[ger21]

Some day.. But even after the cost of finish and sandpaper and the like, this is still half the price of buying the pre-finished stuff.....

It's hard to make any money when you don't charge for your time.

[Mountaincraft]

Yeah well, there's that too...

Rome wasn't built in a day...

[Mountaincraft]

This customer has been a great help to me through hard times.. I'm doing all I can to return the favor...

Initially, I understand I'll have to work for 'less' than the competition... This is a new direction and starting over requires some humility...

[ger21]

If you'll be cutting multiples at a time, you can make 1 pass with a downcut, and then change tools and finish with an upcut.

Getting the chips out can be difficult with any tool. Especially the faster you go. My next machine will have compressed air lines to blow the chips out of the cut.

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi Gerry,

Here is a link to a video I did about Programmable Air Blasts. It was on my HAAS TM-1P but could probably be adapted to Mach3

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1ArxUjLy5c]‪Programable Coolant Air Solenoid Introduction‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

John

[zool]

Way Cool John!!!
Your Programmable Air Blasts ranks right up there with Roman's Super PID router controller!

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi Zool,

It works O.K., but the Super PID is like sliced bread.:cheers: I need to purchase some stock in that outfit.

John

[Mountaincraft]

Need help selecting tools and methods
I'm about to embark on making several hundred coasters from hardwood.. They want their logo engraved in them...

The coasters will be 3/8" thick.. The idea is that I will pre-finish them, apply contact paper to them (like that on acrylic), carve/engrave them, spray dark brown or black paint, then peel the paper off and clear coat them... finally adding three cork dots on the bottom of each...

Each coaster will be 3.5" round.. So the Logo will be approximately 2.75-3" wide

This is the logo they sent me..

http://www.mountaincraftworks.com/pix/bearcreeklogo.jpg

I am going to make some changes with their blessings, including changing the shape of the mountain range to match lassen range, and using one of these bear vector images to be purchased from Vector Art.com.. They are interested in 52824 and 33543, especially the 543 one...

http://www.mountaincraftworks.com/pix/bearimages.jpg

Originally, I was going to V carve them, but I'm not sure that would be best due to the thickness of the coasters, and moisture collection.. So I was thinking about engraving them by creating a 'flat depression' where the black parts are, leaving the white areas untouched.. maybe 1/32-1/16" deep..

I was looking at getting one of the Amana In-groove bits for this.. But I'm not sure if that is necessary or which blade to buy.. I'd kinda like to save some money and put it towards Cut 3D and some vector Art 3D files...

Bits I currently have that might be useful are a 1/8" single flute strait bit, a 3/16" double flute strait bit, a 1/4" two flute mortising bit, a couple 1/4" upspirals, a 90 degree carbide tipped V bit, a 60 degree Amana insert bit V bit, a MCHS 45 degree carbide tipped V bit, a couple 1/8" bull nose bits, etc..

If there's a less expensive alternative to the In-Groove bit that would be great...

Basically I need suggestions.. they need some of them (hoping to get 100 made) by weekend after next, so I need to order a bit as soon as possible seeing as it will take a few days to ship...

Also looking for comments on my 'methods' and suggestions for finish materials... Will be making these out of sapele, poplar, and alder...

[RossMosh]

You don't mess with someone's logo. That's rule #1 when working with parts like this. Now if they don't really have a logo, then you have more room to figure things out.

Now you need to design exactly what you want this thing to look like. There are several different style coasters in the world. Will it have a recess for the glass to sit in or will it be flat? With the recess be round or square? Will you finish the edges or will it be a square edge? All of these impact how you can attack this project.

Assuming you're doing a 3.5" round coaster with a round over edge and the logo is the only thing engraved, this is the process I would do.

1. Seal the wood.
2. Apply your masking to the wood.
3. Route your image no deeper than 1/32" into the material. Your table is going to need to be flat. Also don't be afraid to offer a simple outline of the logo vs going into the detail of engraving the whole image. You will cut your cutting time by hours if you just do a simple vector engrave.
4. Do any final edge sanding on the wood.
5. Seal the edges and engraved area.
6. Mask the edges of your coaster.
7. Apply your paint/epoxy.
7a. If you want, you can do another coat of clear to seal the paint/epoxy. I wouldn't but you can if you want.
8. Remove masking material and hopefully you have a finished product.

[Mountaincraft]

You don't mess with someone's logo. That's rule #1 when working with parts like this. Now if they don't really have a logo, then you have more room to figure things out.

Not even when they ask you too?

Now you need to design exactly what you want this thing to look like. There are several different style coasters in the world. Will it have a recess for the glass to sit in or will it be flat? With the recess be round or square? Will you finish the edges or will it be a square edge? All of these impact how you can attack this project.

