So I started with the crown test a few months ago and moved on to some simple signs. Id like to get into some more complicated stuff in 2020. Sold a few things without advertising services really which was nice. Im over whelmed with the wood types and finishes but at least im semi okay with running the machine and types of bits needed. Id say my favorite type of stuff to make so far is faces with vbits. Its quite amazing how well they come out if you can find a good SVG or drawing to start with.
Also plan on working with epoxy resin this upcoming year as well.
Wow! You have created a lot of amazing stuff. Could you please quickly guide me to the methodology used to make the skull? In particular, the method you use to make it black.
One more kinda neat thing that was done last night cause I was bored…
Did it all with a V1 single flute 1/8 bit. It’s kinda on the smaller side but it did the job. I have a much bigger end mill but I would have lost details in the letters.
Wow! You have created a lot of amazing stuff. Could you please quickly guide me to the methodology used to make the skull? In particular, the method you use to make it black.
Thank you
It wasn’t too bad. I had gotten an SVG file from one of the cnc Facebook groups I’ll see if I can dig it out. But you can grab that same image and trace it using Inkscape>trace bitmap>save as SVG. Once you get it in a SVG format you can import into your cam software.
The wood was oak was chosen because all of the fine details. I didn’t want it to get lost in something soft like pine. I attempted to use oramask on the wood before cutting which acts like a stencil. But because the cuts were so fine it didn’t quite work (the oramask). Either way after rattle canning it black and letting it dry you hit it with an orbital sander and the black is left in the cuts/voids. The bit was a vbit 30 degree from Drillman. Needed something tight and small for the lines on the skull.
Yeah just rattle can flat black usually and I hit it with 80 degree sandpaper on a orbital to remove the top layer of paint.
Also I have pretty good luck with hitting my wood projects with this before painting. Supposedly it stops paint from bleeding into the edges. It dries very quickly and acts like a sealer.
It isn’t as smooth as yours. Maybe my spoil board isn’t as level as it should be, but I still like it for some scrap pine. Thanks for the inspiration!
Jake
Looks great did you run a 2nd clean up pass? What did you use to get it to shine? Im still experimenting with different finishing methods.
I did mess up and spray paint mine black with plans to sand the top layer and get it red. The pocketed area looks pretty meh because I didnt sand it, I thought that the end mill did a good job. However this paint is showing every little line/mark. Im also wondering if it would be better with a harder wood like oak.
Either way its a good experiment. I got tired of making the normal typical signs also.
I really want to try my hand at playing with resin epoxy and making a cutting board. Can be challenging to locate decent wood around here for that (maple).
It is just what I had around. I have some really nice water based polyurethane that my hardwood floor friend gave me, but the lazy in me opted for the spray.
Fortunately, I have an awesome wood shop about twenty minutes away from me. But I think I’m still in the early enough stages that cheap wood is what I should be cutting my teeth on.
Do you mind sharing how you do the faces like Tupac and the old guy?
The old guy…you mean biggie smalls…notorious BIG commmon man lol? Or was it the Post Malone one??
So those just were sillohettes I found and traced on Vcarve. Biggie I burnt the wood and then used a 30 degree vbit and in retrospect it was a mistake because the wood warped you can barely make out some of the cuts.
Tupac was a piece of poplar stained with a dark stain called Kona. That was a vbit I believe 60 degree. Literally same thing dump the image into vcarve and trace all the lines and run the Vbit toolpath. You dont really need to go too deep with these to get the effect. The face that vcarve shows a good preview and lets you play with the wood colors and also the cut colors is a huge help if you dont have a good imagination.
When you search for these photos you gotta use Drawings or silhouettes as the key words. Etsy has some good stuff for only a few bucks as SVGs
Haha… Now I see it. I thought it was an old Irish gangster or something . I’ve never used Vcarve. I’ve seen others talk about it, so I guess its time to learn something else.
If you use spray can enamel, you can buff and polish it just like you would a car. You can get a really really nice gloss finish that way.
Put a somewhat thick coat of paint on and let it fully cure. Then wet sand with 2000 grit sand paper. Rub it with buffing compound until perfectly smooth, then finish it off with a wax.
Here’s where I got the idea. He does it with a poly, but I’ve had good luck with the enamels too.
Just an FYI that may be useful to some. You can also do this with brush on latex paint. Did this years ago with gloss latex on a stitch & glue plywood boat. Rolled it on, let cure, then wet sanded down to 400 grit. And a good coat of paste wax hardens the finish very well.
Here it is more than halfway past 2020 and im really slacking. I found a bunch of cracked corner pieces and also a center bearing support on my mpcnc a few months ago. I believe it was a combo of tightening stuff down too much and crashing/learning. After I saw that I said okay its time to get a 3d printer, grabbed an Ender 3 and went to town. Its all back together and I managed to get wiring much neater with some more drag links. I wanted to run mid support beams but I cant run them with the drag links on.
Also re did another spill board with T nuts now so im pumped to try that.
First thing I want to try is engraving acrylic and making some led light up signs. Hopefully Ill have something cool to show off soon!
. I’ve never used Vcarve. I’ve seen others talk about it, so I guess its time to learn something else.
