Aztec Calandar table Top

[David Harvey]

Well, I just had to give this one a try. I'm running it right now and I expect it to run for a total of 9 hrs. Here's a few pictures of the progress and a close up of the detail. When it gets completed I'll show a finished pic.

On this one I figured it would make a great top for a table, so I picked up one of the round pine table tops from Lowe's. I first routed a .125 deep pocket in the top, then hand applied a walnut stain to it while it was still mounted on the machine. Next, I started running the Vcarving. The effect is awesome!

Once completed I plan to fill the top with clear epoxy to the top of the routed pocket. Should make an interesting effect.

Thanks to Paul_n over on the Vectric forum for sharing this file. It is a nice one!
http://vectric.com/forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif

The first 2 pics are after 2 hours into the machining....

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/th_IMG_0241800.jpg (http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0241800.jpg)
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/th_IMG_0240800.jpg (http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0240800.jpg)

These pics are after 4 hours of run time.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/th_IMG_02452048.jpg (http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_02452048.jpg)
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/th_IMG_0243800.jpg (http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0243800.jpg)

Dave

[Leigh Costello]

Holy cow! Now that is a project to admire! Good luck and keep the pics coming.
Leigh

[Bruce Volden]

Dave!!!



You animal, whats the diameter of the carving? I think that will be a keeper. Is this with a ShopBot? I plan on getting a "true" CNC someday soon (I have a CarveWright), I am still intimidated by the software tho, that's whats holding me up now. I am looking at a ShopSabre as they are fairly close to me ~3hrs. Nice work!!



Bruce

[Barbara Buhse]

Leigh took the words right out of my mouth (well, the "holy" part anyway, I was gonna say something other than "cow")...
Please make sure you show us the finished work of art!

Barbara

[Keith Outten]

Dave,

Very Nice, can't wait to see the final pictures.

Which router bit are you using? 90 degree V-bit maybe?

.

[David Harvey]

Bruce
Thanks..and Grrrrr. It's 24" dia. and it was done on my ShotBot PRT4848. Hope you can get you a cnc as I know you will love...especially after having a CarveWright. I too had the Carvewright, but sold it 3 months after I got it. Good for a hobbyist, but not serious work. Don't be intimidated by the software based on CarveWrights as theirs is prorietary and still has a long way to go to get the capability and versatility. They are working very hard and earnestly on and I know they will get it done.

Barbara, Leigh
Glad you like it. I've had my 'Bot' for about 3 weeks now and have gone from a very simple cut to probably the most intricate and have learned alot about the machine's capabilities all in a short period of time. This just shows how easy to operate these machines really are.

Keith
Thanks. I used a 60 degree 1/2" dia. V-groove for the detail in the carving. RPM 16,000, XY Feed .7ips, Z feed .5 ips. It ran that cut file for 9 hours without a hickup. I had the workpiece held down on a 12" x 12" pod hooked up to my vacuum tank and it held it in place like a charm. Rock solid.

Here's some links to the finished carving. They are all hi res so you can the detail, so I made these links instead of imbedded images.

Here is the table top just after it completed.
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0247.jpg

Here it is pulled from the 'Bot' and standing up.
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0256.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0250.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0249.jpg

Now, for those that want to see the intricate detail that resulted take a look at these. Some of the closeups I included a scale in the picture so you can really get a feel for the smallness of the detail.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0254.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0253.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0252.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/IMG_0251.jpg

For those of you that would like to 'Try this at Home' I'm attaching the vector file for your pleasure. Note that this can alos be done with your laser, I did and it worked great. For best results on a laser, send it to the laser as vector (not raster) and set your speed high and power low. You'll get every little detail in the file finely burnt into your workpiece. Have Fun!

Note: Well, the zip file was too big to upload here, so if anyone would like it, send me an email and I'll email it to you.

Dave

[Mike Null]

Magnificent!

[Dave Jones]

That's amazing.

[Keith Outten]

Very Cool David,

If you will send me the aztec file I will make it available for everyone here on the Creek.

keith_at_sawmillcreek.org

[David Harvey]

Keith, I sent you a PM with the file attached.

Dave

[Frank Corker]

Well I'm dying to give it a go on the laser. It looks fantastic, two feet wide as well, amazing

[Lee DeRaud]

Well I'm dying to give it a go on the laser. It looks fantastic, two feet wide as well, amazingGreat minds think alike. :D

I'm thinking in terms of mosaicing (is that a word?) it onto four 12"x12" granite tiles for a patio table.

[Dave Fifield]

Wow! Simply awesome David!!

I think I know what tool I'm saving up for next......

Dave F.

