A Question about Lettering

[fishinfusion]

I'd like to have a Carvewright or CompuCarve if they can do the kind of quality lettering I've seen on a commercial site.

Could someone who has one check this website and see if this quality of work can be done? The company is P. Graham Dunn and they use industrial CNC router machines to do inspirational work in wood. Thanks in advance.

I've looked at some of the pic on users of this forum's home pages and haven't found the kind of fonts and delicate 3D details as on P. Graham Dunn's website.

Here's their site if anyone would be so kind as to check it out?
http://www.pgrahamdunn.com

This page has a good example of the kind of effect I'm looking for.
http://www.pgrahamdunn.com/product.php?productid=1078&cat=0&page=1

Thanks to all.

[Jon Jantz]

Hi Fishifusion,

With Centerline text (which will be available very soon), and some 'Rout' programming, you could easily produce a similar piece to the plaque in your link.... it would take you a little to set it up, but the Carvewright is perfectly capable of routing and cutting out that piece. One thing, I've been in a PGD store in Gatlinburg, and noticed that a lot of their smaller work is produced on laser engravers which are capable of much finer detail. They do have some beautiful pieces in their showrooms and I'd like to go again... it 'inspires' me for sure...

Later, Jon

[Matty]

yep that would be a brezz.

Matty

[Dave-Carve]

Just Spent (apx.10min) on file "Serve te Lord" pretty Simple (10 min) Did not do a great deal of detail but is is easily carvable with cw No need for centerline text. Check it out!! Just A Rough tho No Flowers etc .

Cw Perfectly capable
:cool:

[Charles M]

Just Spent (apx.10min) on file "Serve te Lord" pretty Simple (10 min) Did not do a great deal of detail but is is easily carvable with cw No need for centerline text. Check it out!! Just A Rough tho No Flowers etc .

Cw Perfectly capable
:cool:

Quite true, Dave. But I think it does look better in Centerline. See attached.

[Gman_Ind]

I have had great results with the centerline except for the script font would crash designer or GUI.exe as my XP PC calls it.

[fishinfusion]

Thanks for all your replies. This is worth giving a lot more consideration if it can do all of this.

How difficult is it to get "up and running" well enough to produce quality results. I'm I looking at months of trial and error and wasted stock?

How about the software for the PC. Having a many years using computers I know that there are some programs that are so complex that it may take more time than I care to spend learning them.

I'll have to check with Sears and see if they have a demo machine set up.

[Dave-Carve]

Yes In Fact It Does look Beter with Centerline Text but As You know not all of us have it nor can we get it, that i know of ,I was just making a point that the machine is capable of doing it " AS IS" without the centerline .
I would love to have centerline text. :confused: But How??
Thanks
Dave

[Dan-Woodman]

Scott
Sears will have a "Dummy" machine ,but not a working demo.

Also here's a tip when making arc.--- use the arc tool-- it's just a matter of clicking on the start and finishof the arc, then drag the center to make the arc.

[John Cehowski]

I'm confused.. Does the CompuCarve have centerline text, as charles and gman imply, or. is it "coming soon" as Jon states ? Is the confusion related to whether the source font or graphic is itself done in centerline? I guess I would imagine that it would try to reproduce what was there, and if the image or font showed a "centerline" in the text, compucarve would try to reproduce it.

john

[Charles M]

John,

There was a link posted a few weeks ago to the old demo version of the software that does have the centerline feature. Basically the way it works is to follow the center of the character with either the 90° or 60° V-Groove bit and vary the depth of cut to produce the correct width at any given point and it will ramp up out of the cut for square corners. Some fonts look better this way than either the raster or outline but it also depends on the project.

[forqnc]

Thanks for all your replies. This is worth giving a lot more consideration if it can do all of this.

How difficult is it to get "up and running" well enough to produce quality results. I'm I looking at months of trial and error and wasted stock?

How about the software for the PC. Having a many years using computers I know that there are some programs that are so complex that it may take more time than I care to spend learning them.

I'll have to check with Sears and see if they have a demo machine set up.
If you have years of experience with computers, then the software should be no problem. I found it very easy to use. If you want download the thirty day trial version before you buy and play with it.


John,

There was a link posted a few weeks ago to the old demo version of the software that does have the centerline feature. Basically the way it works is to follow the center of the character with either the 90° or 60° V-Groove bit and vary the depth of cut to produce the correct width at any given point and it will ramp up out of the cut for square corners. Some fonts look better this way than either the raster or outline but it also depends on the project.
Just a quick question Charles, if you revert back to the older software for centerline, do you then open the .mpc in the newer version to carve? or do you have to use the older software and if so do you encounter any problems when carving.
Oops I guess that was more than one quick question. :)

[ridefst]

Glad you guys like our work! :D

We use EnRoute for most of our toolpath generating; it allows us to take any sort of font and carve it.
It's technically 2.5D rather that true 3D carving; so you don't need the most expensive software package.

Charles is right; all of our carving is done with either 60 or 90 degree bits.
We use lasers whenever the detail is to fine to carve (usually text under 1/4" tall)

Franklin G.
P. Graham Dunn

[HCM_Bill]

Franklin, would you mind expanding on that. Using EnRoute to carve about any font. Is this another way of getting that centerline look and option?
Bill

[Gman_Ind]

I have version 1.029 (https://molbdron.com/pub/GmanInd/carvewright_1_028_demo.exe) demo version I posted a few weeks ago. 30 day trial. I posted a link several times in the forum. A quick search would have found it.
Centerline text, copy offset feature and I don't know what other nice features it has.
Note: leave the card flashed to most current version, don't use card manager with the demo, I have exported (vector) files to the card from this version. I say do your raster detail and uploading from newest version but use the 1.029 to layout centerline text on your mpc file.
Look another link! :cool: (https://molbdron.com/pub/GmanInd/carvewright_1_028_demo.exe)
enjoy! I hope this helps!

[ridefst]

Franklin, would you mind expanding on that. Using EnRoute to carve about any font. Is this another way of getting that centerline look and option?
Bill

I guess "centerline text" is probably another way to describe what we are doing.
We just convert any text or graphics to curves, and generate a fill using the appropriate "V" bit.
Rather than making just a center cut however; the bit will actually follow the contour all the way around; then will also lower and clean out the center as well.
This gives the same look; but with two main advantages:
1. allows us to carve deeper/wider than the cutting surface of the bit
2. better quality cuts - if you would make just one pass you would be climb (reverse) milling on one side, and standard cutting on the other, so your cuts would not be consistent.

I should mention; that I have no experience with the CarveWright or CompuCarve machines or software; so I don't know if you can import g-codes or if you're just stuck with the proprietary software; so I may be talking about a whole different level of software.

They are a neat looking machine though; but _tiny_:eek:

[Gman_Ind]

There is no G-code import no DXF import no other post processor capable of producing tool paths.. yet.

I hope in time the ability to import from other programs will be added to the software.

The centerline text is a vector path cutting operation, it does a good job converting standard windows fonts into tool paths. I used a bold old book font. With squared off and flared features just like the bottom of this L It does a multiple pass cut and pulls out while cutting to create tapers.