I figure it's about time someone started a Vcarve gallery thread. I'll start the ball rolling with a couple of pictures of a sundial I just finished using Vcarve. The dial measures 20X14 inches and is made out of corian. The style (the thing that casts the shadow) is made out of 1/8 inch thick plexiglas.

So Vcarve owners lets see what you've been up to.

Am I the only Vcarve owner who likes to show off?

Here's a sign I made the other day. It's about 9X9 inches. I used paint-mask to color the cuts. That sure makes life easier. If you're ever trying to find a good pain to use, go to any art store and buy a heavy body acrylic paint. It goes on like butter and covers great.

Over all it came out pretty good. The wood was warped a little so I was fighting that a bit.

Jay,

That is a very good looking sign. It is simple and its gets the message across.

I should own a copy of Vcarve this month if my funds come through as promised.

Bob was posting his signs a while back but I have not seen him in the zone for some time now.

Keep the pics coming.

Jason

I aim to please here's another sign I finished yesterday.

Jason you're really going to like Vcarve. I know I keep saying it in these forums but it's the best software out there. What I really like about it is you can do signs and carvings that look great in about 2 seconds. For example the sign in this post all I did was type the text up, open Vcarve, import the text and the scrolls from an eps file, select everything, hit calculate tool path and that was it. I didn't have to change anything or monkey around.

The other thing that is cool about it I can do all my 2D machining too. So say you want to cut out parts for something. Just get the shapes in Vcarve, select the 2D toolpath button, then pick machine outside vectors and you're set. The software can really do it all, which makes life easy (and cheaper in the long run). You also feel like you got more then you moneys worth, which is really nice.

But take it from me; if you've just built/are building/bought/or have a CNC machine and you don't want to learn gcode or how to run tricky software get Vcarve. In a matter of minutes you'll be turning out stuff you never thought you or your machine could do.

Man I sound like a commercial. Next thing you know I'll be trying to sell teeth whitening kits.

Am I the only Vcarve owner who likes to show off?

Here's a sign I made the other day. It's about 9X9 inches. I used paint-mask to color the cuts. That sure makes life easier. If you're ever trying to find a good pain to use, go to any art store and buy a heavy body acrylic paint. It goes on like butter and covers great.

Over all it came out pretty good. The wood was warped a little so I was fighting that a bit.


Jay, would you be happy to share the G-Code for the Japanese sign??

I share your excitement about Vcarve. I was sold on the software from version 1 demo .

I posted my first demo cut in my Vcarve thread here is the link:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13797

Your latest sign is most impressive, not that I understand what it says but the results are great.

Jason

Hi Guys, Bob (Grizzmo) is back...feeling much better now....was a rough go for a bit.....but is looking better each day...here are some of the pics i put on tonys vcarve thread....boy do i love this program..... for all you folks who build yours...where and how cheeply can i get a spindle about 1 horse would do it..i keep burning up laminate trimmers and i cant stand the noise...

sorry forgot the eagle here he is

Good to have you back Bob. Those signs are looking really good. Got some good news today, so full version Vcarve should be mine soon.

Jason

How long did the eagle sign take to complete?

Jason

Hi guys,

Fantastic work with the software!

Jay - Are you after my job!
Glad the software is 'earning its keep' and thanks for the praise and positive feedback!

Bob - Great to hear you are feeling better and thanks for posting the pictures of your work.

Cheers Guys,

Tony Mac

it took a couple of hours, but im redoing it by bringing the eps file directly into vcrarve ...i think it will be faster and i know it will be smoother...as i found if i export my corel files as eps instead of creating dfx files i get much better results......expecially on the curves

So which is the best bit to use in Vcarve a 90 degree V with flat or sharp tip...or another?
Bill Schober

So which is the best bit to use in Vcarve a 90 degree V with flat or sharp tip...or another?
Bill Schober

Hi Bill,
The bit selection depends on the size and type of image or text you are cutting, I used to use a 60^ bit all the time but the more I use Vcarve I choose the bit to suit the image.
On the attached image I used a 30^ bit to cut the small lettering and a 60^ bit to cut the larger lettering and scroll work (sign is 22" wide by 12 1/2" tall).
I'm working on another sign that uses a 1/4" flat end mill, a 30^ bit and a 60^ bit, I'll post a picture when it's finished.
Dean

Anyone know a good place to get vbits on the web? I've had a hard time finding the steeper angles. Seems like anything smaller the 60 degrees is rare, but maybe I'm not looking in the right places?

Hi Jay,
One good place to get bits is www.2link.com, they have quick delivery and there prices are reasonable.

I think your link might not be right. When I go I get a place for web hosting. Or am I missing something?

Sorry Jay.
Should be www.2linc.com (with a "c" not "k")
Dean

very nice, ....Bob

Here's another sundial done with VCW. This one tells you the height of the sun off the horizon.

Here's a close up of the dial in the last post and of a dial I finished today. The yellow dial isn't for telling time but (although it will) but it's for finding true north. You line both dials up so they read the same time and the direction its pointing is true north.

Your dials are really cool Jay, Is thery any websites I can goto to get more information or plans on making some?

Does anyone know where to get corian, I would like to get the 0.25" stock but local plastic supply say they do not know what it is, is it known by another name, I know there is a corian.com but is it called corian because of the manufacturer?

Thanks, Joe

Corian is the tradename for a Dupont product. http://www.corian.com/

It is only sold through authorized Corian installers. (That I know of.) Usually these are kitchen countertop manufacturers. Almost every town has a couple.

There are other products like Corian but have different brand names. I can't think of them at the moment. If the kitchen countertop people don't use Corian they will mention the type that they sell.

Usually these guys have scraps available for sale to crafters.

That's exactly right.

Corian is made by DuPont and sold exclusively through specialist resellers who have attended acredited training courses. However, there will certainly be local kitchen installers and shop fitters who will have off-cuts that they often throw away or sell on at low cost.

You could offer to make the owner / manager a sign or something in return for the off-cuts.

Tony

Any alternative material that will machine well to use with litho also and a vcarve?

There are other products like Corian but have different brand names. I can't think of them at the moment.

Take a look at the LG HI-MACS line. Exactly like Corian (better warranty if using it for a counter) and bout $15 less a linear foot! :)

Joe:
I got some .25 Corian from a local place. I had never seen Corian that thin before but the guy said they use it for backslashes and walls.

CNCRob:
This is the software I use to create the dials. I have a few books on sundials, which really helped figure out what I was doing with the software. But if you just want to create a basic sundial, using this software you don't have to know too much about the math. Basically you just need you log and lat and the style of dial you want.

This guy has quite a bit of Corian. http://cgi.ebay.com/CORIAN-SHEETS-1-4-SHEETS-OTHER-SIZES-STRIPS-8-WIDE_W0QQitemZ7589160604QQcategoryZ26197QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

1/4" isn't very common, as countertops are usually 1/2". To buy it from a dealer, you have to be a certified fabricator. Afaik, there is no resale allowed.

Other major solid surface materials are Avonite, Surell (Formica), Gibraltar (Wilsonart). You might be able to buy these through lumber yards.

I have always known this thinner stuff as SSV or Solid Surface Veneer. Although now that I think about it, that may have been 1/8" thick. You are probably best to look at other brands then Corian as it is usually much cheaper. Wilsonart make some (Gibralter), as well as others called Avonite, Fountainhead, etc. Almost any kitchen countertop manufactures can point you in the right direction. If you ask nicely, most installers will give you some of the scrap VERY cheap - sink cut outs, scraps, etc are easily obtainable and with a couple of phone calls you should be able to track some down or perhaps even dumpster dive.

I get mine as scrap from a counter top place. They have some racks in the back of their shop that they let me pick thru and then the guy just says some price after looking at what I've picked. Most of the time I can get quite a bit for $30 or $40. So it's worth calling around and seeing if someone near you will sell you scrap.

This Owl picture has been carved by Mike Skyner in the UK running a Pacer CNC router. He found the DXF design on the internet and machined it using a 60 degree V-Bit cutter.

The material is ColourRout, which an mdf base covered with a wood veneer, so vcaring through the veneer exposes the black base colour.

Tony

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/VCarvedOwl.jpg

Thanks for posting Tony. Any machining details.

Jason

Hi Jason,

The owl is on 8" x 6" ash faced ColourRout and was cut with a 60 degree 6.25mm dia. carbide engraving type V cutter. 24000 RPM with 4m/min feed and plunge rates, the vectors from the dxf file weren't very clean so the job took about 25 minutes to cut.

Mike

VCarve Wizard user Riven recently machined the Dinosaur (DXF) design shown below for his children. Although we typically promote VCW for doing decorative carving and engraving, it's also very good for 2D Profile and Pocket machining, with automatic cutter compensation around even the most complex of shapes, as you can see below.

This design can be cut from a 39" x 27" x 3/8" thick sheet using a 1/4" End Mill. It can also be scaled for any material thickness using the software.

Tony

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/Dino_pic.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/interface_1.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/interface_2.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/Dino_pic_nb.jpg

yea the software is looking better and better I just need to get the money for the whole package with photocarve. (It is a help when you can show many different uses for it.)

Joe

Hey Joe,

It pays for itself!
It sure is sweet software huh?
The first time I played with Vcarve demo my jaw dropped!
I had to have it.
Then they came out with the Photocarve...WOW!

Bill Schober

Hey Joe,

It pays for itself!
It sure is sweet software huh?
The first time I played with Vcarve demo my jaw dropped!
I had to have it.
Then they came out with the Photocarve...WOW!

Bill Schober

yea, i need to figure out how to make money with it.... I'm shy at those things.

Joe,

with VETRIC's V Carve Wizard and PhotoVCarve you'll be able to render your projects VERY easily, thus more convicing to your potential customers. I think you may have seen some screen shot around...?

Some 495.00$ is paid fast with a bunch of decorative project; a nice medium sized V Carved design can be worth some 75.00$ and more... depends, I know, but keep in mind that it's a fast strategie to achieve nice results and people like this kind of carving a lot.

If you liked the evolution of V Carve Wizard so far, then you won't be deceived with what VETRIC's team are having in mind for the next release... and they'll always be wanting to know how they can make it better. Have you browsed the VETRIC forum?

Anyway, have you tried it?!... if not download the trial... NOW!

I Own a copy of Vcarve and it Has made my cnc business much more productive than i had thought it would have.

Joe

If you give the ladies in your life some decorative trinkets lets say for mothers day or any such occasion the word spreads like wildfire and then you will have lots of things to cut for their friends, the problem being who to charge and who not to to charge. ;)

Jason

People are asking if they can have the Dino file to cut on their own machine. So the 0.375" thick version can be downloaded from,

Dino design for 3/8" thick material (http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/Dino_ 0.375_inch_matl.zip)

This file can be opened in the Free Trial version of VCarve Wizard (http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/products/download.htm), and the toolpaths can then be saved for the CNC machine control you are running.

