The Letterville BullBoard: Sandblast Question

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Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :

I am making a template,for a church furniture company, to be used on a pin router for cutting This Do I Remembrance Of Me on communion tables.

The last time I made one for them, about 13 years ago, I routed the template by hand. The old one is now worn out. I told him that I could lay it out for him and send it to someone with a CNC router to be routed out in something more durable. He didn't want to go that route.(No pun intended)

Anyway, I designed it to his specs and cut the pattern in sandblast stencil. I intend to blast the template. I believe that wood or plywood will leave the little rough edges from the growth rings on the sides of the letters. Has anyone ever blasted hardboard or masonite?

I need something that will blast fairly easily as this will only be used as a negative. This negative will be used to make a permanent template out of plexiglass. What could I use to blast this out of? The stencil is cut and ready to go.

Thanks

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Wayne Webb
Webb Sign Studio
creators of "woodesigns"
"autograph your work with excellence"
webbsignstudio@digitalexp.com

Posted by Don Coplen (Member # 127) on :

Wayne,

That doesn't sound like something you'd want to do (sandblasting a template), but I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see if anybody can teach me something new.

Considering that I'm the first one to post a reply, I would guess that I'm not the only one sitting back and waiting for somebody with experience doing that.

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Don Coplen aka "SaintPete"
Coplen Designs
St.Petersburg, FL dcoplen@mindspring.com

Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :

Why not cut the template out of1/4" tempered masonite on a band saw...(Only guessing here sense I've seen no layout)I make a lot of router patterns this way, cutting the centers out is a cinch just cut the template inhalf down the middle of the letters,then re-align when you attach it to the piece to be routed. I really think the sand blast idea is ify at best. Good luck!

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Monte Jumper
SIGNLanguage/Norman.Okla.

Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :

Thanks, Monte and Don, for the replies so far. I may end up sending the file to someone with a CNC router if the sandblast idea doesn't work. My suggestion to the client was to cut it out of aluminum. I don't know how plexiglass (or Lexan) will hold up.

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Wayne Webb
Webb Sign Studio
creators of "woodesigns"
"autograph your work with excellence"
webbsignstudio@digitalexp.com

Posted by Robert Beverly (Member # 1907) on :

Wayne
I would concur with guys in saying the easiest way to create the template would be to hand cut from a substrate such as MDF or anything else that would transfer. I assume their machine is a pinrouter like an onsrud and if so, The ideal template would be 1/2" acrylic..reason being the acrylic will ride a lot easier against the guide pin...sort of a lubricated surface. Aluminum does not allow well for templates due to the abrasive nature of metal against metal. If I were doing it and did not have a cnc already, I would not hesitate to plot out the template and reproduce it to mdf...hand cutting it and using it as a template to the acrylic and rounting it out...or better yet...just give them the hand cut mdf template and let them route it out in acrylic. Another common pattern making material and one that will withstand a lot of runs is Baltic Birch plywood. It is extremely rugged and for a thickness of 1/2" it has around 7 plies. Hope this helps. We do this a lot when running short run pieces when the router is busy.

Drmwvr

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Robert Beverly
Dreamweaver Studios
Arlington, Texas

[This message has been edited by Robert Beverly (edited February 27, 2001).]

Posted by Louis A Lazarus (Member # 763) on :

Use the router.

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Louis A. Lazarus
Milt's Sign Service, Inc.
20 So. Linden Ave. #5B
650-588-0490
fontking1a@aol.com

Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :

Thanks Robert,
I can see what you mean about the aluminum.
Yes Acrylic should work real well. I'm checking into getting it done with the router.

I had to build each cottonpickin' letter one at a time and it took me about 5 hours straight because there was no font to use and they had to be exactly as specified. They're just "stick letters" which my client originally designed about 25 years ago. He doesn't want them changed. The strokes have to be exactly .25'' so I made them .252'' to give the router pin some clearance. Each letter has to be 2.5'' high and the whole phrase has to be 38'' long. On top of this, he wanted it worked out so that the spaces between each letter was at least .25'' to minimize knockout from the router pin. I tried to talk him into using something similar like "Arial Rounded" or "Vogue" to minimize time and cost but....he insisted on the stick letters.

You can probably go to most any church in the Southeast, Puerto Rico, or Jamaica and see these on the communion table because these folks have been making them and shipping them all over the place for many years.

Thanks
Wayne

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Wayne Webb
Webb Sign Studio
creators of "woodesigns"
"autograph your work with excellence"
webbsignstudio@digitalexp.com

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