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Friday, November 15, 2024
How To: Using CNC Machines To Create Faux-Wood Signage
www.signshop.com: There’s something nostalgic about a wood sign. So it really should not be surprising that people want to have signs that appear to be made out of wood but without the drawbacks—rotting, warping, or deteriorating.
9 comments:
Tane Muller
said...
This is really cool and definitely something I think the scenery world could look into. Maybe this is a better option than MDF for textured walls like brick or stone ect. This has to be easier on router bits and tooling, it also offers the ability for thickness but not a huge increase in weight. I also really agree with the comment that sometimes when creating something designed wood being wood makes that extremely difficult, but through an engineered product we are able to have more control of what the end result is. This sounds similar to Cintria but lighter and comes in larger thicknesses. This sounds like the new Neoflex for Neon sign lights, and anyone interested in the entertainment industry knows how influential it has been to the industry. We also have experienced the benefits of the extra control derived from the CNC, in terms of curves or elliptical shapes the CNC is the go to because now with full confidence we as carpenters can produce the arch that the designer drew. So to create a 3D texture exactly as designed is difficult with a CNC but is twice as hard without.
With CNC machines often used for precision work that appears to be man made it is interesting to read about CNC machine being used to emulate nature. In my opinion although the signs look amazing and the design is done by hand even if the execution is done by machine the signs look artificial and plasticity not resembling real wood grain at all at least up close. This is not to say that these signs look bad however I do not think the CNC does a passable job at creating wood grain. I do see the advantages of these signs such as the longevity mentioned in the article as well as the ability to easily make duplicates of an individual sign which is something all CNC produced products benefit from. Although these signs look incredible and there are hours of detail work put into them a CNC is no match for recreating nature.
This is super cool! I love how he saw something at a tradeshow that he wanted to get involved in and it seemed like something he wouldn’t be able to do himself (due to the expense) but he did things as close to it as possible for a bit and then ended up able to do the real thing (buy a CNC). I also like that this article tells us what software he uses in his process, so that if readers are interested and have the resources, they too could investigate into doing this. It’s cool to me that he is using CNC to create something “natural,” since CNC is usually used for very exact cuts and precise work. It’s a kind of out of the box way to create something as natural as wood grain. I wonder if there are other “natural” textures that people make on the CNC, or if this guy has inspired other people to branch out into other natural textures on the CNC. His method feels like it opens doors to some cool projects that one might otherwise use a slower method to produce due to their natural textures being something that isn’t usually produced on a CNC.
I always find it pretty funny how in theater we are always changing the texture of wood to make it look more like wood. Now HDU isn’t wood, but I think this is along a similar vein of replicating wood constantly that gets to be ironically funny. Using a CNC machine for it is rather smart though with the amount of control you would have to get all of the exact details and the locations of them. I think the scenery applications of this could be quite interesting if a set designer has an exact kind of wood grain design they want, they would be able to achieve it with both color and texture rather than just color. Instead of wood perhaps even a brick design could work well in really getting the dips of the mortar in a physical way as well as all the bumps and holes inside bricks.
This article is very interesting in ways I didn’t expect. The quality they are able to achieve with the CNC router, to the point where everyone calls the signs classy and high end for emulating wood, is very impressive. I liked that he pointed out that the imperfections of wood is the reason why it looks good and realistic, that knots which mess up the grain actually make the sign more authentic. I also really enjoyed the painting process that was described. I may not know that much about paints but I did like how detailed it was, leaving the darker paints to set into the groves of the routered material is a very nice touch for depth and having a base of wiped off paint also is really nice for the variation in color across a board. The signs the article showed were very realistic and impressive and if I ever need a sign I know where to look.
I love reading about what we have managed to create by just playing around with machines. Machines have such amazing capabilities to do so many different things and the entertainment industry really embodies this idea. The theatrical industry takes from so many different people to create things so far away from the original use of the machine people become flabbergasted. When machines are used for something not originally thought of they become creative. Both the operator and the machine are brought into a creative space and can start creating things like really realistic Faux wood. Being able to create something that doesn't rot wrap and is considerably lighter than most woods even allows for a creative use of the product. In Quint Creative Signs case that's making signs for Ren Fairs and even funeral homes. Proving that the creative use of the tool is both applicable for creative and everyday uses.
