First Plaque Help Needed

[teximo]

Hello all,

My Wife and I are trying to make a plaque for a friend and what started out to be a simple task has taken over a week. So far each time the text gives us fits and the outline is not as clean as it should be in the arches of the design.

I have attached what we have and would appreciate any assistance.

[cnsranch]

I'm looking at it now - 1st question - do you have Centerline?

[teximo]

No we do not.

[cnsranch]

Basically, I believe the letters are too small to carve correctly in raster. The letters are about 1/3" tall.

I know this doesn't help, but what you see below is changing the text to carve in centerline - using a v-bit, the text is carved completely differently.

There are some ways to get around your problem using other methods, but I can't recall what they are - I've always had centerline, and almost always carve my text with it.

[cnsranch]

Sorry - re your question about the "arches" -

Zoom in as close as you can to the design on your desktop - that's the way it will carve, and I'm sure that's what you are getting.

You may want to search "Harley Logo" and take one of the other designs you find and try to work it from there.

[teximo]

It does help.. Looks as if I am going to be sending CW some more money lol..

How do I get the shild so its not so choppy in the arches?

[teximo]

Okay, thanks for the advice and help will post again after getting centerline and bits.

[AskBud]

Two things.
1) Centerline will be $100.00 well spent.
Using a 60 degree bit will sharpen up you text.
2) You, also, need to change your spacing from a negative number to at least a + 5.
AskBud

[teximo]

attached is the picture we started with.

Thanks all.

[cnsranch]

Play with the attached - it's cleaner, but not exactly what you started with.

[cnsranch]

Oops, my bad - doesn't do you any good to have it in centerline, does it?

This is Raster....

[Lin]

Actually Jerry if you post the MPC using centerline he can still run it even if he doesn't have centerline. As long as he doesn't try to change the text itself he will be fine. He can resize the text and even change which bit to use to cut it but he can't change anything within the text box itself and still be able to use it as centerline as it will change it to raster.
Lin

[teximo]

Guys,
Thanks for the help. We did order centerline and the 60 degree bit, we found a 90 degree bit at Home Depot. Even using the 90 degree bit made a world of difference in the text.

I am currently headed to Kuwait and the wife will be finishing this on her own. Any tips or help cleaning the Harley bar and shield symbol up would be appreciated.

By the way, centerline is way better than we had imagined can’t wait to see what it looks like with the small text and a 60 degree bit.

Thanks again for the support and help.
Robert and Brenda

[cnsranch]

Robert - are you being deployed (can't imagine going there for a vacation)?

If so, God Speed - we're all with you in heart and mind.

[chebytrk]

Guys,
Thanks for the help. We did order centerline and the 60 degree bit, we found a 90 degree bit at Home Depot. Even using the 90 degree bit made a world of difference in the text.

I am currently headed to Kuwait and the wife will be finishing this on her own. Any tips or help cleaning the Harley bar and shield symbol up would be appreciated.

By the way, centerline is way better than we had imagined can’t wait to see what it looks like with the small text and a 60 degree bit.

Thanks again for the support and help.
Robert and Brenda

Have a safe trip. Take Care, God Bless and come home safe.
JerryB

[teximo]

Thanks for the good wishes, Seems we are still having trouble with this. Will try and get the wife to post it again and see if we can figure out what is going on with it.

Robert

[teximo]

Hi, Folks. This is the wife, Brenda. The plaque looks much better in the software with the Centerline text using the 60-degree carve bit. However, the small text is pretty shallow - so any curve in the board causes the text to not carve completely. Is there a way to change the depth on text carving? I'm attaching the mpc file we came up with. Thank you for any suggestions!!

[fwharris]

Brenda,

In looking at the MPC I did see the text spacing was set at a - number, I changed it to a + number. You also said it was center line. The text in the bottom was on raster inverted. I set it to centerline with bold. Putting it on bold will make it carve a little deeper.

[woodsnwaters]

Maybe you can work off this one or someone else can improve it a little. Lettering is done with a V Bit (Centerline Text)

28744

Edit: I took RingNeckBlues advice and changed the text to bold.

[teximo]

Thanks to both of you. I will run the board & let you know how it turned out once it's finished. Brenda :)

[TIMCOSBY]

a way to use the merge command to make it curve with the surface but dont know if it works with centerline.

[AskBud]

Brenda,
I changed FW's MPC to the 60 degree bit rather than the 90. It should carve just a tad deeper.
AskBud

PS: You will find that without changing a design you may get better results by placing a larger board (Wider and longer), in the machine, and allowing the unit to "Re Size" the carve. For example, if you use a board 11 1/2" wide and 24" long the centerline lettering will be both larger and deeper.

[Chief]

Woodsnwaters,

How did you get such a neat black line in this mpc? I really like it.

Chief

[AskBud]

Woodsnwaters,

How did you get such a neat black line in this mpc? I really like it.

Chief

I would say that the black line is the "Cut-out" Path.
AskBud

[woodsnwaters]

Woodsnwaters,

How did you get such a neat black line in this mpc? I really like it.

Chief

Hi Chief,

Bud is right that it is the cutout showing up on the board layout.