I am looking at doing an edge-lit display for a friend’s newly built house. The front view blueprint in fact. So there are a lot of thin lines. Any recommendations to do this? It will fit on a 24" x 10" piece of acrylic. What bit? What thickness acrylic, etc…
Thanks for any help!
Jon,
My plan is to do the same thing.
So I’ll just watch and hopefully learn along with you.
Really? total depth of .01? I thought you’d go deeper. What thickness acrylic? I have a 30 degree bit and it melted my test acrylic. Feed rate was 65. I was able to get decent cuts using a 1/16 fishtail (2 flutes I believe). Clean, crisp lines. But the vcarve seems more logical for the lighting application. I figured deeper is better and thus thicker acrylic. Thanks for the update Phil. Any other suggestions?
That brings up another question. Some of your signs have filled in areas. How did you fill them? Texture?
Ya acrylic. I’ll try your settings on a scrap piece and see how it goes. What lighting do you use? What strips?
When you say “Fill” you mean engraving fill?
And also (sorry) do you do anything to the edge of your acrylic? Assuming you don’t cut it, just use a piece, uncut, right from the store. Do you need to buff it or sand it to let more light through?
I’m using these settings and the exact same bit for someLED Edge signs right now for my daughters 4H club. They had a meeting to learn about CNC and then each of them arranged times to come to my home and watch the sign being carved and put the base/LEDs together.
Jer
This clock was done on 1/8 inch cast acrylic. the frame allowed me to put a piece of acrylic in front of the cut one to protect the hands of the clock. my settings: 1/16 inch up cut bit, feed rate: 100 in/min, plunge rate: 9 in/min, depth per pass: 0.02 and depth of cut 0.035 in.
As Columbo would say “One more thing.” Speed on my Makita at it’s lowest setting. approx; 10000 rpm.
Phil (or others) I think I asked this but cannot find it. What lighting strips do you like to use? Do you have a link to a suppliers web site or ebay or something?
Here is what I ordered for the 4H group:
Power connector: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XVU3CD8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3LJCAYGV7TTER&coliid=I1ZYC3UKV1ZGNE
Power Adapter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FEOB4EI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1CF8PWKVKV8BK&coliid=IH5SCJUTE3GS8
using xcarve for bottom? electronics pockets?
Funny, Phil, that is exactly what I ordered last friday. Glad to know I was on the right track 
what’s your plunge rate?
In the image there’s a lip on the left side of the piece.
Would you have a piece of wood that goes on the bottom, to keep everything inside?
Also get Cast acrylic.
It leaves a better finish and lights up better than extruded.
Hey, I just got my order of lights and I evidently ordered the waterproof stuff. How do I get the rubber off??
Thanks!
Ahh. I found a role of red that isn’t waterproof (says so on the page) for $7. We’ll see. Anyhow, I’ll try to peel it. Thanks!
We use this RGB LED strip here a lot. No “waterproof” stuff to peel off and has twice the LED’s per foot than most the stuff out there. Actually easier to solder onto as well. Notice there are 300 LED’s per 16’ roll versus normally 150. http://www.ledpost.com/ls-nc-5050-300rgb-5050-300-smd-led-strip-light-color-changing-rgb-flexible-5m-16-4ft/
