How To Carve a Photo with a CNC Router

[@jamesweatherby5520]

I have done quite a few photo carves on my CNC, the paint is a great touch to make the picture really stand out. Thank you for that tip.

[@StudioZ72.create]

You're very welcome!

[@tommy2u]

Wow.. I had my doubts for a bit but they turned out pretty good. Thanks for spelling out the cnc clearly. That helps a lot. Good day.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thank you! You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed it.

[@roncoffey]

This is my first time watching your videos and I’m very impressed with the details and presentation you gave to it. Thanks for sharing.

[@roncoffey]

Oh and may I ask where you got that sprayer for the shellac?

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much and welcome! The focus of this channel is the details, lots more to come!

[@jackpainter9986]

EXCELLANT JOB! I have watched many videos I have to say that you are the BEST. Thanks

[@StudioZ72.create]

WOW Thanks! I'm really glad you enjoyed it! 👍

[@JvsH1924]

Loving your set up for the shapeoko

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks!

[@andreww6738]

These look amazing! You have produced the absolute best illustration of how to do this type of engraving. You explained all of the steps in amazing detail. Thank you for taking the TIME to do this. 😊 👍 Andrew

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it! It's all in the details! 👍

[@eitantal726]

Very good work, friend! I tried it once, and the results were garbage. It's a hard trick to pull off, and you did it. Bravo!

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much! Yes, it takes a little tinkering with settings and sanding to get it right but it's really cool! 👍

[@arunvivek100]

Perfect and good work

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much!

[@MyLifecraft]

Awesome. This is a technique I haven’t seen yet. Pretty cool!

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@HoraceHD_]

Perfect work, good work.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much!

[@patberry3388]

Looks great. Very thorough video. Thanks.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much!

[@CNCMACHINES.Z]

Very nice , good work 👍

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much!

[@brentwilson5512]

This is awesome! Going on the list to try out!

[@StudioZ72.create]

Yes indeed! I had no idea it would come out like it did (didn't think the machine could recreate the look) Glad you enjoyed it! Have fun!

[@alwilson1019]

Do you plan in applying a finish over the image?

[@StudioZ72.create]

I was thinking about it but I'm not sure, I'm afraid it might change the color too much. I may have to experiment on one of them.

[@csandersjr83]

Looks great How long does it normally take to carve?

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thank you! All 3 of these took around 40 minutes each to carve at 120 ipm.

[@Ryan-Mather]

very cool result!

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thank you!

[@richardvankesteren7013]

Looks fantastic. Can you exchange the router bit for different parts of the image, lets say larger parts and fine detail pasrts?

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks! No, this toolpath in Vectric does all of that for you. The degree of detail is controlled by how deep the v bit is plunged into the material. So, for finer detail it's only using the very tip of the bit and for larger detail it plunges deeper creating a wider v groove. It is this variation in depth that creates the image.

[@edisonsilva-e.s.marcenaria6716]

👏👏👏 Ficaram otimos

[@StudioZ72.create]

Obrigado!

[@GmanDenver-gy7jk]

Excellent video ... and I've watched many on this topic. I'm hopeing you can tell us the 'pass depth', 'step over', and 'feed rate' you chose for the v60 bit you used? Thanks!

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much! So, the settings for the bit really don't matter because the photo vcarve toolpath is where that happens. In photo vcarve there is a choice for dense or sparse and that is basically your step over, I chose dense, the pass depth was set to .04 which is called max carving depth, and my feed rate was 130 ipm and a plunge rate of 60 ipm at 18000 rpm. Hope that helps! 😊

[@aragorndedolor4171]

Your halftones come out beautiful. What I liked to know is about that spray bottle you used to apply shellac? I haven't seen such a handy sprayer before and it looks very handy to apply a finish on small items or small productions.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much! The sprayer is called Preval.com, and yes, it's really handy for small stuff when you don't want to break out the spray gun.

[@vincetoscano7018]

All I can say is Wow.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thank you!

[@tbas7161]

how about a link to your spray bottle you use for the shellac?

