Just FYI. I deleted a comment from someone that "Asked" or should I say accused me of stealing a copy written image on this video. I should have left the comment there and responded directly, but I can't stand those kind of people. First of all I own the license to the bear image in the video. I have extended licensing rights to it. Secondly what kind of asshole responds to a video like this with an accusation that I am stealing shit. If you are that worried about it as a concerned citizen send a private message and ask. To the person who commented thanks for the lecture, but no thanks I'm a big boy I know how to conduct my business.

This was very kind of you to share so much of the process that you followed to create this piece. If you only priced this at $30 your customer got a real good price!

Thank you for showing even the parts that went wrong, that's how we learn. Great video.

Nice sign. I found that the process that works the best for me on a colored v-carve is to plane the board to thickness first - primarily to pre-set the planer thickness for later. Carve the project, but set the Z-zero height to be ~30 thousandths below the surface of the wood. Paint, then plane again with the plane thickness lowered 1/32" (the 30 thousandths you went below the wood surface) instead of sanding off the paint. Seems to do a great job at eliminating the pores of the wood having hints of paint left in it, and no more sanding disks bogged down with paint.

Never comment on videos but I am ordering my Shapepoko after a year of saving and wanted to thank you for your amazing videos.

I just came across your channel upon looking up Shapeoko. I have to say I think it was a great video. No fluff, the right info and details along with some great pointers. Liked and subscribed. Thanks for sharing.

You have created some of the most helpful videos on using the CNC and Vcarve that I have seen on KZfaq. Thank you so much for being thorough and helpful to those of us, who are just getting started, in using the CNC. Outstanding work. I also, love the way you include the misques to let us know that the things will happen and there may be ways to recover. All is very good. Thanks again.

Bought my Shapeoko XL over a year ago and have yet to cut anything on it. Just too much other pressing stuff to do. But I finally cleared the debris off it, and after watching this video, I think its time to cut something. Thanks for the nudge. great work!

$30 for a sign for a friend is fine. But by the time you figure in design time, routing time, finishing, electricity, replacing worn out bits, paint, sandpaper, and clear coat, doubling the price would still be on the low side. (In fact my pricing guide for a sign that size in the grid for lowest overhead, aka home business, shows a price of $62.44. Most dedicated sign shops would sell that for $75 to $100) Even if it's a hobby business, you don't have to undercut the pros by a ton of money. If you are way too cheap, you'll get so busy you'll start to hate doing the projects. If you are pricing right you'll make decent money and not burn yourself out. Too many people underestimate what people will pay for the kind of stuff made on a CNC. After all, they're coming to you because they can't do it themselves. Actually you should put at least 5 to 10 % of every job's profit away. Someday that machine is going to wear out and need replacing. All the jobs that wore out your machine should be paying for the new one.

I really like this project. Great job. Also the way you teach/ explain things is very clear and easy to follow and understand. Thank you for your time!

Thanks buddy. I'm just starting out doing stuff like this myself and it's really helpful to see how more experienced people do things (along with the little mistakes).

Just came upon your channel. I am about to purchase a shapeoko xxl and your videos are among the best I've watched.. I am now a new subscriber. Thanks

A couple things you can do to speed up setups is screw down a straight edge in X & Y to bump parts. My corner location is Origin 1 and then origins 2 thru 4 every inch in X. I cut a line every inch in the straight edge to show the origin locations so now, depending on the size of work and where the hold down t tracks are I just locate the part on the table and pick my origin in the control I want to move to. I use a cheat stick that is cut in a U shape to bump the parts consistently. I rarely set X & Y because they are already defined. I program everything from the bottom left corner for repeatability. If I need to add a feature or re run something my parts go right back where they were originally.

Nice video, and shows nicely how you go through a project from start to finish. Well done!

This is one of the better cnc woodworking videos I have seen. Thanks for taking the time to go through the setup. You've earned another subscriber.

I can't tell you how many time I have forgotten to zero my Z after a bit change. Loved the video and really loved the music, I'm a die hard blues fan. "Bonamassa Rules" LOL

Nice video, I have not weeded through all the comments to see if someone else suggested this. Since oak is bad to splinter, especially when two tool paths come close to each other, try tightly applying adhesive backed vinyl on the board first. Also if you apply stickon vinyl you won't have to mask off for painting. Just cover the letters you dont want that color. The major advantage of masking like this is - NO sanding paint off.

This is more or less how I used to do this. Now I sand the wood with 220 grit, then put shelf paper on it and then do my v-carving. Note: DO THE V-CARVING FIRST! Do the flat area clearance next. If you do the flat area clearance first, it'll rip up your shelf paper. The V-bit will cut cleanly, leaving the v-carve exposed and the top surface covered. I usually remove the shelf paper from the wood to be cleared by the flat area bit after the v-carve (doesn't help any and the clearance bit will just chew it up anyway). Remove from machine, paint, then remove the shelf paper. It's not perfect, but at least 80% of the time, there's no sanding involved afterward, saving a ton of time.

