First Project need some help!

[Baradiel]

Hi all, I just took the plunge and got a SB18 I know there is a really big learning curve and I think I just smacked head on into the exponentially steep curve.

I did a bunch of test cuts to get my blade to the right height, the tip about folding over the material to get the depth right was a big help. The force and velocity settings I brought up slowly till I was getting nice clean cut lines though I was seeing the corners of the test cut have little triangles on them as if the offset was to high but I am not cutting from SCAL but just using the test button on the SB and I don't know how to fix that or if that's even an issue.

My problem really started when I switched to the first "real" thing I wanted to cut out. It is an image I got off the internet at vectorstock. I loaded it into inkscape from the ai file provided and since I suffer from the problem of inkscape not printing (even .47 I tried ) I exported it as a pdf and printed it that way. Then I cut it by hand, after doing that for my last set of glass etching you can probably see one of the reasons I decided on getting a cutter. Well its not cutting right. I saved the file in inkscape as an svg and then used that in SCAL to cut it. If you can see from the picture some of the shapes came out as odd squiggles and several others were distorted. (its blue because I used a dry erase marker to color the cut lines otherwise its pretty much impossible to see in a picture.) It looks right in SCAL and the cut line preview shows the shapes clearly.

I am not sure what I am doing wrong. Help!

Ill add a link to the vector file im using too as well as the picture of the printed and the cut results.

picture:
http://sdrv.ms/1hUlRo0
Vector file:
http://sdrv.ms/1ddYB26

[LisaH]

See if this cuts any better for you...I simplified the nodes - there were well over 4000 (over 4900) in 1 image...now there are a lot less (about 135)

Cat Dog.svg

[Gigi]

Thanks Lisa.

One of the problems with a lot of files online is that they are node intensive and will cause you and the machine great problems!

I might recommend also using the blade setting tool to get the height accurate more simply. No matter what the medium you are cutting, it helps get your blade the right distance from your paper and then it's just a matter of figuring out the force. The method you are using is fine too - just reminding you that there are options and you will find what works best for you.

On the test cut, it is normal for the rectangle to not be totally squared - there is usually one corner that is not perfect-but should cut out a rectangle easily when it is at the right force, without leaving marks IN the mat (you can read more about it in the Learning Center).

Hope some of that with the simplified file that Lisa did helps you.

[Thyme]

You also have several pieces which are not welded together.

not welded.jpg

Also some pieces are only a quarter of a mm wide - this is too fine to cut

not welded.jpg

The dark red outline is part of one of your shapes, the blue rectangle is what I drew and is the same width as part of that shape - 0.25mm. You can draw that but not cut it.

[Baradiel]

WoW! You are all so wonderful to respond with all the help!

LisaH: the simplified pattern did cut much better thank you so much. I will have to learn how to do that I am just now starting to learn how to use the software. What is the realistic amount of nodes that patterns can have before they start to confuse the cutter?

Gigi: thanks for the tip about the internet files being an issue ill have to be a bit more cautious about using them also thank you for bringing up the test cut being a bit not square now I know its not a problem.

Thyme: the pictures you provided help to clarify to me some of the issues the cutter must have been having. What program are you using there to see the vector outlines like that? I am sure I can find tutorials on how to weld things and simplify things but want to know so I am not trying to do things that SCAL or Inkscape cant and need to get something else. Also what is the reasonably smallest cuts I can make size wise and expect good results? It is fairly obvious that I just don't know and have started out way to intricate.

Lastly what do people use to share pictures like that on the web? I don't want to pay for it which seems to be the only way. That's why I was using my skydrive but its much nicer when you don't have to click on a link to see pictures or show off your projects and I would sign up for something if that's what everyone is using.

Thanks again all! Ill get some pictures of this project up so you can see how all the help made it possible!

[Elizabeth]

Hi! You can share pictures on the forum by using the full editor when replying, scrolling down and opening the upload attachment tab. It looks like this:.

Upload attachments pic one.PNG

Then use the browse button to find your photo, and follow the steps

Upload attachments pic one.PNG

The place in file button places the photo or file in the body of your note, so others can see it without having to separately open it.

Hope that helps. Good luck in learning your machine. It is very rewarding each time you master a new step.

[Thyme]

I use Inkscape, and use the View/Display Mode/Outline.
Inkscape is a very powerful program and there is little it can't do.
The size you can cut depends on the media and also blade type.
For detailed work you want to use a detail blade and holder and if you want to cut very fine areas stick to a smooth card of between 160 and 250 grms weight. Exactly how fine will also depend on the quality of the design and your level of experience. You will learn to be able to cut 1mm wide with practice. Alternatively vinyl will cut with the very finest detail of all