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Clean Slate for the New Year

By George Vondriska on January, 3 2022
Clean Slate for the New Year

Tabula Rasa: an absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals; a clean slate.

What better way to start a new year than with a clean slate? And to commemorate it here’s a CNC project that incorporates 3D clipart and wrapping text on a curve. This project was designed in VCarve Pro.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year2

Start a new job and define the project dimensions and X, Y and Z origins. The workpiece is 3/4" x 10” x 12”. The XY origin is the center of the workpiece. Using the center instead of a corner makes things easier when we do the design work.

 

Add clipart and lay out ovals

 

Clean Slate for the New Year3

Navigate to the Clipart tab.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year4

Locate the book clipart. If you don’t have the open book clipart you can get it here. Of course you can use any clipart you like, or none at all. But the blank pages of the book do a great job of representing a clean slate.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year5

Drag and drop the clipart onto your workpiece.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year6

Navigate to Set Selected Object Size.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year7

Make the width of the open book 6-3/4”. Be sure to leave Link XY checked so the height remains proportional to the width. Center the clipart on your workpiece.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year8

Select the book clipart and navigate to the Modeling tab.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year9

Click on Create vector boundary around selected components.

 

 

Clean Slate for the New Year10

You’ll see a line appear around the clipart.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year11

Select the line you just created and navigate to the Offset icon.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year12

Check Outwards/Right and set the Distance for 1”. Click Offset.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year13

This creates a new oval 1” larger than the oval surrounding the clipart. Select and delete the oval surrounding the clipart.

 

Add and align text

 

Clean Slate for the New Year14

In order to place text on the top and bottom of the oval, or a circle if you were wrapping text to that, the shape needs to be in two halves. So, we need to create a top half and bottom half of the oval. Start by making a horizontal line that slightly longer than the largest part of the oval.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year15

With the line selected navigate to and click on Center Vertical.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year16

Since the clipart was centered on your workpiece the resulting oval is, too. Centering the line vertically puts it in the precise center of the oval.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year17

Navigate to Interactive Trim.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year18

Use Interactive Trim to remove the upper half of the oval. Select the bottom half of the oval. Copy and paste a new half oval on the selected oval.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year19

Navigate to and click on Mirror Selected Objects.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year20

Click on Top.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year21

This creates a new oval half above the centerline.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year22

Click on Draw Text, choose a font and set the Text Height at 1”. Type out Tabula. The Calligraphic font is being used for this example.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year23

Repeat the process and type out Rasa.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year24

Select Tabula and the upper half of the oval.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year25

Navigate to and click on Text on a Curve.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year26

Click on different options to see what happens. For this piece make sure you use Maintain text size, On Curve, Middle and Align to Curve for your settings.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year27

Repeat the process to position Rasa on the bottom oval half.

 

Final shape and toolpaths

 

Clean Slate for the New Year28

Select the oval the text is positioned on and use the Offset Vectors tool to create a new oval 1” outside the text oval. This is for the outer shape of the workpiece.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year29

Select the clipart and use the Rough Machining Toolpath to rough out the artwork. Use a 1/4" upcut spiral bit.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year30

Finish the clipart by using the Finishing Machining Toolpath and a 1/4" ballnose bit.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year31

Select the text. Use the V-Carve/Engraving Toolpath and a 90-degree V-bit to cut the letters.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year33

Select the outer oval and use the 2D Profile Toolpath and 1/4” upcut spiral to cut the shape. Be sure to use Ramps and Tabs.

 

CNC work and finishing

 

Clean Slate for the New Year34

Secure the workpiece, install the V-bit and zero the X, Y and Z axes.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year35

Run the lettering toolpath.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year36

Install the 1/4" bit and run the profile and roughing toolpaths.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year37

Install the 1/4" ballnose and run the finishing toolpath.

 

Clean Slate for the New Year38

Sand and seal the project and get ready to face the new year with a clean slate.

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