First "real" HDU Sign

[Jim Becker]

As I progress through my CNC learning curve, I try to increase complexity for obvious reasons...that's what learning is about. I've cut a few small house number signs out of HDU, but this is the first 'real' sign design I cut. Its purpose, aside from the learning, is to take its place as a marketing sample as I get prepared to seek out real customers.

One of the things I wanted to add to the mix was a textured background. My first ideas looked ok, but certainly were not efficient from a machining perspective. Way to complicated. So I had this short phone conversation with "the master", Rodger MacMunn the other evening and received his sage wisdom and honestly, really simple methodology for cutting the background and the content with two simple pocket tool paths and a single ball nose bit. The result was spot on what I wanted and I surely intend to use this method when it's what's needed. Oh, and there was also this little 3D carved detail in the middle, also a first.

I'm pleased and look forward to doing a lot more of this kind of thing going forward.

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[Adam Bullington]

Jim Looks Great curious to what kind of machine time this sign took? I need to study up on what the best ways to reduce machining time is without sacrificing cut quality.

[Paul Phillips]

Hi Jim, that's a nice looking sign, simple but clean design and I like the texture you did on the background, nice paint job to! Quality craftsmanship!

[Jim Becker]

Paul, thanks. Much appreciated. I'm learning. As to the painting...it's nice being able to use my quality brushes from "back in the day'. Like circa late 1970s at Penn State in the one art class I took as an elective. LOL I found them in a box when re-organizing the upstairs of my shop last fall. I don't throw stuff like that out. I actually still have my old-school drafting tools from high school, too. I'm 62. ;) So those are really vintage items.

Adam, the machining time for the two pocket tool paths that cut the texture and the lettering took about an hour and a half, give or take. It was very efficient as compared to using a VCarvePro "texture" tool path. The pocketing was set to raster at 35º, 91% step-over, .25" depth and no finish pass for the first one and -35º, 81% step-over with a finish pass that completed the edges of the pocket and the lettering. I did run an other quick finish profile pass around the border with a .05 offset outward to further clean that up. This was all cut with a 1/8" ball nose. Rodger talked me through the technique on the phone and it cut properly the first time which pleased me to no end.

I'm going to setup a little experimental cut with multiple pockets that have a variety of different angles to see how that varies the texture pattern. It's a nice effect, efficient to cut and as Rodger told me, it paints up easily and beautifully, too. I'll post the result of that experiment once I accomplish it.

[Jim Becker]

While I was painting some things, I ran a quick test to play with the angles on the "TR Background". The "normal" one is +/- 35º, and I ran +/- 15º and =?- 65º for the alternates. It's interesting how the pattern changes subtlety with the first alternative feeling somewhat "horizontal" and the latter one feeling somewhat "vertical" because of how the elements elongate in those directions. This could be used to advantage given a particular sign shape I suspect. Circular pockets are 2" in diameter for reference.

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15º
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65º
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[Paul Phillips]

Jim, Very cool, that's the best way to learn, lot's of scrap materials, router bits and practice is how I learned!