Here is your file:
The auto-traced scan could use some cleaning up:
A 1/8" tool will fit:
Except for where the scan needs to be cleaned up:
Ungroup and select only the problem part:
and delete it:
to get:
which previews as:
For drawing letterforms see:
Cleaning up a scan is a basic matter of deleting unneeded nodes and re-working only those which are necessary.
That said, this sort of design/lettering is easily done in a Vector drawing tool which will create outlines from a path, or one could do it directly in Carbide Create using No Offset Contour toolpaths (so long as one wasn’t cutting too deeply):
Open in v7, re-save, then open in v8, put the original geometry on a background layer and lock it:
Because Carbide Create wants to Snap to Nodes:
it will be necessary to zoom in enough to keep that from interfering.
(Note that this will be much easier using a stylus, and easier still in a program which allows directly drawing with a stylus, rather than using the rather technical Bézier curve tool)
Click-hold to place the begin point:
drag-release to place the off-curve node:
click-hold to place the end-point:
drag-release to place a symmetrical off-curve node to the off-curve node which will affect the shape of the curve:
Done
If desired, go into Node Edit mode to adjust:
Repeat for each other stroke:
clicking “Done” at the end of each:
Where appropriate, strokes may be re-used by selecting:
and copy-pasting:
and dragging into position:
and adjusting:
Note that it is possible to alt drag an off-curve node so as to create an asymmetric off-curve node placement:
Repeat this process until you arrive at:
Then assign a No-Offset Contour toolpath to a reasonable depth:
which previews as:
attached as a v8 file.
BRIGGS_v8.c2d (236 KB)
an alternate drawing tool which you may find easier (esp. if you have access to a drawing tablet w/ a stylus) is:
https://www.wickeditor.com/editor/
which works much like to Futurewave Smartsketch (which eventually became Macromedia Flash).