Wish I had the space and money for this CNC stuff. Would be fun. One trick I heard about for setting the z axis is to get the spindle close to the piece, then loosen the bit so it touches, then tighten the collet.

Excellent. Very inspiring and useful for me as newbie in woodCNC (4030 router) Kind regards Marek Poland EU.

Very nice work. I use shellac for my first sealer coat. I made my own touch plate for a piece of aluminum. With that you can do a point cloud and some auto height correction to make all the lines perfect.

Great job on both your project and your honesty.. Your video style is true and real and as newbie to cnc it's appreciated. 2 comments.. 1. I use a dremel with fine tools for the detail clean up (mini sanders and deburring tips). That might help you. And 2. Charge more for your projects. Its a craft and that takes valuable time away from your family and there are expenses that you'll need to recoup. You are an expert in your field regardless of how comfortable you feel with your progress. Keep the videos coming and thank you for doing it. Great job!

Awesome video. Thank you for not just explaining the title of the video. You really opened my eyes to a lot more about cnc routers and I appreciate it. I have subscribed to your channel for that reason and look forward to everything else you do. Hoping there is an in-depth look at the Shapeoko and accessories and some tips and tricks. Keep up the great work.

Just a suggestion. When doing V-Carved color filled plaques I use vinyl self-stick shelf paper (from the big box store) as a mask before I cut the plaque. Also, I apply a coat of shellac to seal the wood before applying the vinyl self-stick and a coat of shellac in the carving before spraying the colors on the plaque. That way the paint won't bleed into the grain of the wood. Using the mask there is very little sanding after spraying the colors in the carving and you stand less chance of sanding some of the shallow carving away. The vinyl shelf liner that is left on the plaque is very easy to remove. Using this method I can spray color on the whole plaque before applying the mask, cut the carving, spray color in the carving, remove the mask and have the whole plaque a solid color and the carving a different color. One more pointer, I use Marsh spray stencil ink, it will not bleed into the grain of the wood as bad as most rattle can paints will. The Marsh comes in 7 or 8 colors.

Nice done! The Bear really came out great!👍👍👍

Really nice work. I like the sealer step. That made all the difference. It stabilized the work surface. I like the "now I hope this will all come off" talking about the paint on the sanding step. That's how it feels doesn't it? If you had some cracks that had paint in them where you did not want it, you could come back with a dark paint over that, and sand again.

It's a couple of years late, but the stopping when jogging is normal when using the mouse on the axis, it's the program taking a second to recognize additional clicks/ movements

Very informative video. I am in the process of building a Lead CNC machine and plan on doing projects just like this. Well done!

The bear looks amazing!

Caught me by surprise with the hip music lol - Good video, thank you

Nice job. I love your work. I have the Shapeoko 3 and it is great.

I need one of those machines - I love your coloring technique....

This is really helpful. I am now considering buying a Shapeoko.

Your lines our not as deep at the top because your table surface in uneven - need to resurface. Also, try using Oramask 813 paint mask - it'll save you a ton of elbow grease. Lastly, coat both sides with equal number of clear coats to prevent warping. Thanks for sharing

I have watched 10 of your videos so far and subscribed. I admire your transparency. I appreciate your format, the fact that you go from idea to completion through all steps of a project. Please continue with your style.

Great sign. This is my first time watching your channel. Will watch more soon. Thanks for sharing.

great job, I think it could look great with a colored acrylic fill too.

Enjoyed your video. I'm looking into buying my own router for personal use, but I need a way to make a couple bucks with it just to offset the cost of the software. Making signs seems like a good place to start. Thanks. I like that you provided a little more thought even in the beginning than other videos I've watched that are essentially "watch my machine make ....".

very nice work and teaching me a lot

Thank you very much. I've heard of Bit Map Tracing so that helps me a lot. I googled BMT and there's enough there to bring me up to speed. Thanks agsin Great video. Jim

Beautiful work. Nice created video. Thanks for sharing.

well i must say i watch some videos but iv watched a few of yours now and learn a bit that idea masking of to make things look different colors i would never have thought of that

Great videos. I decided to buy my shapeoko XXL because I enjoyed your videos so much. Thanks for being a great inspiration. I too miss working in my garage in Kansas when it's so damn cold lately lol

Nice job. I’m still figuring out my Shapeoko and this helps a lot. Thanks

The best way to make lots of new friends is still to have a trailer. And a close second is to have a welder ... but there is a good argument for a CNC router being right up there too.

Great vid sir, I’m making some hand carved signs with my little router, but you really can’t do work as nice as that. Good tip with the lacquer.

great looking sign, and you have the coolest music...