**************************************************
The Dino design can also be scaled to match any other material thickness / slot width and machined using the Trial version.

For example, for 0.5" Thick material,

1. Edit the Material size

Edit > Material Width = 52” and Height = 36”
Thickness = 0.5”
X Center vectors in material

2. Select all the vectors by Ctrl + A or clicking Top left and Bottom right corners

3. Scale the Vectors - select the icon

X Select Specify exact size
Width = 50.804”
Height will scale automatically

4. Edit each Toolpath in turn by double clicking on the names

Enter Cut Depth = 0.5”
Specify the Pass Depth and Feedrates required
Calculate the new toopaths

5. Save the Toolpaths for your CNC machine contrl type.

Let me know if you have any questions or need any help with this.

**************************************************

The pictures below are from a VCarve Wizard customer in New Zealand who scaled the Dino design for 12mm thick material - Looks grrreat!

Tony

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/Dino_1.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/Dino_2.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/Dino_3.jpg

Thanks Tony!

Below is a video and some pictures of the Dino being routed from 3/8" (9mm) plywood on a Pacer router.

This router has Vacuum Table that makes holding the material very easy. The cutter was a 1/8th (3mm) single flute, downcut and it took approximately 30 minutes to cut out all the pieces.

Video clip (http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/Dino.avi)
(may take a few minutes to start)

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/Dino_p1.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/Dino_p2.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/dino/Dino_p3.jpg

My first Vcarve project. Made this for my dad (Harley fanatic). This is cut in 1/2 corian with a 90 deg vbit. Painted the carvings, sanded several times down to a fine grit (600) sandpaper and polished. Looks very good. Need to put the hole for clock mechanics and it will be finished. Excellent software to work with. Fast and easy to use.

Dman,

That's a great looking clock. I also have one to post after I make an adjustment.
Does the corian rout easily?

Jason

Jason,
Corian cuts much like any other hardwood. It was very nice to work with. Very clean,sharp edges after routing. I just have to get more. It's was so easy to paint the letters because I could just sand off the excess leaving a nice sharp edge.

2 Fantastic signs carved by Ernie and Diane Balch (http://www.balchsigns.com/) on their home
built CNC router using VCarve Wizard.

Although the software does a great job of making the basic sign shapes,
the really hard bit is in the finishing and gilding, and Diane and Ernie have
done a tremendous job on these signs.

Both signs are cut from high density sign foam and painted. The lettering
on the Oak Tree Road sign is gold paint.

The Howling Wolf Inn sign includes Gilded gold leaf lettering and Blue Smalts
which is small glass beads packed and glued onto the surface to give
a stunning effect!

Tony

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/Howling_Wolf.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/Oak-Tree-Road.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/Howling_Wolf.jpg


That is just a fantastic sign, they did a wonderful job. It really is cool to see all the awesome things people are making with your guys software. It's funny, your customer's work sells your software - without a doubt...

Looking at these 2 signs you can see exactly how the Gilded Gold Leaf lettering on the Howling Wolf Inn sign gives so much more impact when compared against the Gold painted lettering on the Oak Tree sign.

The Howling Wolf Inn sign shows how VCarve Wizard can be used to calculate 2D Pocket Clearance strategies, V-Carved Lettering and decoration and also Cut Out the finished sign.

Tony

The Howling Wolf Inn sign is outstanding. Every since i bought the combo package I have not stop thinking about the possibilities of what can be accomplished. I have a clear view of what I would like to see in a finished piece but I haven't yet figured out the steps involved in the software to make it happen. Combining 2d and vcarve toolpaths with multiple depths of cut is a trial and error approach for me. The software makes it very easy to back up and try something different. In doing a sign with the intention of painting is there a good rule of thumb on how it should be cut? Should the lowest depth be cut first or should you work your way into the wood. Tony your training videos are excellent, and I know with the success of this software your probably a very busy guy, but can you do another one in regards to the wolf sign that would give a simple minded guy like myself a point in the right direction. Combining lettering and clipart graphics is something I'm sure alot of people would be interested in. I'm not looking for how to do it just pointers on how to lay out a strategy approach on what should be cut first. Excellent software guys.
Chuck

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for the positive feedback!

I'll put a video together that shows the steps needed to layout and machine the Howling Wolf Inn Sign in VCarve Wizard.

The key element in most signs is the font, especially as some look much better than others when vcarved. We purchased the font used in this sign from the Letterheads web site

See > http://letterheadfonts.com/contributors/chuckdavis/mirage.shtml

This is a Great site for ideas and inspiration.

Give me a couple of days and I'll post the video.

Regards,
Tony

Hi Chuck,

Sorry for the delay in getting back with this short overview of how to use VCarve Wizard to design and carve signage like the Howling Wolf piece posted above.

Howling Wolf Inn Sign video (http://www.vectric.com/vectric/video/howling_wolf/HW.html)

Let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,
Tony

Oh....thats how ya did it. :rolleyes: ...you make look so simple....great video as always Tony...very informative...
Thanks again
Chuck

I am not getting any video Tony, just audio.

Jason

Jason,
I had trouble awhile back viewing the videos too. It turned out I needed to install the TSCC codec on my computer. You can get it here: http://www.techsmith.com/download/tsccdefault.asp

Hope this helps.

Thanks Jay.

Hi Jason,

Not sure why you are only getting the audio from the Flash Video so I’ve added a link to the AVI file that you can try,

Howling Wolf Inn Sign AVI video (http://www.vectric.com/vectric/video/howling_wolf/Howling_Wolf.avi)

Please let me know if this works or not?

Regards,
Tony

Thanks Tony, the AVI file worked. I am not sure why the codec did not work.

Jason

Fist cut with 3D VectorArt Machinist from Vectric. Check it out.

The 3D carving looks great Damian.

A little more information for anyone else interested in machining 3D designs.

We (Vectric) have developed a Free 3D Machining (http://vectorart3d.com) product called Vector Art 3D-Machinist (http://www.vectorart3d.com) that anyone can download and experiment with. There are also a couple of sample models that you can size and actually machine on your own CNC machine.

This software is very, very easy to use and includes, roughing, finishing and optional cut-out toolpath strategies, 3D preview and estimated machining times.

Vector Art is primarily known for their high quality Mega 1 and 2 vector clipart collections that many sign makers will often have. They now offer 3D clipart designs ranging from $10 to $75 per piece - the models look very interesting.

Here's a screen shot of the interface.

Regards,
Tony

We (Vectric) have developed a Free 3D Machining (http://vectorart3d.com) product called Vector Art 3D-Machinist (http://www.vectorart3d.com) that anyone can download and experiment with. There are also a couple of sample models that you can size and actually machine on your own CNC machine.

The software looks pretty cool - but I see that it only works with proprietary files purchased from VectorArt 3D's website. Just a good disclaimer to have before someone spends their time downloading it only to find out it can't open any of their own files. ;)

I can't send my request for the download link, I get this error.

www.vectorart3d.com:

Invalid Entry Form

I send my name and my valid email address!
Any ideas? Jim

Figured out the problem. I had to use IE not opera, I don't care for IE.
At least I have the setup file downloaded. Jim

This is a plaque I made for my daughter for her first communion. She has to present a give to the alter that was made by her and a parent. So, the two of us designed the sign last week and I cut it out. She painted in the carvings and dad sanded to finish. It was really fun to do with her. Using Vcarve made it so great because she could see exactly what we were going to come out with in the end and helped her make decisions on design. The sign/gifts will be given to a local retirement home afterwards.

Dman,
Thats really great work, its good when family can work on such a project together.

Jason

Thanks Jason. It was fun doing this together with her. I really like using Corian for stuff like this. It is easy to carve and finish. You can really put some small details in and not have to worry about blowouts like wood can do.

Dman,

What was your feedrate for the carve cut?
What was your feedrate as well as depth per pass for the profile cut?

The reason I ask is that Corian and other similar materials are very expensive here and I would not want to experiment too much with feedrates before getting it right

Jason

I cut with the 60 degree vbit at 30 ipm with a max depth of .06. The cutout was done with a .25" spiral upcut bit with a max depth of .06 and a feedrate of 25ipm. I can go faster but I don't see the need to cut faster. I feel the key is to make fast rapids to get there but then slow it down to make the cut. I rapid at 80ipm and normally cut anywhere from 35 to 50 ipm in wood. I do cut the Corian at 50ipm when making lithophanes and it seems to work great also. I was just afraid that using a bigger bit may start to chatter if I go too fast so I didn't push it. I doesn't seem that burning or material buildup on the cutter happens much or if at all with corian.

The 3D carving looks great Damian.

A little more information for anyone else interested in machining 3D designs.

We (Vectric) have developed a Free 3D Machining (http://vectorart3d.com) product called Vector Art 3D-Machinist (http://www.vectorart3d.com) that anyone can download and experiment with. There are also a couple of sample models that you can size and actually machine on your own CNC machine.

This software is very, very easy to use and includes, roughing, finishing and optional cut-out toolpath strategies, 3D preview and estimated machining times.

Vector Art is primarily known for their high quality Mega 1 and 2 vector clipart collections that many sign makers will often have. They now offer 3D clipart designs ranging from $10 to $75 per piece - the models look very interesting.

Here's a screen shot of the interface.

Regards,
Tony

Where can a person purchase the clipart for this free software?

Hi Jimini,

The Free Machining Software (http://www.vectorart3d.com/) can only be used to cut the models supplied by Vector Art 3D.

You can download a couple of Free models (http://www.vectorart3d.com/store/?fuseaction=freemodels) that can be scaled to any size and cut on your own machine.

They also offer a range of models that you can download a view for free, and these models can be purchased from the On-line Store (http://www.vectorart3d.com/store/) for between $10 and $75 each.

Hope this helps,

Tony

Its a nice way to get some great images into gcode without having to spend any time converting files or editing in a cad program. And inexpensive too, if you consider they are scaleable and all the machining parameters are adejustable. You only pay for the image once, and they are perfect for wood carving. Exactly the kind of stuff it would take hours to do with cad/cam programs.

Since they are 3D, they are large files, unlike the VCarve, images take hours to cut instead of minutes. I wish my camera was available, my daughter's using it. I'll try to post some pictures this weekend, they are really nice carvings.

I've been trying out Vector Art 3D and it's pretty cool. Here's a model I cut the other day. It's about 5x4inches. I used a .25 ballnose for the clearing path and then finished it with a 0.03inch ballnose at 15% step-over. Took about 3.5-4hours total machining time. I think I could have gone faster but I was chicken to push the 0.03 ballnose to hard.

