I need to make this award thing and I’m cutting it out of 1" acrylic. I want the end to look like a broken board so I created a jagged line at the end of a rectangle. I could cut out the shape and then offset a V-bit to run a .25" deep, but that would round out the inside corners, and I would need to block off the rest of the shape. I’m thinking in CC tabs would be the way.
I’d like to cut the rest of the rectangle out with a square end mill and have the 60 degree V bit do ramped cuts just at the jagged end so the top has a bevel that keeps the current outline.
I’m sure there’s a good way to do this I don’t know about.
You should also be able to copy the top line (or duplicate it) a few times and move each line down on your view to look like a ‘broken board’ by cutting all of the lines in a step fashion by leaving the top very slightly cut, with a deeper cut on the 2nd line and the 3rd line being the full depth. Looking from the side you would see the ‘steps’. I tried to give you a couple of visuals in a quick drawing.
This idea raises another question for me, because I’ve never been able to do anything with open paths. Once you copy the jagged line would you be able to do anything with it without it being connected to the rest of the path?
Open paths may only have Contour toolpaths associated w/ them.
You could Node Edit the open path so as to either set it up to be closed, or combine it w/ other open paths which will allow closing it so as to be able to use other sorts of toolpaths w/ it.
This has been very helpful. I’m setting up the base now, which will just be a rectangular block with a bevel. Before now I would have cut out the base then offset outside just a few thousandths and program a ball mill along that path, but run it with a 90. Now for the base I offset the outline on the inside and outside half the width of the v bit then program a v-carve tool path from the offset paths.
The jagged line is not an open path in the file. It is a double line. if you zoom in you can see it. I offset the line the closed the ends with a poly line, trimmed the excess then joined the lines.
The effect I was going for was not Marble but “Broken Plastic”. That is why if you zoom in the advance v-carve has deeper crevasses.
Trying to show and effect for broken record.
For thin line engraving I find using a 20 deg. V-bit works best. Minimum DOC at 0.30, this gives the bit depth enough for it to touch both sides of the line and deep enought to show up.
