How to change depth of lettersin text

[Loriblackdog]

Hi again,

another quick question if I have several Text items how can I change the depth of the letters, when I click on the word, there is no option for depth or if I would like to make the letters a little wider? I appreciate any help.

Thank you

Loriblackdog

[fwharris]

Lori,

If you are doing centerline text you can not change the text depth. To make the text wider try selecting BOLD int the text input screen..

[earlyrider]

You can also try using a 60 degree V bit.

[Digitalwoodshop]

If you design the text in V90 and cut it in V60 a "I" would have a Fork Tongue or Y at the top and a inverted Y at the bottom due to the V60 not being wide enough to clean out the top of the text as it expected a V90 width bit. How DO I know that....

Making the project like posted above, and assigned the V60 will give you deeper text but narrower.

We are both assuming you are talking about Centerline Text.

Selecting BOLD is the only way to make the text deeper.... AS you increase the size of the text it will get deeper... Remember you can re size the text in Width and Height to KERN the text or Squeeze or Expand it into the alloted area.

They make a FLAT BOTTOM V90 bit for sign makers but it is not in the official CW bit collection. It is designed to make Signs with bigger Centerline Letters. Make the V90 pointed bit letters too big, they cut thought the bottom of the board in the canter of the letters.

IF you have a need for a sign with BIG LETTERS consider Applied Letters.... As in cutting out individual letters and applying them to the bigger sign... Expansion and Contraction is a issue and the applied letters can crack if the base material is a standard board and can expand in width more than the applied letters.... for this, I like using PVC Board for the base and letters.... All Expands the same...

Some V90 Centerline Text Sign I have cut make me cross my fingers and hope the machine does not STALL... Sometimes BIG V90 text takes a very BIG BITE and does it QUICKLY and you can hear the machine Struggle to cut the Wide DEEP cut.... Never actually had a stall doing this... BUT it does make a RACKET.... SO if you designed a project with BIG V90 text and used a unauthorized FLAT Bottom BIT, the machine could be TOO AGGRESSIVE in the Cut.... A Trick would be to cut it twice... Once normal and the second time as BOLD.... OR 3 times.... The First tricking the V90 Flat Bottom Bit by putting a Quarter on the board and let the bit touch the Quarter for a FAKE slightly Higher cut.... Or shallower.... Then a 2nd in normal text and a 3rd BOLD.... This is EXTREME TEXT..... A few have reported GREAT Results with the Flat Bottom V90 Bit.

Good Luck,

AL

[Capt Bruce]

And just one more question. Are you perhaps referring to text designed as RASTER or OUTLINE rather than CENTERLINE?

[mtylerfl]

Hi again,

another quick question if I have several Text items how can I change the depth of the letters, when I click on the word, there is no option for depth or if I would like to make the letters a little wider? I appreciate any help.

Thank you

Loriblackdog

If you are doing Raster Text, play with the Depth and Height settings until you get the result you want. Fairly quick-n-easy.

If you are doing Centerline, Depth is always determined by the bit angle and the distance between the closed vector shapes - there is no manual control over that...and, as Floyd and Al already mentioned, use BOLD to make text "wider".

[Loriblackdog]

Thanks to all, I will try the different ideas to see which I like best.

Thank you
Loriblackdog

[Digitalwoodshop]

I have not posted this in a while but I have had GREAT Success with using a SINGLE STROKE FONT like Modern and OUTLINE MODE...

A few years ago I need to Simulate lettering like a Hand Router with a plastic Template with the machine. I happened upon this method... And with a 3/8 PLUNGE End Mill Bit... It made 2 inch high block letters GREAT.....


So here is the trick.... AS you increase the size of the Text you need to increase the size of the Bit. You will get SO BIG that you will leave un cut wood in the center of the letter. But this is Simple to fix by drawing lines over the un cut area and assign the same bit to the SAME DEPTH.... Hence.... Large LETTERS....

The Bit needs to be a PLUNGE BIT with a cutter on the bottom.


Good Luck,

AL

[Rob Mulgrew]

I looked for similar ways to make centerline text deeper and what I have been doing is tricking the machine by changing the depth of the bit before the carve starts. I let CW go through all its measurements and then when it says Carving Pattern I stop the machine and loosen the screw and drop the bit down about an 1/8th of an inch and then restart the project. This takes some getting used to because you dont want to make it cut too deep but it does does work for me. A deeper cut completely changes the appearance of the sign and I like it alot better.

[Bigtyme]

This sounds like the ability to change the depth of the letters in text is another Designer Wishlist item.... I agree that a little deeper text looks better