Im still learning how to use the demo package, but I have to say its the best demo available and Ive learned so much with it. My budget is limited, like everyones, I just bought my MachX license and cant wait to gather up the funds to buy a copy of VCarve. Combined with the wizards in Mach3 I dont need anything else. The two will do most anything that I can imagine. Thanks for the great software!

2 more Fantastic signs carved by Ernie and Diane Balch (http://www.balchsigns.com/) on their home
built CNC router using VCarve Wizard (http://www.vectric.com) and the Free Vector Art 3D Machining (http://www.vectorart3d.com/) software.

The Smith's Stables sign includes Gilded gold leaf lettering and Black Smalts
which is small glass beads packed and glued onto the surface to give
a stunning effect! The 3D horse and decorative flourish were cut seperately
then gilded with gold leaf and mounted onto the finished sign.

Both signs are cut from high density sign foam and painted. The lettering
on the Beachcomber Cottage sign is gold paint and it shows just how much
better the gold leaf looks in comparison!

Although the software does a great job of making the basic sign shapes,
the really hard bit is in the finishing and gilding, and Diane and Ernie have
done a tremendous job on these signs.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/Smiths_Stables.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/Beachcomber.jpg

Tony

WOW that's impresive to say the least

Those are rather eye catching signs and the 3D part adds a sense of realism, really fantastic work.

Tony,
What are the sizes of the signs?
How long did the 3d parts take to do on each sign?


Jason

Thanks Tony for sharing those wonderful signs.
I feel that with the use of Vectrics software programs that sign making is truely becoming an art form, again!
Bill

Hi. You are all doing some amazing carvings. dighsx, the detail in the moose is really amazing. I was just wondering about two quick things:

1) If your using different bits for different parts of the carving, do you just pause the program while you change it or go through the whole process a few times with the wood clamped in place?

2)I was going to build a 3 axis machine, would I need a 4 axis machine to do the 3D carvings that are sold by VectorArt3D?

Thanks.

Hi Diarmaid,

1. If a job requires multiple cutters, for example an End Mill roughing cutter, followed by a Ball nose finishing cutter and finally a V-Bit to carve some text, the software can save 3 different toolpath files or a single file that contains all 3 sets of data.

With separate toolpaths you simply setup the first cutter at the X, Y, Z origin, run the toolpath. Then do the same for the additional toolpaths. The X & Y position will always stay at the same position and you simply reset the Z axis for each cutter.

Probably sounds a little tricky, but really very simple and straight forward.

With a single file the machine can be set to pause at the end of each toolpath and you change the cutter, reset the Z axis and restart cutting. Some machines have Automatic Tool Changing mechanisms that automatically change the cutters.

2. All of the designs available from the Vector Art Clipart library are designed to be machined using a 3 axis CNC machine. So no need for a 4th axis.

I hope this helps,

Tony

Jason - the Smiths Stables sign is about 3'x2' the Beachcomber is approx 18" x 12". I will check with the Balch's to see how long the 3D parts took to cut, Thanks, James

Are the two free samples for Vector Art 3D-Machinist the same resolution/Quality as the ones for sale? I thought I read somewhere that they are only 1/4 of the resolution as the ones for sale.

Thanks,
John

Yes they are. They have a download viewing program or something that does that to the for sale ones, but the free samples are 100%. Check them out, they are nice.

John, Halfnutz is right the free models are the same quality and resoution as all the others. The models which are 1/4 the res are the V3V files which are for the viewer. These can be downloaded for any model on the site and then loaded to the Free Viewer (or the machinist software) these are used to view the model in 3D (or show your customer) - the res is reduced on those to keep file size down.
Thanks, James

Thanks James.

Jason

Some more info from Ernie Balch who made the signs for us on how long the 3D took to cut -
"The samples were cut on an old home made router that was very slow.
They took about 2 hrs each. We start the router and do other things in the shop until we notice that the job is done."

Hope this helps, Cheers, James

Thanks Halfnutz & Carve3D!

My homemade machine has been down for some time and back this was it's first cut using VCarve:
My girlfriend wanted a simple sign for her "FunnyFarm" need I say more?

Bill Schober
Pinegrove, CA

Hey Bill glad to see you're back up and running. Like the sign!

Can anyone point me towards this "high density foam" that is used for signmaking? Where could you find the stuff locally? I imagine it can be cut very fast and when finished it must have the surface seeled some how?

Here is a small tribute to the Vectric Team for the excellent work with the new Software :cheers:
The name of the font on the second sign is AlphaFitness, and you can find it here: http://www.dafont.com/
On this page there is a lot of cool fonts and dingbats, to play with.

Hi Halfnutz,

These 2 suppliers are very good and will send samples for you to test cut.

www.precisionboard.com

www.signfoam.com

Precision board have a coating for foam (HDU or Polystyrene) called "FSC-88-WB" (the WB is for water based as it does NOT eat away the polystyrene or.HDU).

Hope this helps,

Tony

Another Fantastic sign routed by Ernie and Diane Balch (http://www.balchsigns.com/) on their home
built CNC router using VCarve Wizard (http://www.vectric.com) and the Free Vector Art 3D Machining (http://www.vectorart3d.com/) software.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/dentist_1_lr.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/dentist_2_lr.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/dentist_3_lr.jpg

Tony

The sign below is Roy Burrill's first job programmed with VCarve Wizard.

The substrate is 80" x 20" x 3/4 thick Sign Foam board and was cut on his
ShopBot router using a 90 degree 1" diameter V-Bit.

Nice job Roy!

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/WesOaks_1.jpg
High Density Foam base

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/pmachinist/WesOaks_2.jpg
Painted sign being installed


Tony

Well my little sign is nothing compared to those Tony. But here it is anyways. It's for the back of a bookcase. I used the beta version of VCarve Pro and was able to create the whole thing in about 5 minutes.

Thats pretty cool, there seems to be a lot of detail in the dot over the 'i'. What size bit did u use?

I used a 90-degree 0.5inch V-Bit. The letters ending up being in a space of about 19X6 inches. The deepest cut was .348 inches.

The attached sign was made with the some of the new text features of VCarve Pro3. It is 4 feet long and made of pine with a blue deck stain that was wiped off the surface, but not off of the v-grooves, and then sprayed clear lacquer finish. The new software is GREAT! It is user friendly and has fantastic new features. Good job Tony, Brian and everyone who helped with this great software!
I made the sign for my favorite charitable organization (The Sonora Alano Club) as a way to hopefully help increase the number of people who pay the non-compulsory dues. The names below the sign are some of our dues paying members.

Bill Schober :wave:
Sonora, California

I ran a job today for a local Mini Truck Club that wanted key ring pendants. I made 16 of them out of 6mm aluminum checker plate using Vcarve Pro. These are 70mm by 20mm and the text is less than 4mm. Vcarve handled it well including the points on the star. The text was done with a 1/2 inch 90 degree V bit and the drill hole which is a new feature in Vcarve and the cut out was done with a 3mm carbide end mill. The checker plate was salvaged and heavily stained but a quick buff made it like new.

Those look cool Rod. Nice work, VCarve sure makes it easy.

Thanks Jay
They were fun to deisgn and make and thumbs up to Vcarve Pro for the new features.

Ok we are on a roll here. :)
I started work on a vacuum shute for my CNC router today. Designed in Vcarve in about five minutes. Two through holes and then a pocket joining the two holes in 10 mm aluminum plate. I put tabs on the through holes to stop them hitting the cutter on the final pass.

VCarve Pro user 222Artisans (http://www.222artisans.com/) carved this design into Limestone 12"x12". using a Gerber 120 degree 1.25" bit at 1 IPS x-y 0.75 IPS z @13000

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/stone_forum/Limestone_carving.jpg

Cutting time was approximately 1 hour

The key to cutting stone is eliminate vibration, so make sure everything is clamped down and as rigid as possible.


Tony

That really looks nice Tony. I've always thought about cutting some stone but remain chicken. Seeing this makes me want to give it a try.

Can anyone point me to where I can learn how to paint the signs? This looks very interesting, and I'd like to be able to do it.

It also seems that I'll have to go see the bank manager about VCarve... :)

Can anyone point me to where I can learn how to paint the signs? This looks very interesting, and I'd like to be able to do it.

It also seems that I'll have to go see the bank manager about VCarve... :)

Thats something I would be intrested to learn also.

This isn't much info on paint mask but it's a start, check out these two posts:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=126463&postcount=2
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=123774&postcount=90

Here are a couple of pictures that might also help with Jay's description. The sign is from VCarve Pro customer Roy Burrill who runs a ShopBot Router.

First paint the front of the sign to seal the surface of the substrate (sign foam in this example). Apply a couple of coats for an outdoor sign. Varnish / lacquer wooden signs.

Apply a paint mask (Avery A1830 - yellow in this example) which a plastic film stuck onto the surface and use a roller to ensure good contact.

Carve the design on the CNC machine - cutting through the film into the substrate.

Paint the carved regions of the design - not having to worry about the top surface as this is being protected by the paint mask film.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Mangum1.jpg

Remove the film to reveal the finished sign.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Mangum3.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Mangumfinal.jpg

I hope this helps,

Tony

Thanks Guys, That paint mask seems like pretty neat stuff. I noticed on the link in Jays other post they offer punched and unpunched. I was wondering what the difference is? Thanks- Robbie

Does anyone know if you have to own Vcarve first to use PhotoVcarve ?

Hey Tony, with those paint masks, do you ever have edges melting from the heat of the cutter?

No Salty72 they run just fine a lone...but they make a GREAT pair!

Bill Schober
Sonora, CA

Robbie - I believe the punched film includes holes along the edges so it can be used with automated feed mechanism's. But might be wrong on this.

Salty72 - PhotoVCarve is a totally independant program that calculates and saves toolpaths for cutting. So there's no need to have VCarve Pro. Thanks Bill.

ZipSnipe - The film is pretty durable and cuts very clean when using sharp cutters.

Cheers,
Tony

Tony's right about the punched and unpunched. The punched is for an automated feed mechanism. Also they offer yellow or white. The yellow is high heat applications, for example some finishes they bake on in a oven. So unless you're doing some crazy finish the white is the one to get.

And Tony's right about the film cutting nice. Long as your bits are sharp it should cut great. One word of warning, make sure you rub it down really good, if you have cuts that are really close together (less then 1 or 2 mm) you can get some peeling up. But for most applications this isn't a problem

Some more work work I have been doing in Vcarve Pro. First is a brass plaque for work.

The next is a grill ornament of my son's Mini Truck club. I did two versions and you can see which one he chose in the last photo. :)

All done with a home made CNC router and carbide bits. 1/8th V bit for the brass and 3mm end mill for the aluminum grill emblem. Sorry about the reflection of the shed roof in the photos.

