Wood Carving Machine News Reviews Tips - Learn to Carve Right
Q & A: Is it possible to carve on both sides of the material?
Fri/20-Feb-2009
Question:---------------------------
I'm creating a project that needs to be carved on both sides. Is it possible to do this with a Carvewright?
Answer:------------------
Currently, the Carvewright cnc wood router does not have the capability to carve on both sides of the material. However, it is possible to mimic this and create a piece that is carved on both sides. There are a couple of ways to accomplish this.
One way is to make the front and back into two separate projects and carve them independently. Then take the two pieces and glue or fasten them together to have a two sided project.
The second approach is a bit more involved but may work better for repetitive applications. Decide which side of this project is less complicated. This will be the side you will use to create a jig for the project to rest in as you carve the more intricate side. Use a larger board. Take the simple sided pattern and INVERT it as well as FLIP it either horizontally or vertically so that it fits correctly on the larger board. Carve this INVERTED/FLIPPED pattern and then remove it from the machine. The end result is going to act as a cradle for the normal carving to sit into.
Now put in another board and carve the simpler pattern the correct way (not flipped or inverted). Remove this pattern from the machine and trim any excess wood from the outside perimeter. Turn this piece upside down and place it into the first carving you did - the cradle. These should match together perfectly - like a hand and a glove.
Measure the total height of the fixture AND the piece you just placed in the cradle. Give yourself a little extra and cut two rails for the base fixture that are that total height (plus a bit). Fasten these two rails to the side of the base carved board. This should look similar to a scanning sled. The rails will give you something to clamp against as you bring down and lock the head of the machine. At this point, your fixture is nearly complete. All that remains is to devise a way of clamping or holding the carved piece into the cradle. Do this either with clamps, or a clever design approach utilizing screws. It is imperative that the carved piece is securely held by the cradle or you will suffer damage to the carved piece and your machine.
You may now carve the second more intricate side of your project. Also, be aware that you will have to make some adjustments to your patterns so that they line up correctly from front to back.
I'm creating a project that needs to be carved on both sides. Is it possible to do this with a Carvewright?
Answer:------------------
Currently, the Carvewright cnc wood router does not have the capability to carve on both sides of the material. However, it is possible to mimic this and create a piece that is carved on both sides. There are a couple of ways to accomplish this.
One way is to make the front and back into two separate projects and carve them independently. Then take the two pieces and glue or fasten them together to have a two sided project.
The second approach is a bit more involved but may work better for repetitive applications. Decide which side of this project is less complicated. This will be the side you will use to create a jig for the project to rest in as you carve the more intricate side. Use a larger board. Take the simple sided pattern and INVERT it as well as FLIP it either horizontally or vertically so that it fits correctly on the larger board. Carve this INVERTED/FLIPPED pattern and then remove it from the machine. The end result is going to act as a cradle for the normal carving to sit into.
Now put in another board and carve the simpler pattern the correct way (not flipped or inverted). Remove this pattern from the machine and trim any excess wood from the outside perimeter. Turn this piece upside down and place it into the first carving you did - the cradle. These should match together perfectly - like a hand and a glove.
Measure the total height of the fixture AND the piece you just placed in the cradle. Give yourself a little extra and cut two rails for the base fixture that are that total height (plus a bit). Fasten these two rails to the side of the base carved board. This should look similar to a scanning sled. The rails will give you something to clamp against as you bring down and lock the head of the machine. At this point, your fixture is nearly complete. All that remains is to devise a way of clamping or holding the carved piece into the cradle. Do this either with clamps, or a clever design approach utilizing screws. It is imperative that the carved piece is securely held by the cradle or you will suffer damage to the carved piece and your machine.
You may now carve the second more intricate side of your project. Also, be aware that you will have to make some adjustments to your patterns so that they line up correctly from front to back.
Q & A: How do I update the Software on a Mac
Sun/28-Dec-2008
Found this question on the forum and I posted a response. You might find it useful.
Question:---------------------------
I'm running on a Apple Mac powerbook and I'm having trouble updating the Carvewright designer software. When I click on the link, it takes me to the Mail application. What is going on here?
Answer:------------------
First off, let's make sure that you are taking the proper steps to do the upgrade.
With the Carvewright designer software open, go up to the HELP menu and select "Check for Updates..."
This is the preferred way to go about updating your software. However, the person asking the question did not get this result. The Mail application opened up instead of a web browser.
What is happening here is the wrong application is defined as being the default program to use for clicking on weblinks.
Fix this by starting Safari and going up to the SAFARI menu and selecting "Preferences..." when the dialog box opens, select the "General" tab. Use the drop-down menu and select Safari as the Default web browser. Close the window and restart the Carvewright design software.
Now when you select "Check for Updates..." from the HELP menu, you should be taken to the proper update page.
Question:---------------------------
I'm running on a Apple Mac powerbook and I'm having trouble updating the Carvewright designer software. When I click on the link, it takes me to the Mail application. What is going on here?
Answer:------------------
First off, let's make sure that you are taking the proper steps to do the upgrade.
With the Carvewright designer software open, go up to the HELP menu and select "Check for Updates..."
This is the preferred way to go about updating your software. However, the person asking the question did not get this result. The Mail application opened up instead of a web browser.
What is happening here is the wrong application is defined as being the default program to use for clicking on weblinks.
Fix this by starting Safari and going up to the SAFARI menu and selecting "Preferences..." when the dialog box opens, select the "General" tab. Use the drop-down menu and select Safari as the Default web browser. Close the window and restart the Carvewright design software.
Now when you select "Check for Updates..." from the HELP menu, you should be taken to the proper update page.
Q & A: What are the Best Kinds of Wood to Use?
Tue/11-Nov-2008
I get a lot of emails from my newsletter subscribers asking for advice and help... I thought that I would start a new segment of this blog (Q&A), where I post some of those questions and the corresponding answers. I'm hoping this information will help everyone, not just the original subscriber.
Question:---------------------------
Gary R writes and asks;
Hello,
I just received my wood carver, so I don't have much experience yet.
My question is what are the best kinds of wood to use? I tried poplar and
it seems not to hold much detail. Kind of splintery.
What do you experts advise?
Thanks,
Gary R.
Answer:------------------
I have to admit that for the most part all I've ever used for my carvings has been oak - either white or red. These seem to hold great detail but I really didn't know the complete answer to this question so I did a bunch of research and the best advice I could muster was from the CW Forum itself. Here's what I found.
Hard materials with tight grains produce the best finishes. In most cases, feathering and chip out will increase as the grain size increases. Also dry materials tend to produce a better quality finish then material with high moisture content. The CarveWright Designer Software has several tools to control chip-out to help when working across all types of wood grain.
Question:---------------------------
Gary R writes and asks;
Hello,
I just received my wood carver, so I don't have much experience yet.
My question is what are the best kinds of wood to use? I tried poplar and
it seems not to hold much detail. Kind of splintery.
What do you experts advise?
Thanks,
Gary R.
Answer:------------------
I have to admit that for the most part all I've ever used for my carvings has been oak - either white or red. These seem to hold great detail but I really didn't know the complete answer to this question so I did a bunch of research and the best advice I could muster was from the CW Forum itself. Here's what I found.
Hard materials with tight grains produce the best finishes. In most cases, feathering and chip out will increase as the grain size increases. Also dry materials tend to produce a better quality finish then material with high moisture content. The CarveWright Designer Software has several tools to control chip-out to help when working across all types of wood grain.
