Stacked Text - Practice

Bill Arnold

1974
Staff member
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Location
Thomasville, GA
After seeing a couple of items posted elsewhere, I decided to have a go at doing a stacked text plaque (sign, whatever). Below is my first practice piece in MDF.

No attempt at any real finishing yet. The background was cut with a 1/4" end mill. Letters were finished with a 60° v-bit.

ST_Cosh1a.jpg

In the close-up, you can see how the upper and lower text blend.

ST_Cosh1b.jpg


I'm gonna have some more fun with this!!!
 
Nice! I've been eyeing that and have printed out the instructions from the other forum. I've got to give that a try soon too, looks pretty neato!!!!

I tried for several days by using logic and I got close. But, there's nothing like the experience some of those other guys have. The instructions I printed out are eight steps that are very straight-forward and I still messed up! When I took a deep breath and went back through the process, I saw what I had missed and it worked perfectly.
 
Would you mind posting a link to the info Bill?

The thread on the Vectric forum I found most useful is this one.

I copied and printed the following from it:

Stacked Text Process

1. Create 2 Layers (Upper and Lower). Leave both visible.

2. Create your upper text on the upper layer. Create another vector as a border, one that will be large enough to encompass both the upper and lower text. At this point convert the text to curves. You can now node edit the text to eliminate loops/artifacts, and 'weld' the touching letters together (if required). Group the entire text (but not the border), and hide the upper layer.

3. Create bottom text on the lower layer. Convert to curves, edit and group the entire bottom text as you did for the upper text.

4. Show the upper layer, then right click on the upper text vectors and border and select the copy to lower Layer option. This will send a copy to your bottom layer for welding. Once again hide the upper layer.

5. Now select both grouped words on the lower layer (but not the border), and click the "Weld Selected Vectors" button (right below the mouse pointer button on the left side under "Edit Objects").

6. Success! Now continue on to machining.

7. Show the upper layer (hide the lower) and select the upper grouped text and the border. Create a V-carve toolpath. I usually cut the first layer to a depth of 0.05 with a 60º bit (tip ground down slightly (0.037) to pocket cleanly between the letters), and a 1/4" end mill for the large area clearance.

8. Now show the lower layer (hide the upper layer) select your welded vectors and the border. Create a V-carve toolpath to a flat depth of 0.1 with the same bits.
 
I tried for several days by using logic and I got close. But, there's nothing like the experience some of those other guys have. The instructions I printed out are eight steps that are very straight-forward and I still messed up! When I took a deep breath and went back through the process, I saw what I had missed and it worked perfectly.

Having read and reread the instructions I printed out (the ones you linked to below), I fully intend to screw it up a few times! That's my MO! :rofl: Kudos to you for getting a great result, it's quite a design process and then requires successful machining! :)
 
I tried for several days by using logic and I got close. But, there's nothing like the experience some of those other guys have. The instructions I printed out are eight steps that are very straight-forward and I still messed up! When I took a deep breath and went back through the process, I saw what I had missed and it worked perfectly.

Instructions on the internet I've found are usually a 'guide', at least for most things I try and do. What works for one person, or seems completely self explanatory, may not work for the next person. There's nothing like doing it several times and gaining experience and then you'll go, AHA, That's what they meant.

It happens to me several times a week usually.
 
Having read and reread the instructions I printed out (the ones you linked to below), I fully intend to screw it up a few times! That's my MO! :rofl: Kudos to you for getting a great result, it's quite a design process and then requires successful machining! :)

Instructions on the internet I've found are usually a 'guide', at least for most things I try and do. What works for one person, or seems completely self explanatory, may not work for the next person. There's nothing like doing it several times and gaining experience and then you'll go, AHA, That's what they meant. ...

The "gotcha" for me was where it says, "Group the text...". It states that for the top layer, then repeats for the bottom layer. I've done a lot of text, converting to curves before carving, etc. I completely read right through that instruction and, when the combining process turned to garbage, I looked at my computer screen and asked it, "Why???". Yeah, OK.....
 
Got about an hour tonight to give this a try. Made a couple of mistakes, first my work piece was thicker than the drawing was setup for. I had setup for 3/4" thick and my workpiece was 13/16". Since my zero was setup off the table (or bottom of the work piece), this messed with the detail of the smaller text. The smaller text was supposed to be flat on top. The thickness also was un-accounted for when cutting the top pocket, so I lost about 1/32" about 1/3rd of the way through the file. Next I had planned for a 60* v bit, but only had a 90*, so I lost a little more detail on the smaller letters from that. Overall it still came out good, but needs a lot of clean-up.
2015-09-19 20.30.20.jpg

I'll pickup a 60* bit and give it another go with it and the right thickness of wood (or switch my zero point). Will also hog less wood off on the pocketing.
 
Darren - cool. WOW what an optical illusion. At first look it appears that the raised text is grooved and the grooved text looks raised - even the outer edges of the pocket look that way. I had to go back to the preview several times before I could see it. Now that I can see it - it looks great.
 
Darren - cool. WOW what an optical illusion. At first look it appears that the raised text is grooved and the grooved text looks raised - even the outer edges of the pocket look that way. I had to go back to the preview several times before I could see it. Now that I can see it - it looks great.

Yep. What Leo said! I had to twist around a little and get my eyes calibrated to the light and shadow. Good effort, Darren!!!

I'll do another practice cut Monday. I've been trying some different combinations of fonts, bits and depths of cut in VCarve. It's great to be able to get such an accurate representation of the final result in VCarve!
 
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Ha, sorry about that. I got to looking through my router bit drawer and found a 60* bit, so I wanted to give this another shot. Rather than cutting another blank, I simply lowered my zero (which was moved to the top) about 1/8" and recarved the same board. I also changed the pocketing pattern to be on a 45* angle, which added a lot of character.
2015-09-20 17.56.34.jpg

2015-09-20 18.04.58.jpg

I need to play with some other fonts as the script font has a lot of extra "character" I wasn't expecting, but it's all a learning process. I'm planning to make two more signs for some up coming weddings. My neighbor happened to stop by last weekend an ask if I would like any scrap birch that he was getting from a local cabinet shop, all about 18" to 24" birch cut offs, so stopped over tonight and brought home an arm load for those. :thumb:
 
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Looks good, Darren! Actually, I think these things could become addictive!!!

A couple of things I tried that I'll pass along:

Since VCarve sets up two paths for each level - rough and final - logic seems to be to make four cuts. After doing a preview in VCarve, the actual cut I did on the sign I posted was done with two toolpaths - one for ALL roughing and one for ALL V-bit cuts. You may have figured that out already, but it does work.

One of the hints from the post I linked to was filing a little off the tip of the 60° v-bit to make a flat. When I did a preview of that in VCarve, it made a big difference in the smoothness in the small detail areas. I'll do a live test Monday by filing down one of my bits to about an 0.015" flat.
 
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