Rod,
Impressive work. How did you finish the plaque.
Looks like you may have polished it after adding text highlight paint. The small text looks to have soft edges due to polishing or is that just the reflection?
Was it lacquered for the photo?
Paul

Hi Paul,
After engraving I used wet and dry up to 2000 using a sanding block and then on to a 6 inch buff with Tripoli. I hadn't noticed the rounding on the lettering but the photo makes it look worse than it is. Paint was applied after polishing and then the surface cleaned up before it dried. I will mask and spray lacquer on the surface after it is mounted in case it gets scratched when fitted.
Not a job I would hurry back to as the 1/8th 60 degree V bits are a bit fragile on the points but it was a good exercise all the same. At least the brass doesn't gum up like aluminum.
I have used your tip of air rather than coolant for cutting aluminum and it is much better so thanks for that.
Excuse me for taking this OT but I am thinking about getting an airbrush compressor as they run a lot quieter and I don't think you need the volume of air the workshop compressor delivers. I might be able to use beverage tube and attach it to the Z axis so I don't have to stand there while the job runs. Any thoughts?

A couple of 'real projects' machined by customers running VCarve Pro on their CNC routers.

The Oak Sign was cut by Dan as a present for his Kung Fu teacher on his 4 x 8 Practical CNC router running the Flashcut CNC control.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Man_KF_LR.jpg

The second sign is carved into Corian (25" x 11" by Jason (js11110) on his home built 28" x 28" router table. This to is a present for his boss for allowing him to use the works CNC machines to make the parts for his CNC own router table.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/API_LR.jpg

Excellent work guys!

Tony

Wow, that Corian really stands out, Great work!


Jerry

Very nice looking work. I like the tabs on the wooden sign.

Great work on both the signs.

Wow, that Corian really stands out, Great work!


Jerry

Thanks Jerry and Robbie!

Jason

This sign was designed and carved by VCarve Pro customer Matt B. on his Home built CNC Mill. This is his first go at cutting with the software and I'm sure you'll agree that he's done a fantastic job!

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Chris-Craft_Sign.jpg

The sign is cut from Spanish Cedar and stained to make it look darker.

Tony

Gerald D and his son Sean have been experimenting with the new 3D Texturing Toolpath strategy in VCarve Pro and carved this stunning desk on their MechMate router (http://www.mechmate.com/).

The 3D Texture was carved using an 80mm (3") Dia Ball Nose cutter.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Desk_1.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Desk_2.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Desk_3.jpg

Very creative and great use of the software.

Tony

That's pretty cool. Do you know what size bit they used Tony?

The 3D Texture was carved using an 80mm (3") Dia Ball Nose cutter.

The above info was included in Tony's post #124.

Thanks for the info. It's a great looking piece!

My girlfriends daughter got married this Sunday and I made them this sign on my home-made CNC machine and VCarve! I used a 90 degree V, a 1/4 straight and an ogee bit to cut it. I painted it with Hunter Green and masked before cutting it, I then sprayed it with gold and finally the whole sign with clear enamel paint.
The second picture is of Kendra & Chuck with the sign, on the day after the wedding, right after they opened the present.

Bill Schober
Sonora, CA

Hi Bill,

Nice Sign and a Great Gift that's I'm sure the happy couple will find Very Special!

Thanks for posting the pictures.

Tony

Thanks Tony!

They loved it.

Bill

I hope someone can help me with a question...someone saw the wedding sign and has asked me how much I would charge them to make one for their daughter's wedding this coming spring. I have never charged anyone anything....yet. So I don't know what ask for. I would like to be fare to them anf myself. Any suggestions?

Bill Schober
Sonora, CA

You must have an idea of how much time it took you to generate the code. Charge this out at a reasonable rate. Say $40 an hour. Add material cost you need to take into account that you will need to replace your stock so don't sell it short. Add your machine time. This should account for depreciation of your machine. Your electricity. Recovering the cost of software. Premises etc. If you work through this sort of exercise you should have an idea of what you should charge. I'm not from the US but would think you would be out of pocket if you did it for less than $100.

Anyone else?

Paul

While Paul is generally correct, there may be a few issues.

1) if your machine is not very fast, you probably can't charge for excessive machine time. I'd say you can charge maybe 15 minutes machine time for that.
2) I'm not sure you'd find too many people willing to pay $100 for that sign, although maybe for a wedding they would.

If you're doing this as a business to make money, then you have to do it like Paul says. If you can't sell any at the price you need to sell it for, then you shouldn't be in that business.

I'm guessing that most of your time is in the painting. Mosty people wouldn't realise that it can take longer to paint or finish wood projects than it takes to make them.

Most of the photo's and information we post about VCarve Pro tends to show detailed designs cut using the 3D VCarving / Engraving Tools. We tend to overlook ways in which the software can be used for straightforward 2D profile machining, so here's a great new project from sign maker and ShopBot owner Bart (Wemme) from down-under in New Zealand

The sign is cut from acrylic and the lettering is spaced off the back plate by 15mm and looks awesome under UV light. Bart is looking at adding leds to illuminate the Letters but this is still in the pipe line. Unfortunately the photos don't do it justice.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Bart3.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Bart1.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Bart5.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Bart4.jpg

Another Great use of VCarve Pro - Cheers Bart!

Tony

Any idea yet when version.4 is being released Tony? If you buy the current version do you get free updates when ver.4 comes out? Thanks.

Diarmaid,

Customers receive Free Upgrades for a year after they purchase.

Not exactly sure when version 4 will be released but there will certainly be a minor version released around Christmas time.

I hope this helps,

Tony

Thanks Tony. Thats great. This means if I buy this side of christmas my upgrade package will still be valid for Ver.4 next year. :D

Thanks Tony. Thats great. This means if I buy this side of christmas my upgrade package will still be valid for Ver.4 next year. :D

It's also worth remembering that the Upgrades will only be around $125 after the 12 Free period.

Tony

This is just a sample inlay I made using Vcarve Pro. Several of us on the Vcarve forum have been trying to make a inlay process to allow for sharp corners both on the inside and outside on an inlay. This pic came out a little blurred but the fit is excellent and the sharp corners make it look very nice. The material the inlay is set into is colored MDF from Great Lakes MDF with poplar used for the inlay. I am going to try to repeat this process on other shapes and see if I can repeat the results. It looks promising......

I have now cut several different inlays to test this method. It looks to me as if it will work. Vcarve Pro is just flat out one super program.:D

Australian ShopBotter Bruce Duck has used VCarve Pro, PhotoVCarve
and VA3D Machinist to carve these great signs on his router. He's
working on some larger projects and will post more details shortly.

It looks like Bruce has a pretty cool view from his workshop!

Tony

http://vectric.com/forum/files/alpacas_182.jpg

http://vectric.com/forum/files/horse_172.jpg

Wow! Those are classy!

VCarve Pro customer Designs by Bond in Sweden engraved this stylish sign
into 2 core brushed aluminium on black plastic that's very similar to the Rowmark product.

The sign measures 200mm x 500mm (8" x 20") and was engraved using 2 cutters,

A single flute 2mm (0.080") end mill followed by a sharp engraving bit to get the precise detail.
This approach allows the sign to be engraved very quickly without sacrificing detail.

Spindle speed 12000 rpm and feed rate 800mm/min.

The red section was cut from vinyl and attached afterwards.

Tony

http://vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Fourth_1.jpg

http://vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Fourth_2.jpg

Noticed some spectacular examples of painted VCarved solid surface by Dman and others. Is any special type of paint,prep,or finish technique needed to adhere to the solid surface material? (Aside from the masking techniques described)

If you "overcut" the carvings just slightly as someone mentioned, so after sanding/polishing you get clean crisp edges of painted carvings, how much do you "overcut"? For solid surface and other materials?

Sparkgirl,
I just used normal Krylon spraypaint on my carvings into Corian. Has held up well so far. Others may give you better advice on this. I just masked it around the lettering but not very neatly. After waiting for the paint to dry for a day, I just sanded with 220,400 and 800 grits to give the Corian a nice shine and to remove the excess paint. With these grits, you don't really take off that much material. It's more for polishing and removing the excess paint so I don't know if you need to worry about overcutting. If you do wish to overcut, you could do it several ways.

1. If you zero on the top of your material: Zero on the top of the material then move the cutter off the material and go down to the desired depth of overcut and re-zero. Make sure the the cutter will clear the material when making rapid moves though.

2. This is most likely the easiest. In Vcarve, you can set a start depth when making toolpaths. If you want a overcut of .06" then make the start depth .06" and when the material is planed/sanded down the .06" the cut will look as if it was zeroed from the top.

I hope this makes sense. If not I can send you an example.

Dman

Thanks Dman!

Number 2. made more sense to me. I have just started playing with my VCarve and haven't actually cut something yet. I've been cutting with PhotoV this week (and doing Plasma cutting with my BobCAD). I will try using this start depth option if deemed necessary for the project.

As for number 1. I've been trying to figure this one out for something in PhotoV too. If I move my Z off the material and reset lower, it would reset my X & Y too. I need to figure out how to set only my Z zero--guess I would need to just type that command separately into my post. Then what would I do if I wanted to start with my X,Y origin in the center of my design. I'm having trouble thinking this through--Wouldn't my bit then hit my material when it started at the Zero origin? I'm struggling with this one--maybe its simple? I use WinCNC post processor which is a version of G Code Inch.tap Can anyone make this easy for my to grasp?

Happy to hear just good old Krylon on the paint question, that's what I like to use for other projects.

I'm not sure what to do for WinCNC. I use Mach3. I can zero each axis on its own so the center origin is not be lost for x and y. I just re-zero the z. I would think this could be done in WinCNC also. I agree using the start depth in Vcarve is the best option.

Dman

I did check my help info, and I can certainly enter a command to just Zero my Z, but I'm still wondering about the bit hitting the material if the first move of the machine is to go to the Z origin--I guess I won't have to worry about that so much in VCarve, Tony Mac explained I could import my PhotoV projects into VCarve and run them, so I can use the start depth option. I'm sure there are many, many shortcuts and tips about my WinCNC too that I have no clue about yet. Guess I should let this thread get back to displaying great projects. Thanks! --sparkgirl

The sign is cut from Spanish Cedar and stained to make it look darker.
Tony

In Post 123, does anyone have any idea what stain would have been used on this, its a really nice shade, perfect for my first planned V-Carve project, and what gloss finish?

In Post 123, does anyone have any idea what stain would have been used on this, its a really nice shade, perfect for my first planned V-Carve project, and what gloss finish?

This is a quote from the vectric forum, it's not mine, just what I found.