I’ve sometimes heard people say that nothing looks like wood except real wood. Brian Quinter of Quint Creative Signs has proved them wrong. These signs look so real most people would swear they are actual wood, thanks to some highly detailed 3D modeling skills and the precision of CNC Routers. It’s amazing how CNC Routers have changed so much in so many industries. What used to be close to impossible is now entirely possible, including making not wood into a twin of real wood. On a broader level, I find it fascinating how much people love wood signs and the nostalgia behind them. They are relics from a time when wood was really the only option for signage, among a lot of other building needs. We yearn for that visually and work very hard to get that look, putting a lot of time and money into the endeavor. I wonder why that is. Regardless, the Quint Creative Signs are truly beautiful and look strikingly like wood!
Seeing things like this made on a CNC router is always exciting. We often end up using our router for basic contour cuts of specialized profiles, and it’s so infrequent that we get to do something really unique and take full advantage of our router. What’s crazy to me is that we could actually do this – given enough time, the right router bits, and some specialized toolpathing, we could produce a sign that looks like one of Quinter’s in this article. I was surprised to read that he usually only uses a 0.25” router bit and still achieves the detail in the pictures, but I think the bullnose lets him get away with fewer passes than other tool profiles. It’s always a challenge to make something produced via a CNC process to look handmade or weathered, but Quinter seems to have mastered it. I hope that in the future we get a chance to do some serious CNC projects, like these, for a show.
The photos from just the article are sick. I wish we did those kinds of things at CMU. We have a CNC that could make cool things like that that would take so much longer and artistry by hand. However, with the school of drama in mind I think there are two huge barriers to us ever using it to do something cool. 1) Scenic designers are not clued in to what we have available in the shop in terms of capabilities or how to use the CNC to even be able to provide a file. 2) Not many people can use the CNC and also when we budget it would eat away at most of our labor to attack something this cool. I think the solution to the first problem is integrating the scenic designers into the TD world just a bit more so the gap isn’t so large. The solution to the second problem is probably providing more people the ability to use it, and offering work for pay for special projects like cool signs to make it a viable option. I think we have a lot of opportunity to make cool things we’re just too lazy to plan ahead to make them happen.
9 comments:
This is really cool and definitely something I think the scenery world could look into. Maybe this is a better option than MDF for textured walls like brick or stone ect. This has to be easier on router bits and tooling, it also offers the ability for thickness but not a huge increase in weight. I also really agree with the comment that sometimes when creating something designed wood being wood makes that extremely difficult, but through an engineered product we are able to have more control of what the end result is. This sounds similar to Cintria but lighter and comes in larger thicknesses. This sounds like the new Neoflex for Neon sign lights, and anyone interested in the entertainment industry knows how influential it has been to the industry. We also have experienced the benefits of the extra control derived from the CNC, in terms of curves or elliptical shapes the CNC is the go to because now with full confidence we as carpenters can produce the arch that the designer drew. So to create a 3D texture exactly as designed is difficult with a CNC but is twice as hard without.
With CNC machines often used for precision work that appears to be man made it is interesting to read about CNC machine being used to emulate nature. In my opinion although the signs look amazing and the design is done by hand even if the execution is done by machine the signs look artificial and plasticity not resembling real wood grain at all at least up close. This is not to say that these signs look bad however I do not think the CNC does a passable job at creating wood grain. I do see the advantages of these signs such as the longevity mentioned in the article as well as the ability to easily make duplicates of an individual sign which is something all CNC produced products benefit from. Although these signs look incredible and there are hours of detail work put into them a CNC is no match for recreating nature.
This is super cool! I love how he saw something at a tradeshow that he wanted to get involved in and it seemed like something he wouldn’t be able to do himself (due to the expense) but he did things as close to it as possible for a bit and then ended up able to do the real thing (buy a CNC). I also like that this article tells us what software he uses in his process, so that if readers are interested and have the resources, they too could investigate into doing this. It’s cool to me that he is using CNC to create something “natural,” since CNC is usually used for very exact cuts and precise work. It’s a kind of out of the box way to create something as natural as wood grain. I wonder if there are other “natural” textures that people make on the CNC, or if this guy has inspired other people to branch out into other natural textures on the CNC. His method feels like it opens doors to some cool projects that one might otherwise use a slower method to produce due to their natural textures being something that isn’t usually produced on a CNC.
