Learning to cut

[CMaddox]

Hello, It has been several years now since I took my class (life happens) and I am just getting to the point of being able to practice on plates. My question is, is there a set rule on cut depth? How do I know if I am cutting too deep or not deep enough? Is it up the the engraver or based on what you are engraving, vary from job to job, etc? Thank you in advance for any input. (using a 116 graver)

 

[monk]

the rule:: the graver of choice must produce a cut of proper depth/width and the result should be good to look at. the other rule requires one to adhere to the principle of quality design that suits the job at hand. no caliper or micrometer work here, just yer experience thru lots of practice.

 

[mtlctr]

The 116 not a beginner tool imho. I’d stick with a common 90 till you’re more familiar.
as far as depth the heel you put on the graver/ tool decides how deep it can/ will run. The angle it’s tipped decides this, gotta hit the Goldilocks angle, just right this comes with practice and more practice.

 

[DaveAtWeirs]

There's no set rule really, though when it comes down to it the main factors affecting depth of cut is determining how much metal you're moving. If you're cutting something like brass or mild steel you'll want to go with thinner/shallower lines, for soft metals like silver you *can* go much wider and deeper but it's not absolutely necessary. Having said that there's no real fixed rules, cutting wider lines in harder metals can be done by just turning up the power on your machine and often times I mix linewidths on a piece to add weight to particular sections. Think of it like drawing with pencil, sometimes you want to lean harder, sometimes really light.
The main places where maintaining an exact dept is important is if you're doing background removal or flair-cutting (but again, it's not exact and you can do different variations) so if you're getting back into it I'd say not to worry about it too much and just mess around with it, and aim for somewhere around 0.5mm(1/64 Inch) to 1mm(3/64 Inch).

 

[SamW]

I use a 90 degree carbide tool for all my scroll cutting and most everything else. My depth of cut for most work is in the range of .003 to .005" with sculpted work going to maybe .015". It all depends on the design needs...something you will develop with experience. I use a face angle of 57 degrees with about a 12 degree lift. I also don't go to full depth on the first cut which leaves me with some room to make corrections to the line as I go deeper. A 1mm cut would be ,03937" which would be very deep for most work except heavy sculpting.

 

[CMaddox]

Thank you all for the input!

 

[papart1]

Sam............could I go .394 tho?

 

[SamW]

Make that .0394. Shouldn't make much difference but you might want to test it out.

 

[mtlctr]

57 deg. sounds steep for soft metals imho. However whatever works for you is best.
I just eyeball the angles as I sharpen by hand.;>)

 

[SamW]

That is steep for soft metal which I seldom cut. I do use 45 degrees on aluminum which I have used for guitar/uke inlays and some car parts. The vast majority of my cutting is on gun steel.