Thanks

The wood I used is Spanish Cedar beacuae it was cheaper than Mahogany. The stain is a filler stain I had left over from a wooden boat I restored. The boat manufacture was a Century, not a Chris Craft, and the color is the original color used by Century. I believe it is a common petite filler stain but I can find out for sure if you like.

Matt



Link (Post#6):
http://www.vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=502&sid=34b01f02e11a1e2b6d83bdc0b4cd552b

.

I cut these two signs about a month ago. I have since reajusted my machine...I discovered that my so called 1/2 inch 90 degree router V-bit is not .50" but is actually .556" and that my Z axis was not perfectly square... When I told VCarvePro the true size of my bit(s) WOW it made a major change in the end product! In my next post I think you will see the difference! :wee:

I cut these over the weekend....

Wow!:eek:
very nice bsimages,ave you create all this?

Wow. fantastic work! :D

1) Are they regular 2D drawings that you converted to vectors and carved with a V bit or are they generated in 3D?

2) Also, what kind of toolpaths did you use in V-Carve to carve them as I see some parts are deep and some are very shallow (e.g middle row, 2nd in from left)?

3) What kind of cutting times were you looking at for the different pieces?

Thank you!
Some are 2D drawings that I converted others were all ready vectors.
I set my Flat depth to .65" on wood that was .75" thick, this caused VCarve to create some VERY deep cuts as in that dragon with the castle. I also only .2" at a pass so it cut many passes on the deep ones. Just remember the bigger the polygon the deeper the cut...so if you make your sign 12" x 18" it will be cutting a lot deeper than if it 6" x 9" for instance.

3) What kind of cutting times were you looking at for the different pieces?
My ho-made machine is not very fast...(30 inches per minute) The dragone with the castle took about two hours, John Wayne was about 30 minutes .
Bill

Just remember the bigger the polygon the deeper the cut...so if you make your sign 12" x 18" it will be cutting a lot deeper than if it 6" x 9" for instance.

I didnt know that! Do you mean using the pocketing feature?

The sonner I get the program the better....gotta get that darned machine built! :D :cheers:

I didnt know that! Do you mean using the pocketing feature?

The sonner I get the program the better....gotta get that darned machine built! :D :cheers:

"V-Carve / Engraving Toolpath" Check "Flat Depth (F)" and enter a depth ie .65

You will be very happy the 1st time your machine starts to run, I cried out "It's a live!!!" when mine did...:banana:
Bill

:cheers:....I shouted that when my steppers finally came alive a few days ago! :)...I also shouted YES many many times....the neighbours must have been worried! :D

PS: Im still not entirely sure how you got that effect after trying the 'flat depth' in my trial version, but Im sure I'll figure it out at a later date. :) Im thinking I just need to change the size of my cutter.

L8rs.

"PS: Im still not entirely sure how you got that effect after trying the 'flat depth' in my trial version, but Im sure I'll figure it out at a later date. Im thinking I just need to change the size of my cutter."

I have attached the Dragon and Castle CRV (zipped) file. Take a look at the settings for the toolpath "V-Carve 10" by double clicking it. Then try a preview of the cut...

I hope this helps,
Bill

:cheers:

I think I get it now! :)

Basically V carve decides automatically on how deep to plunge depending upon how far apart the lines are. Thats how you get shallow cuts for the scales and deep cuts for the surroundings, all in the same toolpath.

I thought that doing a V-Carve toolpath the cutter goes along every line at the same depth, but this is obviously not the case.

Am I missing anything with this or is that basically it?

It takes a while to get you head around it but that's exactly how it works.

I believe it also takes the angle of the cutting tool (example 90.0 deg.) and uses that info you supply to calculate the number of passes for all cuts, so for a very small cut you might have just 1 pass, for a very wide cut you would have multiple cuts, at the same time the program makes sure not to get into an area that should not be cut, to create your design.

Hope that didn't sound like a tax form! :)

Anyway the accuracy of your cutting tool measurement is important.


The better input you give the program, the better output you'll get out of the program.






.

Exactly!

You can do a V-Cut that is all the same depth but why would you want to?

If you have parallel lines V-Carve will cut a nice even depth...

Another way is to use the "Create Profile Toolpath," in a way I do not believe it was intended to be used. Instead of using it to cut out a profile you can use it with a V-Bit and set the depth of the cut to your desired depth, say a 1/4 inch, and it will cut every line 1/4 inch deep. Which in some cases (simple single lines) works out nicely.

This is why "Preview Toolpaths" is so nice.

Bill

Thanks for all the comments folks. That clears up a lot. :cheers:

I did a little experiment shown below and I do get it now! ;) I used the same V-Tool settings as for the dragon carving. And below you can see the results of the different sized ellipses using the same settings. The last pic shows my change for the larger ellipse with the flat depth at 1.5" instead of .65".

Thanks again. :cheers:

Now back to people showing their work! :)

BSimages....
Where do you find all your drawings to cut on your cnc?
Id love to have some of the dragons to cut. I cut the one with the castle and it turned out great.
Thanks Steve

Steve....
I got some of them here: http://vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=444&start=0
If you tell me which one(s) you would like I will post it (them) zipped here.
Bill Schober

All three dragons and the round looking carving if you would. They are just too awesome. Nice work.
Steve

Have fun!:banana:

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you...
Steve

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you...
Steve

Dido. :cheers:

The 1st sign is 12" x 48" x 0.75" and the max depth of cut is 0.65...
The 2nd picture is a close-up detail shot of the lettering.
VCarve does a really great job!
The 3rd picture is a 1' x 2' sign was made by scanning in the business card and then converting it to vectors with "Inkscape."
Inkscape is the best free image editing software I have ever seen.

Bill Schober
Sonora, CA
USA

Inkscape is the best free image editing software I have ever seen.
Bill Schober
Sonora, CA
USA

Dido to that aswell! Inkscape is great. Now all I need is a router and V-Carve to use it with. (I finished my gantry beam for my router yesterday! :o) :)

Those signs are very nice Bill. I especially like the conversion of the business card. One question....after making a sign such as the 1st one, is there much sanding and finishing to be done 'inside' the letters before painting? And if so how do you do this? (Im thinking Dremel)

:cheers:

I did no sanding at all to the letters. I primed and painted the sign blue then masked it, cut it, primed and painted it gold. I then removed the mask, took a picture and posted it here...from cutting to posting was two hours!
Good luck on your machine!
The greatest feeling you will enjoy is watching it go the 1st time it runs by PC control alone!!!
It's been over six months and I still love to watch it cut.. it puts a heck of a smile on my face! :D

Bill Schober
Sonora, CA
USA

I still love to watch it cut.. it puts a heck of a smile on my face!


My wife makes fun of me all the time. I just pull up a chair and watch, she want to know if I like to watch grass grow also...LOL. Still amazing to me, I built it and it works. Now to quit watching it and figure how to make some money with it.

Dwayne

:wave: The 1st sign is 12" x 48" x 0.75" and the max depth of cut is 0.65...
The 2nd picture is a close-up detail shot of the lettering.
VCarve does a really great job!
The 3rd picture is a 1' x 2' sign was made by scanning in the business card and then converting it to vectors with "Inkscape."
Inkscape is the best free image editing software I have ever seen.

Bill Schober
Sonora, CA
USA

Bill,
This is Nick's wife (Monte) and I am wondering when you scanned that business card and saved it in Inkscape, how did you Save As? I looked at the Inkscape program and downloaded it and tried scanning a business card I had and when I went to save it..my choices were several but nothing as a vector. One choice was , I believe SVG, but when I went to VCarve and and tried to import that, I found no way to do that.
Can you give me some steps to follow?
Margaret (Monte's wife)
Thank you:drowning: (nuts)

:wave:
Bill,
This is Nick's wife (Monte) and I am wondering when you scanned that business card and saved it in Inkscape, how did you Save As? I looked at the Inkscape program and downloaded it and tried scanning a business card I had and when I went to save it..my choices were several but nothing as a vector. One choice was , I believe SVG, but when I went to VCarve and and tried to import that, I found no way to do that.
Can you give me some steps to follow?
Margaret (Monte's wife)
Thank you:drowning: (nuts)

Ahhh....I know something finally!! :D

I had the same problem and had to ask V-Carve how to do it. You need to save it as an .eps file. This is the compatible form for V-Carve from Inkscape. I also get random error messages, you just ignore them, they dont mean anything. (Or at least nothing that affects my files :) )

Did this help? :)

Thanks for your response. When I save my work as EPS and try to import that into VCarve, it isn't working and here is why. This is the error message I get (and I do have to pay attention to it because it won't let me go any farther) The message reads: "Failed to import Vector data from EPS/AI/PDF file...The file probably contains only bit map data"
Does this mean that if I am working with a project that has text (actual text) and an outline or image of something I would have to save each of those items to a separate file?

Any ideas?
Thanks so much,
Mrs Monte:drowning:

Ok monte, hope this helps. Pics are working from left to right and top to bottom. Just like reading lines in a book. Sorry if this seems too simple but I dont know your computer experience so I tried to write it step-by-step.

STEP:
1:
Pic1: Click 'File' then 'Open' from the top drop down bar. In the pop-up window select the file you want to use then click 'Open'.

2:
Pic2: Click the 'A' text button, (Fourth from the bottom on the left hand toolbar). Then click where you want your text and type it in. If you need to alter the text use the 'Text' then 'Text and Font' from the drop down toolbar.

3:
Pic3&4: To convert bitmap to vector your picture MUST have the select arrows around it. Select the 'General Purpose Arrow' symbol on the left hand toolbar, then click on your picture to get the arrows around it.

4:
Pic5: In the top drop down toolbar select 'Path' then 'Trace Bitmap'.

5:
Pic6&7: You should now have the trace bitmap pop-up box. Use whatever settings you want, and after any changes click 'Preview' to view the small image of what it will end up like. In this case I used Colour Quantization.
Click 'Ok' to apply the changes. Then click the 'Red X' on the top right of the pop-up box to close it.

6:
Pic8: Select 'File' then 'Save As' from the top drop down menu. This will give you the 'Save As' pop-up box. On the top inside the 'Name' box type the filename to save as. Then on the bottom right corner click the small drop down arrow to give the file extension options. Select 'Encapsulated Postscript (*.eps)'. Click 'Save'.

7:
Pic9: You will see a small box appear. Select 'Convert Text to Path'. Click 'Ok'.

8:
Pic10: Exit Inkscape. I just use the 'Red X' button in the top right of the window. You will see an error message. Click 'Close Without Saving'. (Your file is already saved.)

9:
Pic11,12,&13: Open V-Carve. Click 'Open an Existing File'. Find your file on your hard drive and click 'Open'. Da daaaa. :D

Does this work?

