making the letters stand proud

[stevebuk]

hi all
i have been asked to write a block of wood containing the words ' Wayne fixed it for us' but the letters must stand proud of the back they have been cut from.
I have managed to do this before but cant remember the angle of cutting needed.
Also would i have to cut the letters individually or can they be joined up?

 

[big soft moose]

i'd be inclined to use a router and carving tools for that steve - doesnt sound like a scroll saw project.

 

[stevebuk]

hi pete,
no its definately a scrollsaw project, done it before, recess cutting i believe its called but you need to angle the table, i guess i will just practise.

 

[Gill]

It's a technique called "relief cutting". You can download a free pdf tutorial about it here, courtesy of Scrollsaw Woodworking And Crafts magazine.

 

[StevieB]

Never tried it, but if you stack cut two pieces of wood with the blade at an angle of say 10 degrees, the drop out from the top piece should fit into the bottom piece in relief. The steeper the angle the more the 'relief' effect - too shallow and it fits perfectly (which is how some marquetry is done I believe, although Gill is our expert there!). You could also use a thick top board and a thinner bottom board in the stack cut to excacerbate the effect.

Steve

 

[Gill]

If you can cut inlay, you can make relief cuts. The technique is identical, except that you deliberately cut at either an exaggerated or reduced angle. I've done it once before and it isn't difficult, but there is no margin for error. If you don't follow the pattern line exactly, you can't correct your mistake. As a matter of interest, I relief cut this wineglass (out of MDF :roll: ) a few years ago just to see if I could do it.

Some time ago I produced a diagram to help calculate the angle a table needs to be if it is to produce a perfectly level inlay. It will give anyone who is looking to make a relief cut a good indication of what the minimum angle their saw table should be set to.

For accurate inlay, the object of the cut is to lift Point 2 so that it is flush with Point 1. If W is the width of the blade and A is the thickness of the top veneer, angle X = Asin (W/A). To make a relief cut, angle X needs to be reduced if Point 2 is not to be lifted above Point 1 and the relief fall out of the board.

Of course, nothing beats a few test cuts in waste wood .

Hope all this makes sense!