[@StudioZ72.create]

Sure, it's Preval.com

[@mikecoughlin4128]

Great job. Personally I don't care for the diagonal lines. I assume that's a given for a CNC. I'll keep looking for some other technique that is more of a carving or sculpting.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thank you! I too am trying to minimize the diagonal lines, going to look into carving this as a 3d picture also 👍

[@benchdog1234]

Your landscapes came out beautiful. Much thanks for your detailed explanation of your process. Have you done any photo v-carving on MDF board?

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much! I haven't attempted the photo carving on MDF only because MDF doesn't cut cleanly. It always remains furry, and I didn't think that it would recreate the look I was going for. All 3 of the photos I chose have snow in them, so I wanted a board(wood) that was light enough that when sanded would look like snow. Going this extra little bit helps to achieve a more realistic representation of the photo. I'm glad you enjoyed all of the details! More to come 👍

[@FR1D3Y91]

nice cnc setup and great video. 💪 where did u buy the laptop arm stand?

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much! It's a Vivo from Amazon.

[@FR1D3Y91]

@@StudioZ72.create thx for the info🙂

[@StudioZ72.create]

👍

[@ucancallmej-dc]

Looks great! Well done. Would you share how long it took to cut the tool path for one of the pictures? Thanks!

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much! Sure, they took about 40 minutes each.

[@bobdog6823]

Great video I'd like to give this a try . Have you edited anything in the tool settings other than the feed rate ? Can I ask what your stepovers & pass depth are ? Are they the stock settings that are already in the tool database or have you have you had to tweak them at all? Once again great video Thanks Bob

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it and want to try it! So, in Vectric V carve photo, the stepovers are controlled in the toolpath under the section labeled "dense to sparse". The settings under the tool itself have no effect. The pass depth is also controlled under the toolpath at the very top under "max carving depth". I left the stepover at dense and the max depth at .04". My feed rate was 120 ipm at 18,000 rpm.

[@bobdog6823]

Great good to know I watched your video a few times and I understood everything you said during it but I was curious about the tool database settings . Now that I know they have no bearing I'll give it a try. Looks like fun ! Thanks for the quick reply Bob

[@carlosmedeiros7900]

Ok I truly fell in love with my cnc now after watching you’re video, I had NO clue it could due this, wow., now having said all that I have to ask how or what could you finish it, example could I epoxy over the whole thing? Here’s my idea, wife wants a stove top cover and I’d like to do this for her with a whole pic but I need to be able to put a finish on it so it doesn’t get destroyed and I’d like to layer with epoxy? What do you think?

[@StudioZ72.create]

That's awesome! I'm glad it sparked new interest for you. I think the epoxy over the top would work well, maybe try it on a smaller test pic and see how it does?

[@ammo1033]

Would a drum sander work or does it need variant thickness of sanding

[@StudioZ72.create]

No drum sander, the sanding varies according to the image. If you sand an area too much you can ruin the image.

[@tzupinlin]

thanks for sharing! What's your feed rate and route RPM speed for the 69 deg V bit?

[@StudioZ72.create]

You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it, 120 ipm and 18,000 rpm.

[@tratzum]

What size boards are those? Big box stores are a huge let down for wood like that. I have in the past used 1/2MDF with ok results but would like to try actual wood if I can find it

[@StudioZ72.create]

Believe it or not that is 3/4" x 4" Maple from Home Depot. Look in the trim section where all the moldings are. Mine has red oak, maple and poplar, possibly different in other stores. But maple is probably the best because it carves clean, and these photos are supposed to be black and white, so the maple is great at replicating the white part. I did have to dig through the stack for boards with straight grain and no mineral streaks, but they have them.

[@michaelking402]

Does the grain orientation matter?

[@StudioZ72.create]

Yes, I explain in the video that it's best to keep the grain horizontal and to use wood that has straight grain like rift sawn. This will give you a muted background that won't interfere with the photo.

[@alegrecabinetsinc.6717]

WHERE DID THE GET THE Labtop holder

[@StudioZ72.create]

Amazon, It's a Vivo.

[@johnlash6511]

I wonder if I would be able to do this on the weekeis at work .. I can cut 4 by 10 ft bored .. this is really cool.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks! The machine can carve it for sure but what is most important is the design software.