You must be leaving bitmap stuff in there somewhere, but Im not sure how. If you follow the steps above and it still happens then there must be a setting or check-box somewhere that you have set different to me and we dont know about it....yet! Im confident we'll find it. If it comes to the worst I'd say just delete Inkscape and re-download it with the default settings. I haven't really changed anything in preferances from when I downloaded it. Haven't had time to get as in depth into it as I'd like. At least not until my machine is finished and I can actually machine what I draw. :)

If you go to: http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/support/support_how_to.htm
You will find this:
"The program InkScape does excellent job of vectorizing image files - and it's FREE!!

You can download the installation program from: www.inkscape.org

You have the option to download the zip file or the install .exe (I used the .exe)

Inkscape opens virtually all image file formats and the Tracing option is found under,

Path > Trace Bitmap - or Shift + Alt + B

I simply went with the default settings and the results were very good (see below). There is a Tutorial that explains how to use the advanced options and settings when Tracing (see Help > Tutorials > Inkscape: Tracing)

Use File > Save As and select the EPS option

You can now open the EPS file directly with VCarve Pro or import it into an existing design."

I find that you can confuse the original bit map with the vectorized result as they appear one over the other.
Once you have run the trace and before you export it as an eps you should see in the status bar the number of nodes selected. If it says image and the resolution then you have selected the original bitmap rather than the vectors.
Drag this aside and you should see the vector object below.
Paul

You have to realize also that even Inkscape says that trace is intended to give you a good starting point. It is not intended to draw an accurate and complete picture. Now having said that I have had very good results with it myself. When I first got it I probably spent 2 or 3 nights just copying stuff from the web and trying the trace function on it. Great program.

Dwayne

Thanks guys for all the responce ......we are starting to see some results. New as I am to this, I am not sure what is acceptable when I see a changed image. Buy the way, is there a way to draw lines in V Carve like using a pencil?:) :) :) :) :)

Glad you sorted out your problem. What did it turn out to be in the end?

This is how I do pencil type lines, there may be other ways.

In Vcarve click on the 'Draw Polyline' button. You can use it like a pencil by just repeatibly clicking quickly as you move your mouse.

After drawing right click to finish, then you can click on the 'Node Editor' button to allow you to precisely position the lines you have drawn.

VCarve Pro customer Mr Bond in Sweden has been using the software to carve some fun and interesting window frames in his house.

He has 4 of this kind of window/niche in his house and the one shown below is located in his 2 year old daughters room.

He commented - She loves the Swedish children's comic-strip character "Bamse", so I made her a "special window".

The frame is made of 16mm MDF with a frosted acrylic glass panel behind.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Window_1.jpg
http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Window_2.jpg
http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Window_3.jpg

The frame was painted to look like a metal window.
The face is the pure MDF, and the rest are painted with model paint

Great use of the software!

Tony

Thats very cool.

Jason

Tony, when using V-CArvePro, at the end when previewing your carving, you can select a colour to use as fill inside the letters and carved areas. Im wondering if there is a way to fill just specific areas with one colour, and the remainder with another colour?

For example, have the first letter in a word white, and the remainder filled black, or select some parts of a logo that your carving, in order to fill the logo with the different colours the same as you will be painting it? I hope you understand what I mean.

Lastly, Im hoping to buy the software this weekend, is an unlock key sent immediately by e-mail or does it take a few days/hours (In which case I'll have to buy before the weekend).

Thanks. :)

Hi TOTB,

The option to fill different regions of a design with different colours is on the development list and we will be looking at ways to offer this feature.

We offer 2 on-line payment options.

1. The Share-IT option is fully automated and you receive the download details and full license as soon as payment has been confirmed.

Share-IT will not process orders from Free E-mail accounts - hotmail, yahoo etc.

2. The PayPal option may take up to 12 hours to process. This is because PayPal e-mail your details to us and we send you the links and license, so the time is dependant on whether we are still awake / working here in the UK.

I hope this helps,

Ton

Hi TOTB,

The option to fill different regions of a design with different colours is on the development list and we will be looking at ways to offer this feature.

I hope this helps,

Ton

Thanks Tony. You mentioned before Christmas that a new version was due to be released this year, has this version been released yet?

If not, is there a possibility that the region colouring feature might be included in it?

Thanks. :)

Hi again,

We are planning to release a new version later in the year and if we have the time this feature might make this release. But as always with development projects, we never know what functionality will be completed as there's always a chance that something may require more time effort than we estimated.

Tony

A couple of jobs in aluminum plate. Sorry about the picture quality as I just don't cut it taking photos.
The farm sign Hoggy Follow is a twist on Foggy Hollow as the owners name is Hogg. Sign is 500mm by 250mm in 3mm plate and then painted.
The other is a Shingle for a shed and the owner is a Monty Python fan. The naming was conspired by his friends and presented at a shed warming. The aluminum was polished after engraving.

Nice work Rod. Was this done using a v-bit router? If so how did you do it without melting aluminium everywhere?
Paul

Excellent work Rod.

Jason

Nice work Rod. Was this done using a v-bit router? If so how did you do it without melting aluminium everywhere?
Paul

Thanks for the feedback but my thoughts are we are only the passenger and the credit goes to Vcarve and the machine.

I used a cheap V bit and ran the router at half speed. Sprayed lots of WD40 on the cutter as the job ran. Feed was 0.5mm and speed 600mm/min. I ran the job again in a few places where it needed cleaning up. The farm sign I set a flat depth of 0.75mm and the shingle ran full depth. The outside shape was cut with a 1/4 inch 2 flute carbide bit, same feeds and just air blowing on the cutter. The edge was burred a bit but easy to clean up with sandpaper. Very careful not to scratch the aluminum so no vacuuming the job and took it outside and hosed off the swarf.

While Paul is generally correct, there may be a few issues.

1) if your machine is not very fast, you probably can't charge for excessive machine time. I'd say you can charge maybe 15 minutes machine time for that.
2) I'm not sure you'd find too many people willing to pay $100 for that sign, although maybe for a wedding they would.

If you're doing this as a business to make money, then you have to do it like Paul says. If you can't sell any at the price you need to sell it for, then you shouldn't be in that business.

I'm guessing that most of your time is in the painting. Mosty people wouldn't realise that it can take longer to paint or finish wood projects than it takes to make them.


Isn't that the truth, People have no idea how long a good finishing job takes and it is mostly in the prepwork. Its the same for hand carving, the actual carving is the easy part what takes the time is getting the ground flat and presentable and nobody looks at that .

I am a certified Wilsonart Gibraltar, Formica, Staron & Hanex fabricator and I have lots of scraps. The sizes range from 6"x6" up to a few 30x72" sheets. Some suppliers won't sell 1/2 sheets so, at times I have a 30x72" left over.

If you want some, let me know. I can take pictures of it with sizes and go from there. Just a note, unless your certified, you can't make a ctop out of the stuff and expect a warranty.

My wife has been after me to take some of it and make cup holders with our company name on it. Pretty cool idea. The material machines easy enough and only requires a solid carbide tool. You can cut it on a table saw as well.


Chris Robinson

I was given an offcut of 38mm thick birch kitchen countertop and asked to cut a round disk for a pot stand.

Engraving was done with a 1/2 inch 90 degree V bit and texturing was done with a 1/4 inch ball nose mill bit. I would have got a better result with a 60 degree bit but couldn't find one and didn't want to spend time searching in the shed for that safe place I put it last. :)

I used the V bit for the outside and bandsawed along the bottom of the V to leave the chamferred edge. I could have cut the outside with the machine but at 38mm thick it was quicker to saw. All up including a coat of danish oil it took an hour.

Very good work, it came out great.

Jason

Do people from Perth have a thing for swans?:stickpoke
Nice job.
Paul

Thanks Jason and Paul.

Oh yeah Paul the answer to your question is that we had first choice - Kiwi's got the sheep. :D

Rod,
Great job with the swans.

PS, 1954 is a fine year. That's the number I put down on all the important applications.

Thanks Glidergider

Indeed '54 was a good year.

That is three of us in a row from the same era.

I ran this job today on another of the bench offcuts. It took just over four hours to run and there was 310,109 lines of code. I try but I am a hopeless photographer and the photo does not do the job justice.

Anyway it does give you an idea of the detail and why it took so long to cut.
As a matter of interest I applied sanding sealer to the face of the timber before I cut it, then I used baltic pine stain in the engraving, then wiped it off the face. After it dreid a light sand with 400 and a block helped highlight the engraving.

A couple of coats of danish oil give it a warm glow. The animal is a Numbat and is a threatened species in our state.

How big is it Rod? and how deep are the cuts? Looks good but you are probably right about the photo, try laying it flat and take a shot from the bottom looking to the top :)

Bob

Hi Bob,
The timber is 250mm square. Cuts range in depth up to 1mm deep. I used the flat bottom option in Vcarve. Thanks for the tip on photography.

The 1st one was done, as a favor for the young lady holding the sign, for Adam Dalton who is one of the top tribal leaders at the casino. He liked his sign so much that he asked me to make four more signs for $95 each. I used the logo from the Casino's Internet site and turned it into a vector image with Inkscape and imported it into VCarvePro3.1 and replaced the "Casino & Hotel" text with each of the tribal members names. So a sign done as a favor actually made money for me... VCarvePro is great software!:banana: :banana:

The signs look good, you almost paid for the software with the extra work the 1st sample brought you. The software is excelent, and with the new features being added in Ver. 4 it just keeps getting better.

Joe

Hi Bill,

Nice pictures.

Great to see you are having fun with the software and it's 'earning its keep'!

One of the new features in Version 4 is Image Tracing / Vectorization so you won't need to use Inkscape for much longer.

Tony

Wow! I can't wait for version 4!!!

Hi Bill,

Nice pictures.

Great to see you are having fun with the software and it's 'earning its keep'!

One of the new features in Version 4 is Image Tracing / Vectorization so you won't need to use Inkscape for much longer.

Tony

Listen to Tony, he should know. I saw this feature first hand at the Vectric User's Conference last weekend. The results, coupled with the ease of use literally had my eyes popping out and my jaw hanging open. For all of you that have struggled with Inkscape, fear not, help is on the way!!!

Simple image tracings are nearly perfect while more complex images will probably have to be tweaked with the node editor a bit. I have used dozens of raster to vector tracing programs over the last 10 or so years with varying results. I think this one, however, beats them hands down. Given all of the time and money I've wasted on other programs I'd have to say that purchasing VCarve PRO 4 is worth it for the Tracing feature alone. And Tracing is just one of the new features. Holy cow, I can't wait until the upgrade is released.


Don't believe me, just wait and see...

A guy at work wanted a plaque for his soccer team. Last night I created this one from his graphic. This weekend, I'll do some cutting.

Bada bing, bada boom. Done. Vcarvepro. How easy is that?

Nice work Dave. Your machine ??

My machine is a JGRO (free plans found on the DIY area).