No recess, flat
square edge.. tabs sanded off on my bench sander..

Assuming you're doing a 3.5" round coaster with a round over edge and the logo is the only thing engraved, this is the process I would do.

1. Seal the wood.

Suggestions on a sealer? Something readily available at the big box store?..

2. Apply your masking to the wood.
3. Route your image no deeper than 1/32" into the material. Your table is going to need to be flat. Also don't be afraid to offer a simple outline of the logo vs going into the detail of engraving the whole image. You will cut your cutting time by hours if you just do a simple vector engrave.

Simple and classy is what I want..

4. Do any final edge sanding on the wood.
5. Seal the edges and engraved area.
6. Mask the edges of your coaster.
7. Apply your paint/epoxy.
7a. If you want, you can do another coat of clear to seal the paint/epoxy. I wouldn't but you can if you want.
8. Remove masking material and hopefully you have a finished product.

I wouldn't mind using a paint with a little texture in it... But that is only applicable if I have the black areas completely routed... any ideas on what tools I should be using? I don't really have a problem with doing a tool change in the engraving process if that's necessary..

I ordered a couple 1/4" compression spirals to cut the coaster profiles...

And I figured I could use the CNC to make a little 'holder-jig' for the coasters with holes in it for placing the cork dots...

[RossMosh]

If they want you to change their logo, do it. I would first give them my professional opinion that if they do in fact have a logo they use regularly, we shouldn't change it for a one off product. Logos are a bit part of a brand's identity and you don't just change it on a whim. The marketing people at big companies really understand the idea of keeping an identity and if they goal is to change that, it's necessary to do the proper steps to rebrand.

As for the process, you need to figure out how you want to do things. I'd work out 3-4 options and then do full working samples. Sealers and finishes are based on preference. You're going to want something water proof obviously. Beyond that, it depends on if you're going to brush or spray it on. Also if you want to do gloss, semi gloss, or a more dull finish. This isn't my area of expertise but if you have a decent paint store near by, they should be able to help you. I'm sure a big box store has what you need but the smaller stores are sometimes much better for information.

As for the design of the artwork, it would be in your best interest to keep it simple if possible. If you can get away with keeping it a vector outline with a few embellishments, it will save you hours. No matter what you're looking at using a bit like these: 30° Engraving Router Bits for Signmaking -ToolsToday.com- Industrial Quality Router Bits . You can use your design software to figure out which bit and depth is right. I'd figure a depth around .015"-.03"

For paint, the first thing I'd try is Ace Hardware Enamel Spray paint. You might be surprised how well it works. The biggest issue will be the fact it does not cover the machining marks well sometimes. If that doesn't work out, you're going to need to find an enamel paint and flood fill with a syringe. The worst part of doing this is the dry time. It takes a while to dry.

As for the cork, just get a piece of cheap material like Masonite and cut out your holes. Then stick the coasters in and let the machine mark the holes. That will be the easiest part of the whole process.

Just to throw something out there, if you could use Corian, it would save you a ton of time and work. Corian you wouldn't have to seal, finish, and do all that extra work. You don't even need to mask it off as you can just sand off any excess paint. It's also dishwasher save and completely water proof. Considering it's available in 1/4" I think it would be by far your best choice.

[Mountaincraft]

If they want you to change their logo, do it. I would first give them my professional opinion that if they do in fact have a logo they use regularly, we shouldn't change it for a one off product. Logos are a bit part of a brand's identity and you don't just change it on a whim. The marketing people at big companies really understand the idea of keeping an identity and if they goal is to change that, it's necessary to do the proper steps to rebrand.

The branding isn't a big deal to them... They are just a group of volunteers that use a small yearly govt grant to monitor well water levels for the purposes of community planning.. mostly to have evidence to keep a couple of business owners from stealing all of our water for their bottled water business, and leaving us without enough to fill our wells...

They just wanted the general theme.. They may adopt the new logo when I'm through as it will actually reflect the actual mountain range here as opposed to that generic one they have..

Just to throw something out there, if you could use Corian, it would save you a ton of time and work. Corian you wouldn't have to seal, finish, and do all that extra work. You don't even need to mask it off as you can just sand off any excess paint. It's also dishwasher save and completely water proof. Considering it's available in 1/4" I think it would be by far your best choice.

I already have the wood.. But that is a good suggestion... Where does on buy the corian and what sizes does it come in? What is involved in gluing/laminating that stuff?.. It would be nice to be able to layer the stuff and carve through the top layer exposing the bottom...

[Mountaincraft]

Picked up a couple quarts of Zinsser Seal Coat dewaxed shellac, a gallon of denatured alcohol, some water base clear base glaze, some soft brass brushes, some china type brushes, and some more colors of acrylic to add to my collection...

