Letter cutting fabrication...Not engraving....Mostly for the western guys...

Was cutting out some letters that are 3/8 inch tall tonight and was struggling with holding the small side down and happened to remember cowboy_silversmith's posts on cutting ties. I always wondered why you would leave connectors in a piece. Then I realized that three points of contact make for a very solid surface to cut. I thought about it for a bit and thought "Why not drill and pierce cut as much as you can?" I did that and came up with a set of letters that are connected and all I have to do is saw around the outside and they are done. The other pic is of my "big thumbnail for holding right next to where the saw blade is. It is simply a barrette pattern and is rounded. I just use it to hold the material down to the cutting block and you can get very close to it without having a thumbnail full of saw cuts. It seems like it takes longer at first to drill and cut out a lot of little things, but in the long run, it turns out better and is actually very much less frustrating. What does everyone else use for a base for cutting? Mine is just a piece oak board with a slit in it.

JBM

There are many ways to make a bench pin for sawing letters, overlays, inlays and filigree work.

Generally just a "plank" to support the work with a "V" notch in it for the sawblade to pass through.

Some are raised above bench level to put the work more or less "in yer face"...

Some clamp or bolt to the top of the bench - others stick right outta the bench.

Wood, plastic (Plexi, thick poly, delrin) steel and aluminum are a few materials I've seen used.

I usually use wood or mild steel. The steel dust from accidentally cutting the pin comes out with a magnet.

Aluminum contaminates your swarf when you send it to be refined, but if you are cutting alpaca, nickel, brass or copper, you usually don't care much.

Whatever trips yer trigger, so to speak...


Brian

Thanks for the input Brian.

Was thinking about making a cutting block out of plexi. What thickness would you make it?
I was thinking of putting 2 pieces of 3/8 together with superglue and then using the bandsaw to make a cutting slit.

Mine right now is where I can lower the chair and make it "right in my face".

If you search my name, I still have some pics with my engraving on them, so I'm not a newbie even though I haven't posted in a bit.

What do you mean by "alpaca"? Is that sterling?

JBM

Long as it doesn't flex you should be fine... got a coupla 1/2" thick ones out in the classroom.

Alpaca is base metal alloy of nickel, copper and zinc.

Polished up it looks close enough to silver to fool most tourists at the beach resorts.

Mostly used in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize - at least that's as far south as I've been, and seen it.


B.

I have done some overlays like this, leaving the pieces connected, but cut the underside leaving just a raised connection. When I solder them down, that part stays unsoldered so is easy to cut away without marring the background.