Cutting Letters

[Conor Knoxx]

yep, a gen-u-ine new-bie question!


First, I'm making some assumptions, since I've never actually done or seen this done...

That you can take a piece of material (Ultra-core for eg) - plastic or aluminum composite with a dense foam core, 1/2 inch thick as an example, cut and apply some vinyl letters (as a temporary template), then cut the letters out with a... a.. . a what?

Band saw?
Jig saw?
Scroll saw?
Router?
Hammer and chisel? :Big Laugh

or is the realm of a CNC router?

Sand edges smooth?....
then apply... regular vinyl to seal / finish the edges? or something special for this?

The end result I'm looking for is simple "dimensional letters" (for my own shop a first experiment of course!)

No matter what I "picture" for this, it all seems pretty labor-intensive too. Am I wrong?

 

[Pro Image]

Thats the way of the old........(before CNC)

Cut you pattern in vinyl...gang the letter to fill up the roll and cut out using a jig saw or my personal favorite a scroll saw...............

I have done a many this away.........

 

[The Dotted Line]

Go for it with a band saw Conor! Maybe take it a step further and contact cement a thin laminate (Chemetal, acrylic, etc.) to a piece of 1 or 2" foam, and THEN band saw that gig! I'd set up a pattern first, however. One for mounting to your wall, and then nest all the letters together to save on material. Then you can get crazy and throw a little sand in some paint and coat out the returns. You're in business now!

Good luck! Those experimental jobs are the fun ones!

James