[Ray Mighells]

I'm glad to find out that I'm not the only one impressed by the design elements of the Aztec Calander. The sample sent to me by Epilog when I requested their brochure was a really neat marketing trick. I've been a lot of places and seen a lot of things, but I had never before seen this image or anything resembling it. I thought,"boy, I'll bet I can sell a ton of these". After I got my machine, I figured that if I was going to try to sell this image I ought to find out something about it to tell my customers. Imagine my surprise when I found hundreds of these images and variations thereof on Ebay. Plastic, plaster, pewter, and you name it, they were all there. I had to do a little looking to get any information on the item, but I did find it. Turns out to be the second most popular image in all of Mexico, the first being the Mexican flag. I'm still surprised that of all I've read and being a woodcarver all the patterns and showsI've seen I never saw this image before. Anyhow, I've made a lot of them in a variety of sizes, the largest being 22" in 1" thick black cherry. It would have been beautiful if I had dry fitted the two halves before I engraved it. I halved the pattern at 12 and 6 (40 min burn time each half) the right side was not exactly flat so when I glued the halves together there was a small glue step on the right. When I took off the ridge I lost some of the sharpness of the area that was high. It still looks pretty good, but I won't try to sell it, because it's not up to my quality standards. This was a lesson well learned, and that mistake won't happen again. I still hope to sell a lot them. I think it is a beautiful design.

[Keith Outten]

Here is the Aztec Calendar zip file (Corel Draw V11) which is about 605k.
According to David the file has been provided with permission.

aztec_calendar (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/aztecai.zip)

[Lee DeRaud]

FYI, it's in Adobe Illustrator format. Haven't tried engraving it yet, but it imports into Corel X3 without any problems that I can see.

[Glenn Chua]

Tabletop looks awesome. Frank in the post above mentioned that he was going to give this a try on the laser.

Frank, have you given this a try yet? Or has anyone else?

If so, what settings.

I'm new to all this and have been trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can... and there is definitely plenty to be had in these forums.

My uncle owns a plexiglass fabrication company in North Carolina and recently purchased a Kern 52"x50" HSE 200W machine which I have full access to. We're both having fun learning and I wanted to give this aztec tabletop a try ;)

By the way. This is my first post. I'm looking forward to learning from everyone !!

[Larry Alles]

Dave,

Could you please e-mail the file to me. I only have a 12 x 24 laser but think
I could have fun with it.

Thank you,

Larry

[Frank Corker]

This is the Aztec cdr in version8 so everyone who needs it they can have a go. I used it to great effect on a couple of small round tables which had come to the end of their days. I used plywood, engraved it and stained it, looked like a brand new table. Unfortunately I never got to photographing them.

[David Harvey]

Larry, Keith was kind enough to provide this file on his server. It is located here... aztec_calendar (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/aztecai.zip)

Hope you enjoy it!

Be sure to post pic's of your work with it...we would love to see how it turns out.

[Scott Perry]

Nice job.....now I want a Shopbot. I will have to give it a go on the laser.

[John Dilibero]

Is there anyway for you to send me that file?

[Ray Mighells]

David Harvey posted a link just above yours at #10. His design is a little different than others I've seen. Here's a pic of my latest one. It's 17" dia. I made up 2 panels of .25" black cherry, lasered, then glued them together onto a 7/8" thick solid black cherry panel. An almost perfect fit. I don't remember why I didn't make it wider.

[Ryan O'Hara]

Ray, what settings did you use on the cherry? Did you use a mask to protect the wood from the smoke?

[Ray Mighells]

Ryan, I did that piece last year and didn't record the settings. I usually run Cherry at 30 sp 90 - 100 pwr and 300 dpi with my 35W Epilog. If I remember correctly I ran each half twice and it's burned in close to 1/16". I didn't use any kind of finish or mask. As you know lasering leaches some sap out of the wood and that also discolors along with the smoke. I give it a good rub down with denatured alcohol and it's ready to finish. I gave it several good heavy wet coats of brushing lacquer (which has practically no solids). The panel has started to develope its patina and it will redden over time. I think the best idea is to color the surface before lasering to preserve the highlighted color. I have found that using a higher dpi gives a darker burn but takes longer. Also the cut of the wood makes a difference. Flat sawn, figured wood burns darker than quarter and rift sawn. Anyhow I have a lot of cherry and am trying a lot of stuff.

[Micheal Donnellan]

nice work

As i am not a wood person could you please explain what the difference is between flat, quarter and rift sawn. I assumed all wood was just cut flat shaped.

[Ray Mighells]

Flat sawn shows all the pretty figuring,but this is the least stable in wider widths. Tends to cup/warp. Check the end grain at the end of the piece. Growth rings go across the width. Quarter sawn is generally pretty straight grain, growth rings are more vertical at the end grain through the thickness. Rift cut is a few degrees off a quarter cut which eliminates the flaking seen in quarter sawn oak and other similar woods. Most stable cut of lumber and preferred for stair treads. Also most expensive cut in dimensional lumber, and commonaly referred to as clear vertical grain (CVG) Hope this helps.

