1/4" End Mill - 40% Stepover, 100 In/min and a depth of .125 per pass
Finishing Pass - 1/8" Ball End Mill - 10% Stepover, 75 In/min, full depth pass
V Carving - 1/8" 45 Deg V Bit - 100 In/Min
I have utilized a few models from Design and Make and have had good luck with all of them. The spec sheet for each library says what size ball mill they recommend (the majority are 1/8").
Hope that helps!
Blair
Blair,
What type of paint did you use for the first sign (harp family sign)? I’m working on a very similar set of signs for houses and thus far I’ve just been staining, but my sister in law wants hers painted.
I had in mind to seal with shellac, paint over it with acrylic and then seal again with water based poly (to get the gloss that I want). Yours turned out really nice, so I was wondering if you could share your paint technique and what product you used.
thanks.
The September 3 MakerCast Podcast has a good interview with Todd Baily, the guy that creates the Design and Make projects. He discusses how he was making all these 3D projects when Vectric bought his company.
On that one I first sprayed the MDF with multiple coats of gloss blue spraypaint. After it was dry I covered the board with some of the 3M masking product that Inventables sells and used a V Bit to carve through it exposing fresh wood in the cuts. The white paint was just acrylic paint, it took mulitple coats since it soaks into that freshly cut MDF.
Overall it worked OK…there was still some touchup I had to do after removing the masking. I haven’t done that method many times after…it works in a pinch if you are going for a clean look. More often now, I use multiple layers of paint and sand back giving more of a rustic look (also it is MUCH easier). Cut the MDF, put a few layers of chalk paint on, paint the lettering and sand the whole thing back to get the look I want then spray it with a few coats of waterbased poly. Here is an example.
Blair
The finish is perfect! It looks like there are vertical lines in the sign, did you carve them or are they an artifact of your finishing process?
The font is also excellent, does it have a name?
The vertical lines are just the nature of the pressed surface of MDF…each sheet or manufacturer seems to be a bit different. One nice thing about this finish style is that things like that that you find during the sanding just add to the look.
The font for the Laundry Sign is called Algerian (I think it is a built in font on most PC’s).
Here are a couple more I have done recently.
As I get better at actually carving what I want I am discovering how hard it is to finish the work properly. I am currently at the stage where my projects look a bit like a monkey applied some stain with an old rag in the dark.
@BlairHarp - What is your background? You obviously have a lot of artistic talent. How did you learn the finishing techniques you are using?
Most of the things I am doing have been trial and error or accident. My professional background is business/computers so not much help there…but art and graphic design is always something I have been around. My Mom did graphic design from the days of watching her cut paper and images with an exacto knife and type setting for camera ready artwork through the start of using computers for layout etc and is an accomplished watercolor artist…That has been a big help for me in the layout process and finding designs which work.
I have been woodworking for a number of years, which I think is where the feel for layering finishes comes in. I have latched in a bit on this style because I stumbled onto something that is working, and that people are interested in buying because it can be adapted to most color styles. Making a sign which has nice clean lines is much harder than one like this which has enough going on that not every mishap is magnified.
Blair
i use contact paper as a paint mask. works really well
heres one of my signs right after removing the mask, before final clear
Wow, that is very clean right after removing the mask. The few times I have done it the masking hasn’t cut as clean as I would like and ended up causing some issue. The contact paper you are using is just like shelf lining you would buy at a store like Walmart?
Yep its con-tact brand clear. I got it at home depot but im sure you can find it other places. Pretty cheap too. Like $9 for enough to do 30 signs like the one i posted
I think the key is to peel it off while the paint is still a little wet.
My process is to stain and clear the board, put on the mask and carve. Then clear the carved parts to seal the grain, then paint the carved parts and remove the mask. Once it drys i lightly sand the whole thing and put on some more clear
