Project longer than SB table

[donchapman]

What's the simplest way to route a 23 foot long sign file (a cedar ranch gate sign) using my 8 foot long ShopBot. What I'm asking is whether I can route the first 8 feet of the sign file and then slide the material left 8 feet, return my router to about my original x=0 starting point and then somehow make the router believe it's at x=96, where it ended the first 8 feet of routing. The reason I don't want to divide the sign file itself into 3 shorter segments is because the signmaking software will not allow me to do so without disrupting the overall layout and the kerning (spacing) of the letters.

[mrdovey]

Don...

I did exactly that for a 12' sign. You can see some photos of the project on this web page (http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/PT_Sign.html).

I split my sign (between letters) into two 6' sections (two DXF files imported into PartWizard to produce two SBP files) and moved the 12' panel 4' after cutting the first section.

Once the sign software has produced a DXF, you can manipulate the DXF with a CAD program or even with PartWizard to do the segmentation.

...Morris

[donchapman]

Morris,
Thanks for the info and nice photos and description from your website.

I ended up doing a variation of what you did.

Within my signmaking software I output 4 DXF files with each successive file moved left to a new x=0 start point by a distance equal to the length of the preceeding file. Is that clear as mud? The sign read "CONSERVATION", so I output a DXF of "CON", then moved "SERVATION" left within the format by the lenght of the "CON", then output "SER", and so forth for 4 DXF files. After each file ran, I would slide the cedar boards left to the x=0 position of my ShopBot. Part of the way I also rolled the SB under the boards, so once again it came in handy that my SB is on heavy duty casters.

Attached is a photo of the 23' long sign still on my SB table.




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