Hi Dave,

Just a quick note to let you and your friend know that this type of work will be much easier and quicker to do using the Image Tracing Tools in VCarve Pro 4.

No more drawing - the software automatically traces the colours in the image so you can then go straight to toolpaths as shown in the image below.

Thanks for posting the images.

Tony

On ver.4, what about colors that are not solid?

How will that work?

What If I have an image that fades from one color, to another color?



.

Hi Switcher,

Good questions.

You can see from the screen image of the interface that the colours can be reduced or there's also the option to link colours in the image to a Trace colour. The vectors are then fitted around the Trace colour.

The Threshold control also does a very good job of merging similar colours to create continuous boundaries that can be traced.

Working with colour images is always going to be a challenge because although your brain can see where you want the vectors, the colours will often be different, making it impossible to automatically trace boundaries. In these cases you will need to use the drawing tools to simply sketch over the image to create the required boundary shapes.

While on this point. People often try to vectorize / trace pictures of people or pets and wonder why the results aren't what they expect. In these cases the user must ask the question,

What features in the picture am I going to machine?

Then try to auto-trace or sketch these ready for machining.

Reproducing a face or animal by machining lines requires an artistic eye to pick out the key features. I'm not aware of any software that can do this auto magically. Having said that, products like Adobe Photoshop include filters that may sometimes help extract these features ready for tracing.

I hope this makes sense,

Tony

Tony,
I'm really looking forward to the new version. Scanning photos will be great. Here's one I scanned with Inkscape.

Tony, If you have time, how about taking that collage above and convert it with your version 4. I'd like to see the V4 version as compared to the inkscape. Inkscape, by the way, was not real easy.

Hi Dave,

It's very easy to vectorize the image in V4. I used the Threshold option which effectively reduces the image to black and white and the vectors were created instantly. It really is a 20 second job to open the image, auto-trace the vectors, calculate and preview the toolpath.

When you get a moment drop me an e-mail.

Thanks,
Tony

Tony,
Wow, that looks great. Its going to be a great addition to any CNC'rs tool box.
Dave

This update looks pretty impressive so far Tony

I am looking forward to trialling it.

Are there other goodies that we don't know about yet?

Basic 2D cad ability? Multi colour preview?

Greg

I've been busy cutting, and now painting. Somebody please publish plans for a DIY CNC painting machine. That would be a fun build. In the mean time, I have to make due. Here's a plaque I did to decorate the walls of my day job.

The white paint is a cheep can of spray. The colors are a mixture of various acrylic (water based) paints applied with a brush.

.....Somebody please publish plans for a DIY CNC painting machine. That would be a fun build......

No plans, but here you go. I'm sure it could be adapted to paint carved signs. Perhaps a rotary Z Axis so that after carving it can automatically rotate into paint mode and do the rest! Personally I like the painting part, seeing your piece 'pop' after applying a finish is half the fun. :D

Very nice sign by the way. :)

Edit: Forgot the link, will re-post it below.

Newbi question...How did you paint the interior lettering of these signs?

A couple of 'real projects' machined by customers running VCarve Pro on their CNC routers.

The Oak Sign was cut by Dan as a present for his Kung Fu teacher on his 4 x 8 Practical CNC router running the Flashcut CNC control.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Man_KF_LR.jpg

The second sign is carved into Corian (25" x 11" by Jason (js11110) on his home built 28" x 28" router table. This to is a present for his boss for allowing him to use the works CNC machines to make the parts for his CNC own router table.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/API_LR.jpg

Excellent work guys!

Tony

If its corian I just spray paint the letters after cutting, then take a sanding block and sand off the top which leaves the inside painted.

If wood, I stain then poly the top first, then do my v-carving and stain the letters after cutting, with the poly already on the top surface the unwanted stain just wipes away and leaves the letters stained (or painted) then just spray a final poly coat.

Joe

abelloise


Newbi question...How did you paint the interior lettering of these signs?


You could try plastic film, like this...

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=184231&postcount=108

.

No plans, but here you go. I'm sure it could be adapted to paint carved signs. Perhaps a rotary Z Axis so that after carving it can automatically rotate into paint mode and do the rest! Personally I like the painting part, seeing your piece 'pop' after applying a finish is half the fun. :D

Very nice sign by the way. :)

Edit: Forgot the link, will re-post it below.

Here it is:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35678 :D

That Looks Incredible!
Where can I get that foamboard.
How does it route with a cnc?
Is there a plastic board?
Thanks for the info
Andre




Here are a couple of pictures that might also help with Jay's description. The sign is from VCarve Pro customer Roy Burrill who runs a ShopBot Router.

First paint the front of the sign to seal the surface of the substrate (sign foam in this example). Apply a couple of coats for an outdoor sign. Varnish / lacquer wooden signs.

Apply a paint mask (Avery A1830 - yellow in this example) which a plastic film stuck onto the surface and use a roller to ensure good contact.

Carve the design on the CNC machine - cutting through the film into the substrate.

Paint the carved regions of the design - not having to worry about the top surface as this is being protected by the paint mask film.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Mangum1.jpg

Remove the film to reveal the finished sign.

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Mangum3.jpg

http://www.vectric.com/vectric/images/cnczone/Mangumfinal.jpg

I hope this helps,

Tony

I'm not sure of the source for the sign foam in the above photos.

I did find this site http://www.signfoam.com/index.html , & they offer free samples of board at http://www.signfoam.com/distributory.php?mode=from_location
(select your state from the dropdown list).


Sample Kit
SIGN•FOAM3 technical manual

SignGrip 3801 4oz tube

(1 each) 8 x 8 x 3/4 SIGN•FOAM3 10,15,18 Lb


Also check out the Gallery on that website (238 signs) http://www.signfoam.com/gallery.html?mode=display , lots of good looking signs! :)

.

Couple more links:
http://www.signfoam.com/tech.php?mode=routing

Scroll down to the list of sub cat. under "Tech Info"
http://www.signfoam.com/sitemap.html

.

abelloise,

Looks like the guy that did this http://www.signfoam.com/gallery.html?mode=display&id=37 is in your area (Tampa) http://www.bethunesigns.com/index.html.


.

Well, nothing significant compared to the art you guys are doing, but I can't help showing my first couple projects......Had a real nice effect with filling the Chinese letters I will probably do again.

Really like the software so far.

Scott

Hi Scott,

Very nice work and great to see the pictures.

Just looking over your web site and I have an interesting image of Mt St Helen's that can be cut in 3D. Drop me a note when you get a moment and I'll get the file to you.

Tony

Heys guys,
I posted to vectric's forum also. I need some help. I am looking for a design of a plaque for a lady here at work who is to retire in a few days. I want to vcarve it out. I have no clue where to begin. All I do is 2D cutting for model planes and such. I have vcarve pro and I am lost with the designing part.
Any help would be wonderful. Id be willing to pay for a good design to cut.
Thanks Steve

Heys guys,
I posted to vectric's forum also. I need some help. I am looking for a design of a plaque for a lady here at work who is to retire in a few days. I want to vcarve it out. I have no clue where to begin. All I do is 2D cutting for model planes and such. I have vcarve pro and I am lost with the designing part.
Any help would be wonderful. Id be willing to pay for a good design to cut.
Thanks Steve

I'd be happy to try and help, but to do a design I need more info:

What's the business.
Whats her name.
How long was she with the company.
Anything special that needs to be written on the plaque.
What approximate size.
What types of bits do you have available to use.

Those few answers should be a start. :)

Here is a pic of my first attempt at a painted sign. I mainly just wanted to see how it would look. Background white, letters brown, cut into MDF. It looks like I have a little backlash problem with my Z axis.

Steve

Hi All,
Please have a look pictures on http://www.troyswoodworking.com/index.html.( this web use Bob cad/cam)
I would like to know vcarve pro that can engrave same as this web or not. If vcarve can,it will be interesting.

Cheers,
Mongkol

Hi All,
Please have a look pictures on http://www.troyswoodworking.com/index.html.( this web use Bob cad/cam)
I would like to know vcarve pro that can engrave same as this web or not. If vcarve can,it will be interesting.

Cheers,
Mongkol

You need Photocarve to do this type of carving. The vcarve web site has demo software and tutorials that let you see what can be done.
If I had to choose a software package for my cnc hobby or business it would be vcarve together with photocarve for $699.
Paul

It's been a while since I posted anything in the Gallery section so I thought
we'd get off to a good start for the New Year!

Below are a couple of sign projects routed by Don Chapman - Chapman
Carved Signs - in Texas. Don is using a combination of VCarve Pro and
PhotoVCarve to design and carve these signs on a ShopBot router.

********************************************************

The first photo is of a sign for the Fayetteville Brethren Church that Don
designed, routed, painted and gilded, and then installed on 12.20.2007 at
the small old church in the countryside near Fayetteville, TX.

The sign is 4’ x 8’ with 6 x 6 posts with powder coated pewter ball cap finials.
The sign itself is 15# high density urethane routed so as to leave the letters,
graphic, and border standing proud.

The graphic is gilded with 23k gold leaf and the rest of the sign is painted
with 100% acrylic latex paint.

********************************************************

The second set of photos show a mixture of 4’ x 8’ and 18” x 36” entry and
boundary signs Don designed and made for Pine Forest subdivision near
Bastrop, TX.

********************************************************

For the final sign Don used a combination of PhotoVCarve and VCarve Pro.
An image of the Heron was opened in PhotoVCarve and toolpathed using a
60 degree engraving cutter - Don had permission to use a copyrighted heron
drawing by Margie Crisp of Elgin, Texas. This file was then imported into
VCarve Pro, positioned on the sign and the remainder of the text and layout
design added and toolpaths calculated..

********************************************************

Interesting projects and great to see what people are doing with the software.

Tony

WOW!@ Those are so impressive. Very nice work.

Roger Askew is the owner of Art On Wood (http://www.art-on-wood.co.uk/) in England and he decided to build a CNC router to carve signs as a business venture that would hopefully enable him to escape the 'rat-race'.

After building his router Roger looked at software options and went for Mach3 + VCarve Pro and he commented "within minutes I was cutting a sign and in the same week I was selling them!". He's carved over 400 signs, plaques and memorials and is building a new bigger and faster machine!

The photo's below show the results of Rogers work and I sure you'll agree that he's doing a fantastic job!