Gotta still pick up some fast dry spray paint for the engraved areas, and something to tint the glaze with..

Also stopped by the electrical wholesale house to get a couple 12v relays to control my vacuum and case fans with, but they only had 24v and 120v (and up).. So I guess I'll have to order those on line...

Also forgot to hit Radio Shack and look for a DPST miniature switch so that I can make the acrylic cover for my S-PID enclosure... I guess next week...

Also picked up 16 sheets of cabinet grade plywood so I can start on the lowers of the job I just cut the uppers for last week.. and also a couple more gallons of water based polyurethane for the cabinet panels..

Brought my Joiner/planer home last night as well as my table saw, so that I can start building oak face frames and doors for the cabinets...

Got a friend looking around to see if he has a firewire card that will fit my PC so I can upload some videos..

More pictures coming soon.. a lot more pictures...

[Mountaincraft]

So, I totaled up the receipts from yesterday's shopping, and I have $71 left over from my materials budget for the coasters .. All I have left to buy is a can or two of spray paint..

So that helps in my quest to get the money together for Cut 3D and the files I want.. Have a little service job later this morning that should get me another $25-50..

Most of the way there now...

[zool]

MountianCraft stated: Where does one buy the Corian and what sizes does it come in? What is involved in gluing/laminating that stuff?

Look here: Welcome to the world of DuPont? Corian®

Corian is part of a class of materials known as “solid surfaces”. There are many manufacturers.

Wilsonart Acrylic Solid Surface for Countertops in the Kitchen or Bath

Solid surface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.lgsurfaces.com/

Swanstone Products

http://www.meganite.info/

Search for : “solid surfaces countertops” if you want more information.

The adhesive for solid service generally is an adhesive, sometimes this is a two-part adhesive, which causes a chemical reaction between the two pieces being joined. When done correctly, the seams cannot be seen.

To find some solid surface material look for a local fabricator and you can probably buy some cutoffs from them, maybe the adhesive as well. If there is a two-part adhesive there is an applicator that mixes the two-part in the correct proportions.

You should look on ebay for both solid surface material and the adhesive.

[Mountaincraft]

To find some solid surface material look for a local fabricator and you can probably by some cutoffs from them, maybe the adhesive as well. If there is a two-part adhesive there is an applicator that mixes the two-part in the correct proportions.

I've worked with corian before.. mostly just installing single piece countertops, and boring holes for fixtures...

That's a good idea about local fabricators.. I was thinking about doing the same with some local cabinet shops, to buy their scraps for making small stuff.. Signs, curio boxes, etc..

[ger21]

Dupont won't let you buy Corian unless you're a certified fabricator. MOst others are the same way.
However, you can buy it from here, but you'll pay quite a bit more, plus shipping. And solid surface is heavy.

Solid Surface & Corian Countertop Material Supplier | Kitchen & Bathroom Counters

You can get generic adhesives from here, for a little less money.
Integra Adhesives | Solid Surface, Quartz and Stone Adhesives
Be aware that you'll ususally need a special adhesive gun, as the adhesive is in dual tubes that use mixing tips.

If you can find a local countertop shop that will sell it to you, that would probably be the easiest way to go about it.

Depending on color, don't be surprised to find the price to be $15-$25 per sq. ft.

[CNC Lurker]

Another place to get Corian is your local Craigslist. I see some selling it for $10 sq./ft., and another selling a whole kitchen table top for $60. The greatest value on my local one is 69" x 36" for $120.

The downside is that you may not find the greatest selection or they may not have the volume you need, but this might help someone else.

[Mountaincraft]

You can get generic adhesives from here, for a little less money.
Integra Adhesives | Solid Surface, Quartz and Stone Adhesives
Be aware that you'll ususally need a special adhesive gun, as the adhesive is in dual tubes that use mixing tips.

I wonder if it's the same gun I have for mixing epoxy that is used to glue bolts into concrete foundations?

In fact, I wonder if I could use that glue? That stuff is bullet proof... and expensive, but I probably have a few tubes laying around (somewhere)

[zool]

I wonder if it's the same gun I have for mixing epoxy that is used to glue bolts into concrete foundations?

In fact, I wonder if I could use that glue? That stuff is bullet proof... and expensive, but I probably have a few tubes laying around (somewhere)

I doubt they are the same. The adhesives for solid surface cause a chemical reaction between the two pieces of solid surface. Solid surface materials are very unique formulations of materials and the adhesives used to join them are formulated specifically for that chemical composition.

Remember, adhesives join materials because of a chemical reaction, not because the adhesives appearance of "stickiness".