I understand the convenience of running over to a Big Box Store to grab onsie-twosie pieces of wood. However, if you are in the business of using wood for quality projects; your local lumberyard, saw-mill, or forest are a much better option. Great Video, and Thanks for the Upload!

Also, I realized I failed to say it, the sign looks absolutely fantastic!!! Great work!

Lots of great ideas and good info. Well done!

Fantastic job, the sign looks great! Love your work. I do quite a lot with a laser but would love to get into the CNC stuff more, and this is just another dimension in timber instead of acrylic.Hadn't heard of Shapeoko until I found your video, will investigate further as it does a great job. Thank you for taking the time to do the video, much appreciated! Subscribed...

Well Done, I use the similar technique to make a huge plaque for a good friend. I was not sure how you keep the paint from penetrating the wood and having to sand like crazy. Well Done.

This technique works even better if you make a coat of clear paint first, maybe even two, before the color spray. This prevents the color from seeping into the wood.

Thank you, I like this idea and am looking into getting a CNC to do this, I think it would be a good hobby / pocket change kind of a deal. It would be fun to go to flee markets on weekends and cut some signs or anything, meet new people and just have a nice day and if you make a buck or two thats a plus. thanks again, I like that the machine can be doing something while I can BS with people or be doing other things.. I still have the templates when we did this stuff with a router ( Not the computer type) Thanks again

If you do not have a touch plate just build yourself a bit holder that will set it self against the collect the same everytime. Then set the bit in the holder. Insert the bit into the collect until your mini "jig" contacts the collet or whatever you can get it to repeat to every time and the bits will all be the same distance from the collet. Sometimes you gotta use your head for more than a hat-rack.

For a touch off block check out MSC for a digital height touch block in the milling section . It is approx. 2" tall that you set on your work piece and touch off your tool in z. They are all metal and some have a digital led scale battery operated. Also you could change your process by sanding your board first, coat with 2 coats of shellac, let each coat dry sand, then cover your sign with adhesive backed clear shelf paper, cut the sign, paint then peal off the paper. Walla finished sign!!!

@stufftokeepyouentertained I realize this is an old thread, and I just found your channel. I have 0 CNC experience, but a fair amount with robotics. I assume the stutter you see is from some sort of step count in the g-code. It seems more like it moves (for example) a 100 counts, minor pause, then another 100 counts. That is pure speculation though on my part. Hopefully you eventually found out the real answer to this! Thanks for your channel, your helping this newbie out with all of my questions.

If you don't want to use a touch plate, use a 1-2-3 block. You'll have to subtract whatever the dimension is, but it sets a constant reference from whatever face you;re touching your tools off from and makes sure you have the distances exactly right.

People are talking about using a vinyl mask and I think it depends on the design and the thickness of the paint. For complex designs and thin paint, I think sanding is easier than vinyl.

Nice job. It's certainly taught me how to colour in my carvings.

What a great piece of work, good video, thanks buddy from the UK

I loved the video. I must apologize for all the trolls that have high jacked the comments. I get it -- its a video on how to create a sign, not a video on how to price your work. Please don't let the trolls discourage you from creating videos like this.

Nice job, thanks for showing how your process looks like.

13:22 "nurse symbol" It's called Caduceus and it's not only the symbol of nurses, but the symbol of medicine as a whole. Great work. I'm sure the school nurse will be very proud to display this plaque in the aid station.

I found that when working with oak you should spray the the surface with a light coar of water. When dry ( just a few minutes ) then do your sanding. Now you will find the surface of the oak to be very rough. This process is called grain raising. Now you can sand it smooth again. You on,y have to do this once Later, when you start painting, the surface should stay smooth, thus eliminating a lot of sanding when you apply your finish. If you don’t do this and you apply a finish (especially if it is water based) your surface will be very rough even if you had sanded it smooth prior to applying the finish. Also, water is cheap.

going to start saving my pocket money and get me one of these fantastic video thank you

I've only just discovered this video... The jog function moves x number of stops based on configs. The fast jog seems like it stutters because it executed the command of x steps then waits for its next command. If you look at the gcode export of the jog command, you'll see it send "move (x steps) in (direction) at (speed)". There may be extra code that'll increase the wait time, but you can send direct code for each of your anchor locations if you take the time to grid them.

Neat idea to stop paint bleading in to wood use laquer, simple when you know how thanks

Great job. Congratulations from Brazil!

SUGGESTION: There are cnc videos that show how to do wood inlays for your bear and medical symbol. The plaque will hold up better over time. Seeing what you made in your garage gives me great hope for success. Thanks.

Nice work !!

Was half expecting you to say, "First thing we are going to do is get all of our bits out of focus here", when you opened that drawer lol But focus was for when things were closer.

That came out awesome.

