[Fabian]

Hi
My name is Fabian and live in Lincoln UK. I recently bought a 3018 cnc router (Yes I know its a Chinees crappy cnc, but hey, I'm a pensioner and can't afford a big flashy cnc machine).

Its small but robust and will help me learn all about routers and Gcode. As its so small I intend to cut small wooden jewlery on it and need some tips on certain cuts that I can't seem to find else where.

Anyway thats me for now.

Tat tar for now.

Fabian.

 

[Fabian]

Hi John
I intended to make some wooden pendants but having trouble at present getting the cnc to cut the curves or bevel edges to the outer shape and the two inner circles. (See attachment)

I'm hoping someone here can point me in the right direction.

Fabian.

 

[Fabian]

there is a guy on another forum making those that have a polished stone in the center.
he is using a forstner bit in a drill press for the recessed part and all the rest of the shaping is done by hand.
if you are to use the CNC, you would have to make your pattern where you can make a dozen or more in one piece of wood, make the cut-out, then hand-shaping and sanding on each piece.
some hands-on woodworking is involved in a project like this to make each piece distinct and different.
will you be selling these en-mass or just for gifts to friends, etc ?
View attachment 399544

there is a guy on another forum making those that have a polished stone in the center.
he is using a forstner bit in a drill press for the recessed part and all the rest of the shaping is done by hand.
if you are to use the CNC, you would have to make your pattern where you can make a dozen or more in one piece of wood, make the cut-out, then hand-shaping and sanding on each piece.
some hands-on woodworking is involved in a project like this to make each piece distinct and different.
will you be selling these en-mass or just for gifts to friends, etc ?
View attachment 399544

I expect I'll have to hand finish these pendants because there doesn't seem to be a proccess using the cnc to do the beveling of edges. I'm sure I've seen this technique used in cutting similar pieces somewhere. I'll have to look through Youtube again.
Anyway thanks for the reply John.

All the best

Fabian.

 

[Fabian]

there are many of us here that do hand-routing, using different profile bits to get the job done.
one bit in particular that I would consider is a non-bearing roundover bit (a/k/a Bead Bit or Plunge Round Over) to do the outside rounding which could also cut out the final shape. how many will you make at one time ? how thick will the wood be ? depending on the thickness of the wood and degree of the round-over, this bit would also help with cutting the pendant completely out of the main wood.
View attachment 399546

Can I just say John that my router is very small (3018Pro) and I could only cut say, 4 or 5 at a time. I know bigger CNC machines would cut dozens if not hundreds. But I was stuck for cash when I came to purchase because my pension wouldn't stretch to a fancy dandy rig like most folks on this forum, but at 75 I'm not in a hurry to start cutting or selling hundreds of pendants just yet. Those bits in your picture seem a little big for 1/4in collet on my 3018, though maybe its a zoomed in shot which makes them look bigger than they really are.