[Bruce Larson]

As a historical note:
The reason that the Aztecs were defeated so easily by the Spaniards is that every time they decided to have a battle "Next Tuesday", everyone showed up on a different day because no one could figure out when it was, thus making it easy to beat the small groups as they arrived.
Grin.

[Bruce Dillingham]

Is this file still available? I didn't see it on the threads. Thanks

[Angus Hines]

Here it is in Corel 11


Is this file still available? I didn't see it on the threads. Thanks

[Antonio Robbins]

Here it is in Corel 11

Saw this and wanted to check it out, but I can't open the Zip file; it says there's nothing in it (despite showing it in it.)
Could you reupload it, or send it to me directly?
My e-mail is antoniorobbins ''at'' GMail ''dot'' com
Thanks for posting it!

[Anthony Welch]

I've followed this thread, recieved the sample from Epilog (Thank You!), and have thought as most of you have, "This is a fine example of what our laser can do." Which I have yet to run this file on any substrate.

But next year, I anticipate as well as you should, the sales of this to sky rocket. I have friends and co-workers who are still eating from the stores of Y2K they saved. So I am sure they'll be at the top of the list of my sales.:D

I watch the "History channel, National Geographic, and Science channel all most exclusivley. I do keep an open mind while I watch these shows. I have taken in community college algebra, trig, callculus, and physics, and to this day I can not sit down and replicate what the ancients did. It's all I can do to get through Corel Draw and make it work for what I need it to do.

But tonight I've wondered what the symbols actually mean. They meant somthing to the ancient Americans (Myans, Aztecs....etc.) There is science to this or it would not be a product of conversation. Here is a link to start you on your understanding of this, which I'll read also, but will not acclaim to be an expert once read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_calendar

Read and research as much as you want to, to understand what it means. It'll probably help you in your sales of this, beautiful if nothing else, Art of the Ancient Americans, that has some history and science to it.


Personally, I think it is an end of a cycle and will restart at the beginging of the calendar on 12/22/2012 and will go another cycle (This is not up for debate, just my own thoughts of the subject. You read and research and come up with your own conclusions.). But don't let your customers know this before this date :(. Just tell them it's the end of time as the Aztec/Myans knew of it.

Moderators: I know this should belong in the "Off topic" forum if any at all, but just couldn't help myself. I won't be offended if deleted entirely.

Anthony:o

[Vic Harris]

I too wanted to try this but also couldn't unzip. If you don't mind I'd like another try at the file, I am using x3. My email is (vicrharris@embarqmail.com)
Thank you in advanced
Vic

[John Noell]

EPS version is headed your way.

[Zvi Grinberg]

Thanks for sharing the file.

I cannot open the ZIP. Is it packed in a special way?
Could you please send it without Zipping?

My email is zvi@caliber.co.il


Thanks
Zvi

[Keith Outten]

The aztec calendar that I attached is a Corel Draw V11 file.
The file that Angus attached is an ai file.

I just checked both zip files, they are fine.
.

[Bill Cunningham]

It's not in standard zip 2 format Keith.. Here is the error message I get with winzip8.1.
Franks got one posted up the thread a bit too...

WinZip 8.1 supports the Zip 2.0 standard file format, which is the specification used by the vast majority of applications on the market that process Zip files. The file with which you are working is not based on the Zip 2.0 standard and is not supported by this version of WinZip.

In order to work with this file using this version of WinZip, it will need to be re-zipped using a Zip 2.0-compatible program (such as WinZip itself).

For current information about file format compatibility, visit our web site at http://www.winzip.com/zip20.htm.

[Vic Harris]

Thank you all very much as I now have it and it burned beautifully.
Vic

[Keith Outten]

Sorry about that Bill, I used the same program to zip the file I have been using for ten years. I guess I am out of date :)

For the record I use the zip utility built in to Total Commander and I believe it is based on the original PKZip.

.

[Bill Cunningham]

Sorry about that Bill, I used the same program to zip the file I have been using for ten years. I guess I am out of date :)

For the record I use the zip utility built in to Total Commander and I believe it is based on the original PKZip.

.

Ya.. ha I know the feeling, I just upgraded a few months back myself, but I think my 8.1 is getting old too.. I think XT (at least XTpro) has a built in unzipper, but not a zipper...

[John Noell]

If you mean Win XP, yes, it zips. Just right-click on any file and choose "Send to", then "compressed folder."

[Andrea Weissenseel]

Thank you very much for sharing the file :)

I ran it today on my laser on acrylic, it came out very nice. It has a diameter of 36cm - runtime was 45 min. I thought it would be a pretty neat idea with LEDs, didn't have enough here of the flex LEDs to go all the way around.

Next time I'll give it a try on granite

thanks again, Andrea

[Mike Null]

Andrea

Looks great. I've seen a lot of these calendars but don't recall seeing acrylic. The lighting effect is also great.

[Eric Seest]

I did not see both post and the only one I did see I cannot extract, does anyone have a corel version that will extract?