Cut out projects.

[mikevds]

I still haven't made the plunge yet on a CW, but I am curious. I've noticed a lot of projects that are like odd shaped cut outs. Does the CW do this while carving or do you have to manually trim it? If it does it in the machine, are the rollers keeping the cut out in place as it makes it complete cut? Pretty amazing stuff you guys are making.
Oh, and can the software allow you to make irregular designed projects or cut outs easily? I'm gonna have to download and play with the demo some.
TIA

Mike

[Digitalwoodshop]

The CW does GREAT Cut outs....

This is Chris's Santa from last Christmas. See it leave tabs of wood to hold the Santa to the board after carving then cutting the cut path. With the Santa, I just select the object then "Outline" then Cut Path and it will ask you questions about tabs and depth of cut per pass.

This was a QC cut project, the ROCK cut Santa's are smoother and cleaner, no bit flutter.

One trick to know up front is that you can use the line drawing tools to trace a picture or pattern by hand like my bear and mountain cutout. Just know that as you draw each line segment you must have on the "Connect Line" and as you go to the end of the previously drawn line and touch the node of the end it needs to glow RED to connect.... The Last line must connect RED to the FIRST line node to make a complete path. A Broken node or not connected line will prevent you from using the CUT PATH and it will not light up.... Connect the NODES.... and your GOOD.....

I sometimes bring in a picture of something I want to trace and make a pattern from it just to bring it into Designer. I open a 14.5 inch wide board and make the pattern as big as I can. I then trace the design then when done reduce the size. This makes better accuracy hand tracing the object. I then copy and paste it into a new board the correct size. I then delete the pattern and just use the traced Vector Lines like the Deer.


Good Luck,

AL