Advice on a gravesite project

[Swinly]

I had someone ask me to make a cross for their father’s gravesite. I use to power-carve crosses and he said his father really liked them, so I’m going to do that but I’m not sure how to incorporate the name and dates. My crosses have a kind of organic flow to them. (imagine frosting on a cake or waves going in different directions) I don’t do them as much anymore because of arthritis but am thrilled to get out there for this project.

Because of the carving, I don’t know how to incorporate the name and dates. I don’t know if it would look good using the CNC to engrave or emboss the name somehow. I don’t know… I thought about maybe using metal letters but I would have to do them myself as premade letters are way too expensive. I’m thinking maybe using the CNC to cut out aluminum letters and having them sort of float/stand off the cross somehow…? I think an engraved plaque might be better and I could set it in the middle but he mentioned doing his name vertically and the dates on each side of the cross. (birth/death) I don’t know but I do want to give his idea some thought.

Is cutting out 2-inch letters easily doable in aluminum 0.019 inches/0.5mm thick? Using a 1/8in down-cut bit?

Any thoughts or other ideas to place the name and dates on the cross? Below is a picture of a cross I’ve done before that is similar to the one I will be doing. Please and thank you all, I really want to make this project work for him and his family

I have to run out as soon as I post this so if you post and I don’t respond, I’m not being rude, I’ll be back.

[gwilki]

@Swinly I am no one to comment on the design, but I will submit that you do not want to use a down cut bit in aluminum. Look at the medallion project that Sienci posted here for ideas on bits, feeds and speeds. All the bits they used are upcut. You do not want to push the shavings down into the work.

[W.g]

It’s a real honor to have someone request your project for this kind of event.

Wg