That pausing is most likely related to the controller/usb connection or the computer doing something in he background.... Its not an issue as long as there is no steps lost. That being said thats a good simple demo there. Try doing the name stuff using a V-bit AND area cleaning with a 1/8 bit. You will get a neat look with the slope on the name text sides.. :) I use a totally different setup with my total home brew CNC. I use an automatic Z plate setup with Mach 3 and I always use the same spot in the project. Almost always a board is NOT truly flat so doing stuff where its needed I face off the board doing a pocket operation for the entire cutting area taking off say 5 or 10 thou at a time untill I get it level. Dont take long using a 3/4 bit using an offset of say 60 to 75% running at a 300IPM feedrate. If I need several passes all but the last are run cross grain. The ideal run time for a project is a combination of bit sizes used, the feeds and speed settings. Most of the time with woods Im running somewhere around 100 or so IPM on feeds. All bits have wnats known as chip load. Most of he time with woods that will be somewhere around .004 for 1/8 bits and .006 for quarter inch ones. Whoever made the bit will have the exact values but these are in the ballpark. This along with the number of flutes and the router/spindle rev that is used to set the feed rates. In essence for a givin bit the faster the router or spindle is turning the faster you can go to maintain the chip load. The closer you can get to the ideal chip load, the better the finish will be and the longer the bit will last. A typical router will be running somewhere around 10 to 12 thousand rpm on the lowest setting . That means for a 2 flute quarter inch bit a feed rate around 80 or 90 IPM will be close to ideal. More info on this can be found on the net using "feeds and speeds" for the search term. Cant say for some specific small CNC but for some thats about as fast as one can go. That speed is a function of many things but the bottom line its as fast as you can go without loosing steps. My home brew tops out at around 400IPM but I keep it set at 350IPM max. Also avoid cheap bits like the plague. A cheap bit will almost always wind up costing far more than good quality ones in a bad finish appearance, short lifetimes and just basically dull to start with. HSS bits are cheaper than carbide and will last a long time, but a good grade carbide will last far longer and that could make one a better buy than HSS. Have fun and enjoy your electric termites.. :)

well done . first class job

Nice job. I aprecite a lot.

Thanks for sharing your process really good video!

I find my Shapeoko stutters when jogging sometimes, but only when using the mouse. I *think* I've also experienced it when using my laptop's touchpad. I also find that if you don't keep the cursor over the icon of the button the whole time the machine is moving it will almost certainly stutter. I've also had two occasions where the machine has continued moving after I've taken my finger off the mouse/trackpad. Not just a bit of run on, either: the machine ploughed on to the end stops. Try using the keyboard arrows for X and Y, and the +/- keys for Z+ and Z- and see if the stuttering goes away.

The stuttering: Your machine is commanded by strings of movement commands, sent to the machine in series. You might jog your machine 10cm at a time, which is actually sending an accelerate->full speed->decelerate command each click, so you get accel->speed->decel->accel->speed->decel->accel->speed->decel, if you clicked it three times.

Thank you for the tips, sir.

beautiful job

Could you router threw masking tape or Frisket film so that once the routing is done you just paint as you did but then pull the tape or film off and you wouldn't have to sand as much? You could even do colored epoxy in the grooves which you could sand and clear coat to give a cool depth effect.

Very Impressive keep up the good work

Thanks for your time and advices!

Your work is impeccable. The symbol is called a caduceus. It’s actually a symbol from Greek mythology that dates back over 3,000 years, and it has no association with nurses or the medical field in general. It’s often confused with the Rod of Asclepius, which is the symbol for medicine. How do you tell the difference? The Rod of Asclepius has only one snake wrapped around the staff, and it’s never depicted with wings. The only time wings are associated with nurses or docs is when they work on medical/EMS aircraft.

That, is one epic mustache.

Love the blues music!

cool. I prefer it without the colors though, love the look of the first coat of clear gloss.

Very well done. I just wish I had the money to move up to V-Carve Pro.

Would you find masking and painting a little easier if you pre-masked the blank and routed through it, peeling the mask after the color application? We use a mask with an adhesive that resists paint crawling under it.

Simple but detail oriented.

I've been using a palm router to make signs. Suddenly I'm very jealous! :)

Great presentation! You should try using straight flute end mills.

Nice work... touch plates are really easy to make if you haven’t already got one.

what I do to level my bit to the blank is move it down with baby steps as deep as I can and then slacken the bit off so it drops to the surface

Just starting out. Thanks for your tips. I learned some that I will put to use. Thanks.

nice work amigo

nice work by the way.

That studdering while jogging is normal. When you hold down the key, you are not sending a single "go" command, but filling the buffer with continual presses. After the first press there is a delay, and grbl runs deceleration instead of a junction to another move. Hey, its grbl, its amazing it works to begin with, but its a piss poor motion system.

Good Job, thanks for sharing.