Simple Cut Letters

[David Iannone]

I cut this little job for another sign shop today. 1" Thick Duna They supplied. They pre painted face. I reverse cut the letters so I could put stud holes in.

- 1/8" Kyocera bit from "drillman1" on ebay.
- 1.5ips ms and 6ips js (Conservative cut speed due to small bit so I could set cutting and walk away. I dont have vaccum hold down yet.)
- 35min to cut
- 10min to toolpath

I charge $6 per sq.ft to cut letters out of supplied soft material. This was $72

My target is $75 per hr to run bot. (while I work on other things.)

I think I could cut this twice as fast with a 1/4" bit and vaccum hold down.

2001 PRT with 4G Board

Dave

[scottp55]

Nice David:)
It is a wonderful little bit for the price.
What was pass depth?

[David Iannone]

.3" pass depth

[RossMosh]

Those letters look pretty large. You definitely could get away with a 1/4" bit which will improve cut time dramatically.

I do think $75 sounds a bit light for this kind of work. What if you or the machine make a mistake? What if the material lifts on you? What if a tab breaks? Do you have to cover it? I'm of the opinion that you should never lose money if you make a mistake. The sign shop you're working with is taking essentially no risk and getting all the reward.

I'm also confused why they painted the face ahead of time. Sounds like a waste of time on their side and more aggravation for you.

[scottp55]

Thanks Dave!
scott

[barrowj]

Very nice David.

I cut 3 - 2' x 2' vinyl tile a couple of weeks ago for a flooring guy and I charged him $100 and he was thrilled. I will be getting all of his work when he is requested to do it. He said the client was very happy and he will use it as a selling tool in the future.

The blue letters took about 30 min to setup and cut, we used dbl stick tape to put 4 tiles down for each letter.

Joe

http://www.joebarrow.com/download/GymLetters.jpg

[David Iannone]

Very nice David.

I cut 3 - 2' x 2' vinyl tile a couple of weeks ago for a flooring guy and I charged him $100 and he was thrilled. I will be getting all of his work when he is requested to do it. He said the client was very happy and he will use it as a selling tool in the future.

The blue letters took about 30 min to setup and cut, we used dbl stick tape to put 4 tiles down for each letter.

Joe

http://www.joebarrow.com/download/GymLetters.jpg


Nice, That's what I'm talking about. Building relationships with local companies is a Hugh market. Once they see your shop and have working samples from you, its usually an easy sell from there......:D

[David Iannone]

Those letters look pretty large. You definitely could get away with a 1/4" bit which will improve cut time dramatically.

I do think $75 sounds a bit light for this kind of work. What if you or the machine make a mistake? What if the material lifts on you? What if a tab breaks? Do you have to cover it? I'm of the opinion that you should never lose money if you make a mistake. The sign shop you're working with is taking essentially no risk and getting all the reward.

I'm also confused why they painted the face ahead of time. Sounds like a waste of time on their side and more aggravation for you.


Ross,
Welcome to the forum and thank you for your input, this is why I have decided to start posting. I am sharpening my CNC and Sign Skills in 2015. I hope all here will criticize and add to anything I may say so we all can benefit.

Now, to answer your question.
-Yes, i realize a 1/4" bit with a 1" step down would cut the letters in like 8 minutes. But what would the product look like?

- They supply the material, they supply the vector files to size. If I make a mistake (which has happened a few times) there is always extra material to cut one or two recuts out of. (So it's on them)

- I don't use Tabs. Never liked em and never will!

- The pre painted face, Ross, this is so important in the time it takes to finish a job. What you do is prime and paint your main color, then use gerber paint mask to protect your top coat. Then cut, Carve, etc. Sometimes you work in reverse because of the way a sign / Monument is being built.

- I'm glad you think my price is reasonable. I will gladly cut any job you can supply me at the exact same rate.

Dave