WELCOME!


It is hard to believe that it was only seven years ago I witnessed a CNC router in action for the very first time. I was fascinated and simply had to have one! Although I had been in the creative end of the three dimensional sign business for most of my life I didn't really know what I would do with one - but I just knew it could do fantastic stuff.

Through extensive research I quickly found out that with the relative simplicity of EnRoute, CNC routers were capable of just about anything imaginable. This journal will chronicle that journey to date and continue each week with two or three entries as we continue to explore just what is possible with this wonderful software... -dan

Friday, January 11, 2013

Rapid Texture wainscot progress

Over the last while I've routed ten sheets of 30 lb Precision Board with Rapid Texture for the wainscoting.


In the last few days our finish carpenters have begun trimming the sheets to size and installing them in the new house. In preparation I also designed surrounds for the plugs. These would be cut and fit into the panelling to allow the electrical plug covers to sit flat on the textured panels.

I started by measuring up three styles of plugs...  singles, doubles and triples. The files would be built entirely in EnRoute. I then designed the vectors. They would be cut upside down with room for the plug box flanges which were about 1/10 " thick. The centers (with the recesses for the flanges were built as a relief, and then the outside was cut as an offset cut. By not cutting all the way through to the spoil board I was able to maintain a vacuum so the pieces did not move. The centers were created as a zero height relief. Then the flange cut was created as a 0.65" tall relief. The center was merged lowest to the flange relief.





I then duplicated and ganged the cut files which would be machined from three quarter inch thick 30 lb Precision Board on the MultiCam.

A larger version of the surround was created from a piece of MDF for the bass speaker grill. The pieces of Rapid Texture paneling were surrounded by thicker MDF for the borders.






The house is starting to look pretty cool inside.

-dan