More details can also be found on the Vectric Forum > (http://vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16757#16757)

Tony

great program and while the curve wasa little steeper than the carvewright

its absolutly worth it
jim mcgrew
www.mcgrewwoodwork.com

I haven't posted for a while so time to catch up on a couple of jobs I have done with Vcarve.
The first is a timber sign I did to try to take away the industrial look of an aluminum window planter I made for my son's house.
Second job is a jarrah sign for a holiday home. From memeory it was about 800mm long and the four circular pockets are there to disguise the fixing screws.
Next is a simple timber clock with a quartz movement recessed in the back. All done with Vcarve
Last job is a jarrah house sign. Vector art is a modifed version of the Attorney sample file in Vcarve.

is the lazy dayz sign filled or painted in the letters

here is a sign done for my local church

jim

Very nice. Are you masking the wood prior to cutting or sanding back after infill painting?
Paul

All the jobs are either painted or stained. The method I use is to finish sand the piece then spray a couple of coats of Mirrortone on the material before cutting the job. The engraving is then either stained or painted and overflow on the surface is wiped off as I go with a rag wrapped tightly around a block of wood. After it dreis all it needs then is a light sanding with fine sandpaper.

I like your work Jim.

planed it back after stain jim

ShopBotter and owner of Wooden Craft & Design LLC (http://www.wooden-craft-design.com/)David McNutt, carved this stunning sign on his router using a combination of toolpaths from VCarve Pro and Cut3D. The 3D Loon is from the VectorArt 3D collection and David used the 'version A' model format that is designed for cutting out the 3D shape ready for assembly onto the sign.

The closeup shows very crisp vcarved lettering and smooth 3D cutting.

Great job David!

Tony

i really like that !!

jim

Carl Lombardo - owner of CL Signage in New Jersey designed, routed and engraved this stunning sign using a combination of VCarve Pro and Cut3D.

The sign is 60” x 42” and carved from real cedar, including “Bucky” which after routing was too smooth so Carl dusted off his hand tools and gave him a ‘hand carved’ look. Bucky was a real white tail deer that lived and was hand fed by the local employees – the building was renamed for him after he passed away.

Bucky is not ‘a part of the sign’ but is simply a separate 3d carve that is doweled and glued to the sign. Reason is carl wanted Bucky to be a 3rd dimension higher than the rest of the sign. To create the cut outs he simply traced the bitmap of Bucky and incorporated it into the rest of the art so the vcarving on the outline would not carve away wood under Bucky.

Carl likes the sign except the purple posts which were chosen by the committee! Note the smalts used in the vertical lines in the background – to give an old world touch.

Another great result!

Tony

The detail in that sign remarkable. The pinstriping adds a great effect as does - well everything.
Keep them coming Tony as it gives us something to aim for.

practicing my vcarve and cut 3d!!

excellent

thanks jim

I am going to machine tomorrow this scenery on my new MDF machine..The length and breadth is 5feet and 2.6 feet simultaneously. It will go deep 10mm in 12mm MDF...
The toolpath is created with Vectric Vcarve Pro 4.6...
I will use carving tool 12.6mm 60 degree Vbit.
Best Regards


Any improvement in this scenery will be highly appreciable...I will change the scenery on your advise and suggestions...:)

that looks good!! and when you add a little color in the carve it will really show!!

jim

Jim..thanks for suggestion:)..please tell me what processes i have to apply on MDF before carving...

you could prestain and seal your mdf before carving, after carve raw mdf will be exposed then stain that with a darker or lighter color then reseal with a cleartop coat if inside is where it will be seen laquer or clear waterbased acrylic will be ok


or just carve it then i'll shaw you some other ways jim

Jim:)..You are the right man:)...I will learn lot of from u dude:)...Thanks for answering....Now u r my trainer:)

uh oh now we are in trouble !!!
jim

uh oh now we are in trouble !!!
jim

hahaha....:)....If you tell me the second way of processing MDF...I already made a small scenery 500mm x 150mm from MDF.... and its lying near me...i am thinking how i handle it...I am blank on staining/coloring MDF:(

try staining the carved portion with a light brown stain then sanding off the top surface it will leave the carve showing detail jim

here is on where i carved then stained then ran it thru the planer or sanded
jim

thats beautiful..but for scenery it may not true..bcos of it delicacy sander may torn out the minor details:(

Khalid

Couldnt you carve deeper than the finished detail then sand or plane the surface to the proper depth therefore not touching the detail

hmmm.. today i carved the scenery:)... but i have some mistake..my machine is smaller and i break the scenery into two... Overall the result is very goood.... its huge:) and beautiful..

I will post some pics today, but currently i am out of camera:(

i look forward to seeing it !!!

jim

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39588&page=17

Above link will show you the finished scenery:) and information

Glenn – CNCGG on the Vectric Forum (http://vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=22549#22549)– has been using VCarve Pro to turn business cards into stunning carved signs using his Techno Router

He scans the logo and imports the jpg image into VCarve Pro, then machines into Maple MDF plywood stained natural and clearcoat.
The sign is 3 feet long and took about 35 mins to cut.

Glenn gets the maple MDF at Menards or Lowes, a large home improvement store. He’s also tried oak with dark stain, but it all blends together with no contrast, but he thinks the cherry mdf might work well.

Also a mother’s day plaque in Maple MDF.

Somebody spotted his first sign and asked him to make one for them – good news travels fast :)

Glenn is also making Cutting Boards on his router and sells these at a local craft mall.

The boards are drawn in AutoCAD then he uses VCarve Pro to toolpath and cut.

Glenn commented – “I got the corian from the RV company where I work. I used to run the cnc there and cut corian counter tops and they let me take the extra cutouts home. I have been collecting them every day for almost three years ! - I knew some day I would get a cnc router so I was saving it - Works great !!”

“I used a satin finish paint I found at Lowes - don’t use it on the cutting surface, and the corian cutting board sign also has a couple of coats of Minwax poly.”

Excellent work Glenn

Tony

once i got new motors installed on the older machine i set off off run to run the file that started this whole machine retrofit as i was trying this with 1/2 stepper motors and drives

this is the very first result!!

jim

wow..great work JIM;)...Thanks for sharing..

Great Job!

I am sure many sailing enthusisats would love to have one.

Mark

What a great idea using the business cards to create signs.

Yea, I sail and I like the boat cutting.

I am hosting a small CNC workshop later this month and needed to do a few projects to demonstrate Vectric software. I put together these two projects from VCarvePro and Cut3d. I call it the butterfly fish. :)
I did the butterfly before and the effect is so good I have repeated it again for this demo.
Timber is Pine and Jarrah.

excellent, here in southcarolina we are introducing camaster cnc at the mann tool show on oct 7 and will be demonstrating vcarve and vector art as well !!!

jim mcgrew

I'm looking for an easy way to generate code / draw for my Plasma machine, will this help? If so, what would the process be.

Thanks,
Mick

i would go to the forum or tony will see this post soon he can answer your question

http://vectric.com/forum/index.php?sid=d6ecb2433a290bddd4ea9180719294f1

probably CUT 2d for plasma....

The butterfly and fish- are those inlays? They look great!

Thanks Ed
The butterfly is an inlay and the fish is 3D and glued on the surface.

Did you use that angled-wall technique for the inlay?

Hi Ed,
Yes and the file is the one from the Vectric site. Here are some photos of the pocket and inlay before glue up. These photos are from another job but it is the same as this one.

Hi Ed,
Yes and the file is the one from the Vectric site. Here are some photos of the pocket and inlay before glue up. These photos are from another job but it is the same as this one.

I tried that technique once about a year back but my machine was acting up and the parts wouldn't fit. I intend to try again once I get my belt-drive up and running.

vector art 3d rosette, vcarve and a machine for printing money!!

jim

Nice work Jim.

Hello All,
Well I've been busy and here is my Poker Table.

All the components where drawn up in Vcarve pro, Including parts that where later vinyled.
Being able to draw up in multiple layers was great as i could see all the parts come together.
The Box with Radius and Texture function made it very quick and easy to generate the tool files for the Box pedestal panels.
All and all without VcarvePro this Job would have been very Difficult and timely.
Many Thanks to the Vectric Crew for such powerful and affordable software.

http://www.vectric.com/forum/download.php?id=6887
http://www.vectric.com/forum/download.php?id=6886
http://www.vectric.com/forum/download.php?id=6926

Great looking Poker Table BartW. Hope you enjoy playing on it.

Take care

Excellent!!

jim

Outstanding poker project. Thanks for sharing.

Hey I'm curious about v-carving thick acrylic (or any sort of clear plastic). Does anyone have any pictures of their acrylic carving projects?

I'd like to know if it leaves behind a kind of sandblasted/cloudy look on the carved sections of the acrylic when compared to the untouched acrylic.

check it out here

http://www.vectric.com/forum/

under photo vcarve and vcarvepro

as well as aspire

Hi all,

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.....

Have ben reading these vcarve threads with interest. I currently use Partmaster on a metalworking mill but have been tinking of building a cnc router for quite a while and Vcarve looks good for it.

Have seen that cncjay has plans for a router and also uses software to make sundials. Would like to contact him to find out what the software is and also obtain the dwg drawings for the router. Hava a big table saw so chopping mdf will be no problem.

Thanks all.

Actually, while i'm here, does anybody live near me, who could show me vcarve working? I'm in the UK, in Surrey M25 J6 (Godstone)

Windy.

look at vectric.com they are in england, excelent software i use it extensivly.

you can get router plans here on cnc zone, one which is very popular is joes cnc

http://joescnc.com/

he can sell plans and kits and has a lot of successful operators out there!!

look in the diy router section here on cnc zone, joe is also an avid participant in vectric's forum
which is vcarve

jim

Heres the forum link:
http://www.vectric.com/forum/

There are users in the UK. :)

Well my CNCed X3 sits idle while I evaluate software.

I just ran through the VCarve Pro tutorials and downloaded the trial version. It doesn't seem that you can create any 3D stuff with VCarve Pro, you have to create the 3D stuff in some other package and import it into VCarve Pro?

Is VCarve Prog strictly a 2D creation and a CAM package?

Thanks,
Paul

got to the forum and register so you can see and ask questions there is a plan and a software for all there

http://www.vectric.com/forum/

jim

People do 3D stuff. Look at the VCarve forums and see. I have not done 3D yet but I have seen others post some stuff in the VCarve forums.

Don't know if this has been posted...but here is a great place for clipart and many free ones.

http://digital-clipart.com/text/links_catalogs_samples.htm

taus

It doesn't seem that you can create any 3D stuff with VCarve Pro, you have to create the 3D stuff in some other package and import it into VCarve Pro?

Is VCarve Prog strictly a 2D creation and a CAM package?


V Carve Pro does not do 3D, but it does do V Carving. And it's a pretty full featured 2D CAM package as well. The only way to do 3D with V-Carve Pro, is to use Vectric's Cut3D to create the toolpaths. V-Carve Pro can import those toolpaths, which will allow you to mix 2D, 3D and V Carving.

If you have the need to create 3D objects, then you need to look at Aspire, which contains all the features of V Carve Pro as well as 3D creation and 3D toolpath additions.