I'm still very new to all this, but am trying to make a Christmas gift for my sister and am running out of time :o I'm trying to figure out a way to manipulate paths so the router will not only cut on the path, but also remove to the same depth everything in between. Let's say I make a solid rectangle. The paths are 2 lines close together all the way around, but what I really need is just one line so the router knows where to stop when removing the wood between the paths. I've tried different things suggested online, and now I'm asking the experts (why didn't I start here???). Thanks!
I'm just using a rectangle as an example. This is actually a PDF file that I opened in Inkscape. I did convert it to SVG, but either way, I can't get it to cut out the area I want. I'm trying to upload the file, but no luck. This started off as a scroll saw pattern. Here's the picture of a finished one. I'm going to cut the outline and places like between the smokes all the way thru 2 different pieces of wood. Other places I want to just router down 3mm or so...like the brake hand or gas tank emblem I'll glue the 2 boards together, then add a stand. I can do everything except get a gcode telling the cnc to route out the entire section instead of just cutting a groove on the path.. That's the part I need help with. Thanks.
It sounds like the issue may be that you have imported artwork that only contains an *outline* of an area, rather than a single stroke representing the path that you want to cut. You might consider drawing a fresh path in Inkscape, along the path that you want your cutter to go.
I switched the PDF of the parts I want to carve to JPEG so hopefully it's small enough to share. Hopefully the whole thing will make more sense...it's really hard to explain!
Using Inkscape with Cutters/Plotters Routing (milling) between paths.
Inkscape.org
I'm still very new to all this, but am trying to make a Christmas gift for my sister and am running out of time :o I'm trying to figure out a way to manipulate paths so the router will not only cut on the path, but also remove to the same depth everything in between. Let's say I make a solid rectangle. The paths are 2 lines close together all the way around, but what I really need is just one line so the router knows where to stop when removing the wood between the paths. I've tried different things suggested online, and now I'm asking the experts (why didn't I start here???). Thanks!
What's the reason for the two paths instead of a single rectangle?
I'm just using a rectangle as an example. This is actually a PDF file that I opened in Inkscape. I did convert it to SVG, but either way, I can't get it to cut out the area I want. I'm trying to upload the file, but no luck. This started off as a scroll saw pattern. Here's the picture of a finished one. I'm going to cut the outline and places like between the smokes all the way thru 2 different pieces of wood. Other places I want to just router down 3mm or so...like the brake hand or gas tank emblem I'll glue the 2 boards together, then add a stand. I can do everything except get a gcode telling the cnc to route out the entire section instead of just cutting a groove on the path.. That's the part I need help with. Thanks.
It sounds like the issue may be that you have imported artwork that only contains an *outline* of an area, rather than a single stroke representing the path that you want to cut. You might consider drawing a fresh path in Inkscape, along the path that you want your cutter to go.
I switched the PDF of the parts I want to carve to JPEG so hopefully it's small enough to share. Hopefully the whole thing will make more sense...it's really hard to explain!
I'm not sure from this description or the images what it is that you're trying to do *in Inkscape*.