font sizes

[CHRISTIAN]

am trying to make a sign and machine is not cutting the letters in the size i am wanting

[fwharris]

Did you get any message about scaling? Are carving the text and then trying to cut them out?

[Digitalwoodshop]

Yep, the 7 inch rule of wood....

[CHRISTIAN]

no just carving them. no do not know about scaling. and don't know about the 7 in rule my board is 16 in long and only printing 2 s's and all the other letters carved right on first board. trying to carve out the word righteousness. due to space restrictions could do all but the final 2 letters

[CHRISTIAN]

thanks for info it doesn't look like i'm gonna be able to finish with machine broke bit and need to order new ones and since i need to finish project will use scroll saw to cut the last 2 letters. still interested in the scaling issue how can i get info

[Mikewiz]

Was your board 7 inches longer than the board length in designer software? That's the 7" rule, if not, depending on how you answered the prompts at the machine before carving, the machine would scale the project down to fit the size of the board you put into the machine.

[fwharris]

no just carving them. no do not know about scaling. and don't know about the 7 in rule my board is 16 in long and only printing 2 s's and all the other letters carved right on first board. trying to carve out the word righteousness. due to space restrictions could do all but the final 2 letters

It sounds like you need to start from the beginning with some basic design help. This link will take you step by step for making proper designs for carving and cutting them out and how to set up the board and machine for doing so. Let us know if you have any questions.

http://support.carvewright.com/project-designer-tutorials/

[CHRISTIAN]

thanks will look site. and will have to look at piece to check 7 in. i'm very interested in trying to make a little money carving. still trying different wood to see which works the best. once i get my new bits will be able to start again.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Sorry to just throw out the 7 inch rule of wood without explaining it.... So here it goes.... The Readers Digest Version...

So the top black rubber rollers are 7 inches apart. And the bit is between them or 3.5 inches from each roller....

The rollers are very important as they hold the board flat to the sand paper or rubber belts.

Sometimes we design projects that cut right up to the edge of the board in length. When we DO... Then the board is only held by one roller as the edge of the board needs to get to the bit... 3.5 inches from the roller.

What can happen when only one roller is holding the board down is that it can LIFT UP off the Table (Sand Paper Belts) and if you are doing a Cut Path like cutting out the letters then the bit 3/4 inch deep in the Wood pinches the bit... Since the other roller is holding the board it lifts like a door opening at an angle... Picture that 1/8 inch cutting bit now... It is being BENT by the slot in the board... Hence a PINCH and a Broken Bit....

So... I like to design projects with a 4 inch Dead Area on the head of board. Looking at your Designer Screen... The Brass Roller and Keypad are at the TOP of the DESIGNER SCREEN... SO the Right side of the Screen or BOARD is the Head End... You will see me Draw a 4 inch Rectangle on the Right side of the board. I will then keep all artwork to the LEFT of the 4 inch dead area. I also use Place on END or Place on Corner if your physical board measures WIDER than your Designer Board.

I use this rather than Center on Board. I do this for 2 reasons... 1 is that the board measures TWICE if you use the Center on Board Function... 2. I like a predictable position of the carving on the board. With Place on END.... It measures down the board to make sure the board is long enough then moves to the end of the carving or the LEFT side of the screen and starts carving moving toward the head end.

So to be FrugAL with the wood... Notice that I use masking tape to tape a block of 4 inch wood at the end of the physical board... THAT WAY the masking tape board block stays under the rollers WHILE your project is carving at the EDGE of the GOOD BOARD.... See... Frugal.... You can see in the double ended Bear Board I first cut one side then used the block on the OTHER side of the Wood.. Predicting that the KNOT would not be in the Final Project... Cool...

So normally I take a LONG BOARD and tape the block on the END.. Then run my Place on End Project. I then use a Radial Arm Saw to cut the project scrap off the board and tape my block to that cut and do again... Working my way down the board... Being very FRUGAL...

So lets talk about Scaling.... In Designer you draw a 10 inch long board. You put your Art in that 10 inches of length. You then go to the machine with a 10 inch PHYSICAL Board, the same size as the Designer Board. The machine is going to measure this board and find out it is only 10 inches in Length... It will now give you TWO very Important Choices.... It will ask you... Do you want to Stay Under the Rollers. So think about it... A 10 inch Designer board... and a 10 inch Physical Board. WE Know that at two points during the carving the board will only be held by one roller as the bit needs to get to the EDGE of the board..... IF you say "NO" to Stay Under the Rollers the project will CARVE NORMAL BUT... You could snap a bit... OR when the board comes out from under the roller while doing a CARVE REGION the board will LIFT and you will get a LINE left and right or in Y 3.5 inches from the edge of the board where it came out from under the roller and raised into the BIT... Cutting a deeper line....

So same project.... 10 inch Designer and 10 inch PHYSICAL BOARD.... You select "YES" Stay under ROLLERS.... The machine has already measured your Physical Board at 10 inches... It knows the DESIGNER Board is 10 inches... By saying YES PLEASE STAY UNDER THE ROLLERS... The machine is going to give you ONE MORE CHANCE to not SCREW UP... And ASK YOU... "SCALE BOARD" as in DO you want me to SCALE DOWN your PROJECT to fit in what is LEFT of your 10 inch board? SO you SAY YES.... PLEASE... The Machine then takes 7 inches from your PHYSICAL BOARD to stay under the rollers and 7 minus 10 = THREE.... It will make a MINI SIGN or Project "SCALED DOWN" in that left over 3 inches....

You then come and ask... WHY did my machine make a Smaller Project than I designed? And we say... "7 inch rule of WOOD...."

NOW back to that same project... IF you would have said NO TO SCALE... It will ask you to LOAD another BOARD... One 7 inches longer...

SO Same 10 inch project... You now have a 17 inch Physical Board... It asks you to stay under the Rollers and you say YES... And the Machine is HAPPY as it's Master KNOWS what it needs... a 17 inch Physical Board to put a 10 inch project and stay under the rollers....

This is WHY I use a wooden block and a 4 inch box in Designer and PLACE ON END....

In the LONG boards picture handles I cut that 4 inch block off later and keep them to carve mini BEARS to sell to the Tourists... I could not find the 2 handle designer photo so I posted a shorter 3 handle designer photo. Same 4 inch block.

Good Luck... Hope that helps...

AL