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Dodadd1
03-08-2013, 07:48 PM
Do you assign a bit when using centerline txt?

chief2007
03-08-2013, 08:14 PM
With the centerline text it defaults to the 90 degree bit. You can change it to the 60 degree bit if you desire.

Dodadd1
03-08-2013, 08:16 PM
Thanks! I learn something every time I come here

Digitalwoodshop
03-09-2013, 11:20 AM
If you already have not, check out Tips and Tricks on the LHR page.

If you design a project Text and assign the V90 bit but actually install the V60 bit the letters will cut funny... A "I" will have a Y top and in inverted Y on the bottom. How do I know that....? LOL... We are always learning.

AL

Ton80
03-09-2013, 11:26 AM
You can assign any of the bits to centerline text. You would most likely only want to use the 90 and 60 V-bits but depending on what you are looking to do, others could be assigned. You can just mess around in designer assigning bits to see what effect it has on the project.

Dan-Woodman
03-09-2013, 11:48 AM
I agree with Ton80, depending on the font selected you can come up with some interesting letters, but if the font squares off the corners,use only the 90 or 60 deg. bits.

LoafersCorner
04-12-2013, 04:05 PM
Been trying to use the centerline text and it seems to never be as deep as I expected. Is there fonts that work better with centerlin than others? What would be the recomended fonts to use with centerline?

Dale
04-12-2013, 04:48 PM
Yes some fonts work better than others. You can also try using the font in "bold" to get a deeper cut. I make western type signs and like the font Rio Oro in bold.

Rob Mulgrew
04-12-2013, 06:23 PM
Been trying to use the centerline text and it seems to never be as deep as I expected. Is there fonts that work better with centerlin than others? What would be the recomended fonts to use with centerline?

I had the same issue with centerline not cutting as deep as I wanted so I let the machine go through all the measurements and when its done and the cut motor turns on, I stop the machine and drop the bit down about 1/8" and then resume. It comes out alot nicer but you need to be careful not to go to deep, just an 1/8" makes a big difference.

lawrence
04-12-2013, 07:18 PM
another technique is to tell the software you are going to use the 90 degree bit but actually load on the 60... this makes for a deeper cut

Lawrence

bergerud
04-12-2013, 08:29 PM
another technique is to tell the software you are going to use the 90 degree bit but actually load on the 60... this makes for a deeper cut

Lawrence

I think you mean it the other way around. 60 goes deeper than 90.

lynnfrwd
04-12-2013, 09:08 PM
I think that IS what he said.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

bergerud
04-12-2013, 10:43 PM
No, I think it is backwards. The machine cuts shallow with the 90 and deeper with the 60. So, if you tell the machine to use the 90 and then put in the 60, you get a shallow 60 cut. If you tell the machine to use the 60 and then put in the 90 you get a deep 90 cut.

lawrence
04-12-2013, 11:40 PM
Heck, I wonder if I've been getting it wrong all this time... I've been doing it the other way- your explanation certainly makes sense though

Lawrence

bergerud
04-13-2013, 01:20 AM
Ok, now try this:

Make some center line text. Change the bit to 1/16 straight - no big deal. Change the bit back to a V bit and then back to the 1/16 straight. Holy cow it will go 1/4" deep if you changed from 60 and 3/8" deep if you changed from 90. Seems to work for any straight bit and the resulting depth does not seem to depend on the size of the text.

Do this and you could have seriously deep centerline.

chebytrk
04-13-2013, 05:26 AM
So to make some really small text... Can a 1/16 carving or even 1/16 cutting bit be used? Any suggestions how to do that? I sure wish we had the ability to set V bit depths.

I also wish there was a way to do away with using a scale to check head pressure. If there was only a way to use the CW itself. Like for instance just placing the board in the machine and the rollers pressing down on the board (after cranking down) would give some type of reading which would be equal to the head compression, hence that would state the head compression equivalent in the keypad window. Then we could constantly monitor the head compression & even advise us to clean the roller gears at each end which might be effecting the compression readings. This would eliminate having to hunt down a weighing scale (or even buying one). Does this method make sense?

DickB
04-13-2013, 06:18 AM
I sure wish we had the ability to set V bit depths.
You're not the only one, but sorry, it is a bit like saying "I sure wish we had the ability to change the laws of physics and mathematics". When using Centerline with a V bit, there is of course a strict relationship between the depth and the width of the cut. The beauty of centerline is that the machine translates character width to depth of cut so that we don't have to worry about it. In the Times New Roman "O"s that I set up, the machine is raising and lowering the bit as it transverses the "O" to make it narrower top and bottom and wider side to side, exactly matching the chosen font - fantastic! The cuts that the machine goes through to form complex letters like a "k" or 'g' in a serif font are just amazing to me.

If you want deeper, you have three choices:
Use the 60 degree bit instead of the 90.
Use Bold.
Use a thicker font.
Physically, mathematically, you can't use the same bit, font, and thickness and cut deeper. If you want deeper, you must select the 60 degree bit or cut wider.

Of course, there is a limit to how wide that you can cut, because there is a limit to how deep you can cut. It seems the depth limit could be increased for Centerline, but I suspect it may be set to what it is to keep from overloading the cut.

61549

bergerud
04-13-2013, 09:31 AM
So to make some really small text... Can a 1/16 carving or even 1/16 cutting bit be used? Any suggestions how to do that? I sure wish we had the ability to set V bit depths.

I also wish there was a way to do away with using a scale to check head pressure.

I think the V bits are the best way to do small text. They come to a sharp point.

For head pressure, I used to do the following (I disabled the crank ratchet) : With a scale under a board, clamp down to the 85lb. There will be a gap between the head and the board of about 1/4". Make a shim out of a small scrap which fits between the board and the head. You can now use this shim to gauge the head pressure whenever you clamp down on a board. Lay the shim on the board and crank down until the head starts to pinch the shim. Since the pressure is determined by springs, the amount of spring compression which gives the 85lb will always be the same. (There will be a slight difference for narrow boards which compress one side more than the other. You could have a narrow board shim and a wide board shim.)

I have since given up the shim since my dust cap brush now gives me the reference. I clamp until the brush just touches the wood.

DickB
04-13-2013, 09:44 AM
bergerud, your use of a shim is a good one. Many of us with some hours of usage under our belts can see and feel the proper head pressure.

I agree in the use of the 60 degree v bit for small text. But there can be drawbacks. If using a large board and it is not completely uniform in thickness, some lettering may be cut thicker than others. I generally color stain my Centerline text and sand off the excess color on the surface. With small V text you have to be careful not to sand too much. A straight bit would have an advantage in that case.

You can use the 1/16" cutting or carving bits for lettering. I have experimented with a few single line fonts like these http://www.mrrace.com/CamBam_Fonts/ to use with Centerline and a 1/16" bit, but they did not provide satisfactorty results for me. Another method would be to draw letters using single-line vectors, to which you could apply any bit like the 1/16" at any depth that you wanted. But it's rather tedious to draw and place this type of lettering using only Designer. I don't have a method to do so otherwise, but maybe someone else can make a suggestion.

bergerud
04-13-2013, 09:55 AM
Many of us with some hours of usage under our belts can see and feel the proper head pressure.



True. In fact I use different head pressure for different width boards. Wider or harder boards need more pressure for the sand paper to get a bite. Narrow boards need less pressure. On my machine with the rubber belts, I use even less pressure. In my mind, the 85lb is overkill.