Need Help!- Milled emblem to honor deceased father in law

[millnturn]

Hello,
I am reaching out to the CNC Zone community for help with a very important (for me) project. My Father in law, whom I was very close to, has been battling cancer for the past five years. Today, at 2:30 am, he finally lost the fight, and passed away. He was a machinist for 30+ years, and a real craftsman in his woodshop at home. He was very gifted, and I always looked forward to showing him my new creations, as he always appreciated them as few people do. His second greatest joy in life (behind his family), was riding his Harley Davidson Road King. He was a true Harley guy to the core, and passed away in his 2008 Sturgis tee shirt. So I want to make an emblem that honors him, and the machines that were like a religion to the man.

As an avid machinist and fabricator, I feel compelled to create something special as a tribute to him. I know pretty much exactly what I want to make, but I am in a real bind when it comes to actually finishing it in time for the visitation and memorial service on Tuesday 2/24. The piece will be an emblem, milled from .25” thick brass, and measuring approx. 4” x 6”. For the machining, I have a 3-axis Lagun CNC Knee mill running Mach 3. I did a complete retrofit of controls and electronics, and everything works well. I finished the mill, and now am in the intermediate stages of learning to program, and realize the machine’s potential. Herein lies the problem; I would love to figure out the steps involved in taking a logo http://www.vectorlogo.net/wp-content....thumbnail.gif that I found in .EPS format, importing to a suitable program (Corel draw?) to modify it, create toolpaths, and finally, generate the G-code so I can cut the piece. I am thinking just a simple 2.5-D program, machined with a 60 degree carbide engraving bit, roughly .030 to .060 deep. Unfortunately, I just do not have the experience and knowledge, nor the time between now and Tuesday to do the research, and go through the trial and error process of making this work.


As I mentioned before, I found a file online for a H-D logo that he would have loved, and I just want to add his name, and a small amount of additional text. I have read about, and understand the copyright issues involved in using a company logo, but I don’t think they apply here. I will never sell this piece, only hang it on the wall at my Mother in laws house. If someone were to offer their help without monetary compensation, I don’t think any rights would be infringed upon.

Here is my plea: is there anyone on the Forum that is familiar with this process, and would be willing to help out with the cause? If you are, please PM me, and I will reply ASAP. I sincerely want to pull this off in time, as I know it would mean a lot to his wife, as well as the close friends that he always rode with.

Thank you in advance,
Jon

[LaserImage]

PM sent

[millnturn]

Thanks to the generous help from Laserimage, I was able to make a really nice piece to have on display at the visitation today. He put together the graphic in Corel, then ran it through V-carve to generate the code. Everything ran without a hitch. I had already made the Lithophanes in the last couple of days. I bought a really cool, compact fluorescent under cabinet light, and fit it into some aluminum channel. It lights everything up really well, and should look great on display. We are going to have a table with his leather vest, watch, woodworking projects that he made, pictures, and this piece at the visitation.

Thanks again for the help!

Jon

[tstom]

Very nice Condolences to your family ...our prayers are with you

[ParkerMillguy]

What a tribute! I love it when someone encompasses another's life in a project like this.
Condolences and Prayers for comfort abd healing,
-Jason