I always find it pretty funny how in theater we are always changing the texture of wood to make it look more like wood. Now HDU isn’t wood, but I think this is along a similar vein of replicating wood constantly that gets to be ironically funny. Using a CNC machine for it is rather smart though with the amount of control you would have to get all of the exact details and the locations of them. I think the scenery applications of this could be quite interesting if a set designer has an exact kind of wood grain design they want, they would be able to achieve it with both color and texture rather than just color. Instead of wood perhaps even a brick design could work well in really getting the dips of the mortar in a physical way as well as all the bumps and holes inside bricks.
This article is very interesting in ways I didn’t expect. The quality they are able to achieve with the CNC router, to the point where everyone calls the signs classy and high end for emulating wood, is very impressive. I liked that he pointed out that the imperfections of wood is the reason why it looks good and realistic, that knots which mess up the grain actually make the sign more authentic. I also really enjoyed the painting process that was described. I may not know that much about paints but I did like how detailed it was, leaving the darker paints to set into the groves of the routered material is a very nice touch for depth and having a base of wiped off paint also is really nice for the variation in color across a board. The signs the article showed were very realistic and impressive and if I ever need a sign I know where to look.
I love reading about what we have managed to create by just playing around with machines. Machines have such amazing capabilities to do so many different things and the entertainment industry really embodies this idea. The theatrical industry takes from so many different people to create things so far away from the original use of the machine people become flabbergasted. When machines are used for something not originally thought of they become creative. Both the operator and the machine are brought into a creative space and can start creating things like really realistic Faux wood. Being able to create something that doesn't rot wrap and is considerably lighter than most woods even allows for a creative use of the product. In Quint Creative Signs case that's making signs for Ren Fairs and even funeral homes. Proving that the creative use of the tool is both applicable for creative and everyday uses.
I’ve sometimes heard people say that nothing looks like wood except real wood. Brian Quinter of Quint Creative Signs has proved them wrong. These signs look so real most people would swear they are actual wood, thanks to some highly detailed 3D modeling skills and the precision of CNC Routers. It’s amazing how CNC Routers have changed so much in so many industries. What used to be close to impossible is now entirely possible, including making not wood into a twin of real wood. On a broader level, I find it fascinating how much people love wood signs and the nostalgia behind them. They are relics from a time when wood was really the only option for signage, among a lot of other building needs. We yearn for that visually and work very hard to get that look, putting a lot of time and money into the endeavor. I wonder why that is. Regardless, the Quint Creative Signs are truly beautiful and look strikingly like wood!
Seeing things like this made on a CNC router is always exciting. We often end up using our router for basic contour cuts of specialized profiles, and it’s so infrequent that we get to do something really unique and take full advantage of our router. What’s crazy to me is that we could actually do this – given enough time, the right router bits, and some specialized toolpathing, we could produce a sign that looks like one of Quinter’s in this article. I was surprised to read that he usually only uses a 0.25” router bit and still achieves the detail in the pictures, but I think the bullnose lets him get away with fewer passes than other tool profiles. It’s always a challenge to make something produced via a CNC process to look handmade or weathered, but Quinter seems to have mastered it. I hope that in the future we get a chance to do some serious CNC projects, like these, for a show.
The photos from just the article are sick. I wish we did those kinds of things at CMU. We have a CNC that could make cool things like that that would take so much longer and artistry by hand. However, with the school of drama in mind I think there are two huge barriers to us ever using it to do something cool. 1) Scenic designers are not clued in to what we have available in the shop in terms of capabilities or how to use the CNC to even be able to provide a file. 2) Not many people can use the CNC and also when we budget it would eat away at most of our labor to attack something this cool. I think the solution to the first problem is integrating the scenic designers into the TD world just a bit more so the gap isn’t so large. The solution to the second problem is probably providing more people the ability to use it, and offering work for pay for special projects like cool signs to make it a viable option. I think we have a lot of opportunity to make cool things we’re just too lazy to plan ahead to make them happen.
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