@gwilki i have never had my machine plunge, if i manually cheat after setting zero it just carves a tad deeper, i only do this for irregular surface material and i want to preserve the rustic aged appearance without surfacing.
@RickW I have also notice that selecting bold in v carve causes open, overlapping
vectors, unchecking bold cleans it up and the vector validator runs clean.
This is an example of the weathered grey appearance is what we want to retain, so can’t clean it up without losing that. I use a zero plate, the irregular surface is why i cheat to achive a decent carve.
@gwilki i understand your concern of manually changing “Z0” however I zero Z first, then drop it manually 1-2 mm, the machine remains zeroed minus 1-2mm which results in a slightly deeper carve. Under perfect condition. Planed and jointed surfaces need no help, rough uneven surfaces do.
Forget what I said, that looks great!
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I like it, I wasn’t sure about trying barnwood but I’ve got a few reasonably flat pieces that may work fine! Can I ask which font you used?
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This topic got me thinking and I started digging into my design files. I honestly haven’t found a font I haven’t been able to cut with the right bit in the right wood. I’ve definitely made a few messes figuring it out in the early days but that is part of the process. At this stage, though, I can’t say I do any lettering with anything more obtuse than a 30d. Sometimes 10d or 15d.
@CncJim I use a 60° .250 V Bit for the most part 90° bits carve more shallow. Depth is determined by the width of the lettering. I have used 30° bits but that is is usually a slower process. I have no problems cutting lettering for the most part, like all I assume carving uneven wood presents a challenge.
Also I use V Carve Pro, it has a vector validator and the ability to space the lettering to eliminate overlaps, when I change fonts I always check it out that way, some require so much cleanup and node editing it is easier to find a different font. Andy1 provided a great chart above.
Bill
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I wonder if Sienci’s fancy auto zero touchplate would fair in this situation or is this what you have?
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@Andy1 Since the issue is setting the Z height to take into account the varying height of the material, I don’t see how any touch plate can address it. Any plate will sit on the highest portion of the grain. As such, the bit will not cut deep enough in the lowest part of the grain. The same problem would be present using the “paper method”. The paper would lie across the highest part of the material.
There are ways to take the roughness of the material into account that will likely produce acceptable results.
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I can’t say I do anything with rough textures. Nothing rustic. Mostly tight grained hardwoods when I’m doing lettering and quite a bit of smaller, personalized stuff… fonts under 1" high. I usually carve straight from the thickness planer when possible.
Even with my larger fonts, though, I’m frequently much wider than my bit and using a clearance bit to hog out the middle. I think I just like the look of the steep edges. The only time I change it up is if I’m gilding the letters. Gold or silver leaf doesn’t care for the sharp transition at the bottom.
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@Andy1 I just use the older version plate, nothing fancy. I do resort to paper and even changing to “Material Bed” occasionally.
@CncJim I try to carve whatever my lovely wife designs, if you do any craft shows the cheap stuff ie “Rustic Signs” can be priced cheap in the $20-$40 range, really nice stuff is out of price range for many.
We are attempting to create inventory that ranges from $20 to $300. Time and the cost of wood, nice stuff becomes very expensive to make. There is no point in selling at break even price, most have no clue what nice wood costs. We’ve done several custom and personalized orders, can make some decent money. We also make about a dozen family Christmas gifts every year.
I hear you there. I haven’t been producing for sale in probably a year or so, and then I was primarily online towards the end. Once my LM is in full swing I have some ideas I will probably fire off but they aren’t really font intensive. I really enjoy 3d carving but need to up my design game. It’s expensive buying other people’s designs.
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