Importing part of a DeltaCad drawing

[Coleywood]

I have a hand-saw handle that exists as part of a DeltaCad drawing. I want to copy and paste that handle into Designer and save it in the pattern library. It seems that I am successful when I do that except I wind up with a rectangular area for the carve region rather than just the splined shape of the handle. How can I wind up with the handle shape only and be able to choose the Cut Path function to cut out the pattern?

[CarverJerry]

Post your file so we know what we are looking at.

CJ

[Coleywood]

Attachment 41146

Here's a jpg of the saw handle I want to inport. I drew it in DeltaCAD. I suppose I could draw over it with the Designer spline function but when I started to do that it was not progressing very well.

[Coleywood]

Maybe I should explain what I think I want to do. I want to use the Carvewright to cut out the profile of the saw handle so that I can use that piece mounted on a base as a sled to hold saw blanks so that I can carve patterns and initials onto the blanks. I suppose I could cut out the profile, as I have in the past, using a bandsaw and a drum sander. This just seems like a slick way to do it, until I actually got into it.

[dbfletcher]

Unfortunately, your attachment didnt work. I'm nearly certain you can accomplish what you want, but it woud be easiest for us to make suggestions if we could see your actual project. I believe AskBud has a video lesson on how to use attachments on this forum.

[fwharris]

To get rid of the background you need to either remove it in your original program or when you bring it into designer as an image you can lower it in the dialog box to remove the back ground.. If you have pattern editor (the probe) you can also remove the background..

[Coleywood]

Thanks! It seems that your suggestion to "lower it in the dialogue box" produces the desired results.

[Digitalwoodshop]

This is easily done in Designer... Import a .jpg of the handle as a pattern. Place the pattern on a 14.5 inch wide board. Make the handle as big as you can. Using the line drawing tools and the connect line tools trace the handle. Use lots of small lines for extra nodes for later. Making sure that the old node and the new node glow red as in connecting every time. You will not get a cut path without every node connected. The last line connects to the first node then escape to stop the extra line. Go back and keeping the image in the middle of the screen adjust the lines on your picture ptn. When perfect.... Make a Carve Region out of it... Then use Tools - Outline and outline the carve region. Then get rid of the node lines and carve region. You now have a smooth path for your cutout. Do the same for the inside of the handle.

Now measure 2 points of width and height on the actual handle. In Designer draw a box or rectangle the exact length numbers and you have a handy ruler on the board. Scale down the handle drawing to match the handy rulers on your board.

Assign a Cut Path for your board. If you want a smoother cut.... Do layout with a 1/8th inch bit then later assign a 1/4 inch ball nose bit but use the 1/8 inch. This locks the designer into 1st gear feed rate. Do normal and you get 2 feed rates, faster on long areas.

Good Luck..... O' the reason to make the ptn BIG is to take out some of the drawing error when you scale it back down. And the reason to do the outline of the carve region is if you changed the size of the node lines, sometimes you get Micky Mouse Ears when moving stuff.... The Outline is more stable.....

AL