StickerBee
New Member
Hey guys,
What is the best machines to cut wooded letters? Looking for advise.
Thanks!
What is the best machines to cut wooded letters? Looking for advise.
Thanks!
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machine to cut wooden letters
- Thread starter StickerBee
- Start date
Christian @ 2CT Media
Active Member
Laser, CNC Router, or Waterjet are all great tools for that.... if you only need to cut. a CNC Router is the only tool that can actually give you dimension and shape other than by hand with skill and patience that is.
StickerBee
New Member
Just wanted to cut letters out from MDF board at 1/2 to 3/4 thick inch as high as 18 to 24 inches tall letters. I dont have patience to cut by hand. 
StickerBee
New Member
Do you have brand or model of the machine? I had shapeoko xxl cnc machine it was not good specially for cursive letters.
Christian @ 2CT Media
Active Member
You can get a 36" x 50" Laser and cut those for about $10-15,000 or you can go with a basic cnc router for about the same price.
Or you can look in to the shaper origin for about $5,000
Or you can look in to the shaper origin for about $5,000
SignMeUpGraphics
Super Active Member
StickerBee
New Member
Gino can you please share the link of your machine?
Go on Youtube and look up "DiResta". That's how you'd do it with a scroll saw/band saw.
Otherwise you have to choose between a CNC router or laser cutter. Benefit of a laser cutter is you don't have to worry about hold down. The downside is the burnt edges, not square edges, and potential inability to cut through thicker/denser materials. For example, to cut letters the size and thickness you're looking to do, you need a minimum of a $20k laser and that would be a Chinese import.
With a CNC router, you're going to be able to cut though thick wood with square edges. You'll probably have a bit of chatter/roughness but that all depends on the quality of machine/hold down. The big downside is hold down. With letters that size, hold down really shouldn't be an issue. Normally hold down is an issue with 2-4" letters and sometimes taller letters out of thinner/lighter material or more delicate letters. At 18-24", it really shouldn't be an issue. You could get a pretty solid 4x8 CNC router for $15-20k that would do a really good job for what you're looking to do.
Otherwise you have to choose between a CNC router or laser cutter. Benefit of a laser cutter is you don't have to worry about hold down. The downside is the burnt edges, not square edges, and potential inability to cut through thicker/denser materials. For example, to cut letters the size and thickness you're looking to do, you need a minimum of a $20k laser and that would be a Chinese import.
With a CNC router, you're going to be able to cut though thick wood with square edges. You'll probably have a bit of chatter/roughness but that all depends on the quality of machine/hold down. The big downside is hold down. With letters that size, hold down really shouldn't be an issue. Normally hold down is an issue with 2-4" letters and sometimes taller letters out of thinner/lighter material or more delicate letters. At 18-24", it really shouldn't be an issue. You could get a pretty solid 4x8 CNC router for $15-20k that would do a really good job for what you're looking to do.
StickerBee
New Member
I guess the best option is wood carver duplicator.
I've heard stories about you Americans.. but I always thought they were exaggerated!
If you want to keep it real simple, real cheap and more hands on, these things used to be a staple in practically every commercial sign shop.
https://www.ameriken.com/products/die-shop-equipment/die-shop-equipment-cutawl-saws/
https://www.ameriken.com/products/die-shop-equipment/die-shop-equipment-cutawl-saws/
Gino
Premium Subscriber
I've heard stories about you Americans.. but I always thought they were exaggerated!
I guess with a 24" throat, you had that old movie in mind, huh ??
kcollinsdesign
Old member
I used a cutawl for years, but now I just order fabricated letters from the likes of Gemini. Way, way cheaper than the labor involved using a cutawl (or any kind of scroll saw). Nice trip down nostalgia lane, however!
Christian @ 2CT Media
Active Member
This is the shaper origin, https://www.shapertools.com
chester215
Just call me Chester.
X CARVE
Or Maslow CNC
Or Maslow CNC
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Not knowing the scale of operation, dedication to handcrafted signs, budget, etc. Was the only reason I suggested such a tool. There was a time when a good bandsaw and someone who knew how to use it could produce a lot of perfectly acceptable letters out of sheets of dense insulation foam.
It's ironic that one of us will post a hand carved HDU sign, or hand crafted wood sign and the adoration for it flows, but this OP asks a simple question and moat of the answers suggest a highly technological solution with substantial price tags.