Routed woodgrain

[Vinylman]

I need help getting routed woodgrain effect to come up to edges of letters and graphics. Anyone got some handy tips to accomplish this? Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Martin Denton]

I assume you mean a printed vinyl with wood effect on? if so flood coat the substrate with the vinyl and then route it. As long as the tool is nice and sharp it will cut very neatly through both both

 

[Sandman]

During the design process you need to select the vectors of the actual letters, graphics and border to add your wood grain. My wood grain is a texture file so I select the vectors, add it as a texture, set the depth, hit add or subtract depending on how you are modeling it. Next is the important step. You need to make offset vectors outwards from your letters equal to HALF the diameter of the ball nose bit you are going to use to carve the wood grain and use those offset vectors when you create the tool path. Most programs use the center of the bit in the tool path to the vector so if you use the actual vectors for the letters, your tool will cut into the letter by half the diameter.

 

[Brian Guthrie]

I have transitioned away from routing letters while using a texture or wood grain just from the finished look. I have moved to routing the texture over the entire surface, pocketing for the letters, milling letters to fit in pocket so that the texture goes right up to the straight wall. Much cleaner and believe it or not I finish the letters separate from the sign and glue in place and time is a push if not advantage to creation when doing a gilded letter.

 

[Vinylman]

I assume you mean a printed vinyl with wood effect on? if so flood coat the substrate with the vinyl and then route it. As long as the tool is nice and sharp it will cut very neatly through both both

Sorry Martin; this is a CNC Router issue. I think the other answers below are moving me in the correct direction. Thanks for your imput though.

 

[Vinylman]

During the design process you need to select the vectors of the actual letters, graphics and border to add your wood grain. My wood grain is a texture file so I select the vectors, add it as a texture, set the depth, hit add or subtract depending on how you are modeling it. Next is the important step. You need to make offset vectors outwards from your letters equal to HALF the diameter of the ball nose bit you are going to use to carve the wood grain and use those offset vectors when you create the tool path. Most programs use the center of the bit in the tool path to the vector so if you use the actual vectors for the letters, your tool will cut into the letter by half the diameter.

Thanks Sandman. I will look at your approach to see if it will help reduce my time routing and finishing the signs. Currently I am having to do a lot of hand finishing to get the "offset" areas to blend into the wood grain effect.

 

[Vinylman]

I have transitioned away from routing letters while using a texture or wood grain just from the finished look. I have moved to routing the texture over the entire surface, pocketing for the letters, milling letters to fit in pocket so that the texture goes right up to the straight wall. Much cleaner and believe it or not I finish the letters separate from the sign and glue in place and time is a push if not advantage to creation when doing a gilded letter.

Thanks Brian. I will look at your approach to see if it will help reduce my time routing and finishing the signs. Currently I am having to do a lot of hand finishing to get the "offset" areas to blend into the wood grain effect. Your approach to "pocket" letters and graphics as a seperate step, may be my next step.

 

[3Dsigns]

This isn't a ''woodgrain'' as in a sandblasted look, but it's an old job I did before my Aspire upgrade, I had to outline the letters to compensate for about half the radius of the large bullnose, then I profile-cut the letters with a smaller bullnose for a cleaner look.
https://www.facebook.com/2378914257...37891425708/10152834001570709/?type=3&theater

 

[spectrum maine]

doesnt anybody own chisels anymore? it probably takes 3x as long to program a 1/2 hrs worth of chisel work

 

[tbullo]

Here is one we did with the pocket style.

 

[Sandman]

doesnt anybody own chisels anymore? it probably takes 3x as long to program a 1/2 hrs worth of chisel work

While you would be chiseling for 30 minutes, I would be getting 30 minutes of painting or assembly done. I have a wood grain file that can be used for small signs all the way up to 5x10. It takes me about 30 seconds to add the wood grain to the cutting file. I don't care how long it takes the router to cut it. There's always something else I can do while the routing is going on.