[@johnlash6511]

@StudioZ72.create ..I'm still learning the programming .. but I going to find out if we are able to run these kinds of programs.. thanks

[@paulthegrey]

@@StudioZ72.create what was the run time for the photo?

[@StudioZ72.create]

Each of the pictures took about 40 minutes

[@paulthegrey]

@@StudioZ72.create that's fast. Thought it would be hours.

[@ApexWoodworks]

Have you tried to first seal the wood before milling? That way, any area not milled will be sealed, so when you spray the contrasting paint (you used black in this example), the contrast should be more dramatic. Thoughts?

[@StudioZ72.create]

So, the entire surface gets milled to some degree so sealing beforehand is a waste. Also, when you are sanding through the black paint you have to sand to bare wood in certain areas, the only purpose of the sealer is to prevent(control) bleeding of the black paint into the grain. This will give you crisp lines when you sand otherwise you will have black streaks where it doesn't belong. In essence, the photo carving is a black and white photo. You're only dealing with blacks, whites and grays. What makes the contrast more dramatic is the sharp crisp lines and being very careful when sanding so as not to remove too much and thus ruin the image.

[@droneforfun5384]

What laptoparm is that?

[@StudioZ72.create]

That would be a Vivo.

[@marvinfuller8069]

What would these look like if you applied a top clear coat? Have u ever tried that?

[@StudioZ72.create]

I haven't tried it yet, but I am going to. I'm probably going to use a perfectly clear water base urethane so it doesn't change the color.

[@TheForgottenMusketeer]

@@StudioZ72.createthis is the best vcarve video ever. I bought a laser after giving up on photo carving. What about using another coat of shellac on top? I use a lot of MDF and shellac and shellac primer has become my go to for just about everything.

[@KevinTerry-h1o]

Can dough bowls be made on this machine

[@StudioZ72.create]

Yes

[@StudioZ72.create]

I will be making a bowl in an upcoming video just not sure when, could be 2-3 months out

[@KevinTerry-h1o]

How long u think it might take to route out one just curious thanks

[@KevinTerry-h1o]

How long does it take u to do the picture them are really neat

[@StudioZ72.create]

So, I made a 9" dinner bowl that was 1.5" tall and it took just over an hour, if I had to guess I would say close to 2 hours?

[@kylejohnson6951]

Are there any free programs that you can do this with?

[@StudioZ72.create]

Do you mean design software? None that I know of.

[@gthmcty111]

Not bad at all, you could also play with the line spacing to achieve a darker image, hopefully this comment will not get removed like my last comment.......

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thank you! Yes, I thought about going a little deeper and maybe not as dense, but I was afraid it would look too fluted so to speak. I'm going to play around with this a little more and see how it looks.

[@jeanpascalbellance6494]

Hello, Thank you very much for this video very detailed and complete to deal with photo carving… Could you please tell us which kind of wood you were using for this tutorial ?as I assume you can’t do this with all type of wood… Many thanks in advance for your answer

[@StudioZ72.create]

You're welcome, sure the wood was maple. It works the best because it carves very clean, and its color is neutral. Keep in mind these are black and white photos, so you need a wood that is close to white. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@KevinTerry-h1o]

Can I get some info bout this machine

[@StudioZ72.create]

Sure, it's a Shapeoko 5 Pro made by Carbide 3D. It's really the design software that I use that makes the photo carving possible and that is Vectric. I have the Aspire version. If you go on my channel there are videos on the machine.

[@KevinTerry-h1o]

What spindle kit do u use

[@KevinTerry-h1o]

And can I use the same spindle for sign cut too

[@StudioZ72.create]

Carbide 3D 2.2 kw water cooled spindle, but you can also use a 1.2 kw spindle.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Yes

[@progeminidesigns]

Great video! What type of spray bottle is needed to turn the brush on shellac into spray format? Thanks! 😊

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thank you! The spray bottle is from Preval.com 👍

[@1976ClassicCelica]

Looks like that took hours

[@StudioZ72.create]

Surprisingly, only about 40 minutes

[@jefftoulson3751]

To many Advertisements, just do the Video