[Pplug]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to share my first experience with PhotoVcarve and Aspire. The table is roughly 30"X90". I had my doubts when I was milling the Photo, but as you can see it all came out all right!

[PaulRowntree]

That looks terrific! What were the max depth and the line count in PhotoVCarve? Did you have to plane the wood before carving?

[Mountaincraft]

That's 'awesome!'

How deep are the cuts on the image?
Did you finish the piece first and then cut it?
Would be interested in hearing about the prep and finishing process..

I've been wondering what that app would be useful for... Now my horizons have been expanded!


You make some great stuff!

[Pplug]

Thanks guys,
The entire table, legs and skirt is made from a single piece of 4x8 1/2" birch plywood. I had the customer bring in the wood they wanted to use. I then cut the top which is 90"X30". I then clamped it on my Techno and proceeded to mill out the pict. I didn't do any pretreating. While everything was milling, I cut out the legs, skirt and supports. After the routing was done for the lettering (120 vcarve bit) and the circles (1/4" downshear) I then gave it a light sanding to knock off any large fray. After that I gave it a heavy coat of sanding sealer. Spray paint was next on the list, followed by the large sanding with first 100 then 150 grit. The face sheet of veneer is very thin so you cant sand forever with 100 but, the sealer coat does a nice job of keeping the spray paint on top. The last step after everything was sanded and assembled was to give everything a few coats of Quick 15. The next day it was out the door!

It was a quick project that lasted about 2 afternoons. Here are some picts of the first table I did and a screen shot from PhotoVcarve.

[Mountaincraft]

Nice stuff!

How deep are the cuts that were made with photo V Carve?

[Pplug]

Nice stuff!

How deep are the cuts that were made with photo V Carve?

I could not tell you the exact depth, I think it was around .25-.35 at the deepest. I let the software take care of it and I just check to make sure it does not go over .4" in depth.

[Mountaincraft]

Okay cool...

The reason I was asking, is that I was wondering if it was real shallow and could be damaged by finish sanding, but at that depth it should be pretty robust...

I was thinking about doing something similar with a shuffleboard table (but a totally different theme)... But if it carves that deep, I guess it would require filling in the cuts with epoxy or something and then drum sanding the table flat...

What bit did you use for that?

[Pplug]

I don't think that's a good idea for a shuffle puck table. I think the groove would interact with the puck and it would be a pain in the but to fill. Maybe a vinyl cutter would work better. You could still use your machine to cut the vinyl with a drag knife attachment. Then finish it with a urethane that can be sanded flush.

[Mountaincraft]

What did you use in the way of a bit...

That was a really nice idea and application of the software..

You should post that in their gallery.. That's the best use of Photo Carve I've seen yet...

[Pplug]

Sorry mountiancraft, I misunderstood your last question, the photo is done with a 60 degree bit that goes at a max depth of .1". I thought you were talking about the lettering. I used a speed of about 40-60 ipm. If I went any faster, the plywood would delaminate and kick a chunk off. If I had to do it again, I would reduce the depth of cut and put more lines in.

Another thing I noticed during creation was that the picture was hardly noticeable until I started sanding the spray paint off. I originally thought it was going to be a piece of garbage all through the process. I actually debated whether to scrap the whole project and go another route. I'm glad I stuck with it though. I wonder how many people quit the process though?

[Rob K]

That's incredible!

Do you actually stain or paint the entire carved photo, and then sand it to remove the stain/paint from the high points?

What provides the greyscale variation - is it simply the depth or does the carving have that much variation (up-and-down topography)?

[Pplug]

That's incredible!

Do you actually stain or paint the entire carved photo, and then sand it to remove the stain/paint from the high points?

What provides the greyscale variation - is it simply the depth or does the carving have that much variation (up-and-down topography)?

Yes, after the grooves were carved, I put sanding sealer all over the grooves and the surface. It sucked up a lot, but I needed to seal the wood as best as possible so the black spray paint wouldn't soak in the surface ply. After the spray paint dries overnight, I started sanding the top surface to remove the black and expose the wood.

The greyscale is achieved from the bit plunging in at different depths, just like v carved letters. The deeper the bit, the darker the area. I took the original pict in photoshop and tried to fade out the sides. It did not work as well as I planned but there is always next time.

[Tony Mac]

Excellent work Pplug

The trick to PhotVCarve projects in the staining / darkening process for the machined grooves. This creates the contrast between the material surface and the engraved grooves = allows the the picture to become visible.

Could I be cheeky and ask if you might post the results on the Vectric Forum in the PhotoVCarve section

What you have created is very impressive and I'm sure will be interesting to other users.

Tony

[stk2008]

Hey that looks great.

How long did just the photo carve take on this one?

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...8&d=1309981902

Thanks

[Pplug]

Hey that looks great.

How long did just the photo carve take on this one?

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...8&d=1309981902

Thanks

It took about 4 hours maybe more. I didn't stick around to watch it finish. I went to bed because I had school the next day.

[Mountaincraft]

How do you think it would look if you sealed and finished the ply before you carved the image, and then stained the image after the carve?

Also, I think you're on the right track with the fade, just use a larger feather radius next time, and perhaps round the corners a bit...

Now I want Photo V Carve again! Dang!

[Pplug]

How do you think it would look if you sealed and finished the ply before you carved the image, and then stained the image after the carve?

Also, I think you're on the right track with the fade, just use a larger feather radius next time, and perhaps round the corners a bit...

Now I want Photo V Carve again! Dang!

I don't know for sure but I would be afraid of the spray paint leaching under the finished surface in the wood grain. I sealed it after being cut to reduce the chance of that happening because the fresh cut end grain in the top sheet of ply would be sealed more effectively.

Yeah, I definitely have to increase the fade on the edges.

[stk2008]

That looks so good.

And damn you left it running and went to bed :O you mad

[Pplug]

That looks so good.

And damn you left it running and went to bed :O you mad

4 hours unattended is nothing. I once ran a job that lasted for 7 days straight using a 1/32" ball nose on a 53"x32" piece of ren440. The guy asked for it and he received it!

[Mountaincraft]

what is ren440?