Wow, was this a fun video for me to find yesterday! Thanks for the idea and the awesome walk-through, I literally took my phone up to the computer and started CAD-ing then and there, with you by my side. Being in my first few months of CNC work, I've been really trying to find an idea like this that will help keep me busy, give me practice on the machine to build confidence, and just earn some MONEY! This video was SO encouraging and I'll be cutting some keyrings either today or tomorrow! Yay! One suggestion for you or others and one question, if you please. I found that using the squared off vector box as a bounding box for my text made the sizing super simple. Rather than dragging the horizontal guidelines and text to curve tedium, use the software to do that function. I made the HEIGHT of the vector rectangle 15mm with the same width you suggested, then chose the text option just to the right of the regular text button. Be sure that smaller rectangle is highlighted and use the spacing option after to increase/decrease the individual letter spacing horizontally. Anyway, there is an easier way to do that step, hope people find my additional suggestion helpful! My question is regarding toolpathing in an array. I was able to array the profiles cuts for both the hole and outer profile to set up a full job on a particular piece of wood, but when I went to do the same thing with the text, it only allowed ONE toolpath array to exist. I need to re-address it today, but I'm curious if anyone has read through my WAY-LONG comment and also knows how to set up more than one toolpath array!? Thanks so much for the video - I've now subscribed and will be eagerly watching more!
Health issues forced me to stop selling items so now I concentrate on just making the videos...but I was selling pre engraved keyrings at £3 each, personalised at £5 (single sided) and £6 for double sided. Certain keyrings cost a little bit more if there was some kind of non standard text or symbols. Profits were quite good compared to the materials used though. An oak board for around £10 I could resaw into two pieces and I could sometimes get 30 per board. So it was roughly £150 of keyrings to a £5 board...obviously taking out time, rings etc. But they were good sellers for me...sold thousands.
I bought the rings on eBay…I think the main rippled ring is 25mm and the jump ring was 10mm…I bought them off different suppliers on eBay as neither sold both types at the time. 👍
You can buy oak and ash at 7mm but the companies usually have to take it from thick stock so it cost a lot. So I just bought 25mm (sometimes 22mm) thick boards and used my bandsaw to rip them down. Then I’d thickness them to about 8mm or so then use my cnc to skim them perfectly flat to around 7mm. It was a little bit of work…but worth it because a 25mm board at around 600mm used to work out around £10 and split in 2 worked out at roughly £5 each. That one board might make £30 keyrings at £5 each so in theory a £5 board was worth £150…give or take obviously. With the oak I used to specify to the suppliers what sort of cut I required too…usually rift sawn prime grade so almost zero knots and a good surface to engrave too. Plain sawn wasn’t too bad either as stability wasn’t too important and things like small keyrings. Quarter sawn wasn’t really the best on this occasion as sometimes the medullary rays made the text hard to read…depended on the piece though…I was very selective 😂👍
Hi mate, great video thank you. I saw your post on a woodwork group and have subscribed to your channel. Just had a go at making these and got kick back when the router bit into the end grain of the oak... New pants time lol
There’s a bit of a knack to doing this. First make sure your router bit isn’t too high. You only need a bit of the curve showing as you’re only easing the edges. Finish with sandpaper to smooth it properly. When approaching the router with the keyring, you sort of have to start on the sides and go in at an angle and keep going. If you have to stop and reposition, go in at an angle again and go as far as you can and repeat. Don’t back up or you’ll get a kick and don’t go in at a 90 or you risk a kick. If you need a little demo let me know and I’ll take a little video for you.
Wow, was this a fun video for me to find yesterday! Thanks for the idea and the awesome walk-through, I literally took my phone up to the computer and started CAD-ing then and there, with you by my side.
Being in my first few months of CNC work, I've been really trying to find an idea like this that will help keep me busy, give me practice on the machine to build confidence, and just earn some MONEY! This video was SO encouraging and I'll be cutting some keyrings either today or tomorrow! Yay!
One suggestion for you or others and one question, if you please.
I found that using the squared off vector box as a bounding box for my text made the sizing super simple. Rather than dragging the horizontal guidelines and text to curve tedium, use the software to do that function. I made the HEIGHT of the vector rectangle 15mm with the same width you suggested, then chose the text option just to the right of the regular text button. Be sure that smaller rectangle is highlighted and use the spacing option after to increase/decrease the individual letter spacing horizontally. Anyway, there is an easier way to do that step, hope people find my additional suggestion helpful!
My question is regarding toolpathing in an array. I was able to array the profiles cuts for both the hole and outer profile to set up a full job on a particular piece of wood, but when I went to do the same thing with the text, it only allowed ONE toolpath array to exist. I need to re-address it today, but I'm curious if anyone has read through my WAY-LONG comment and also knows how to set up more than one toolpath array!?
Thanks so much for the video - I've now subscribed and will be eagerly watching more!
Great Video! How much do you sell the keyrings for?
Health issues forced me to stop selling items so now I concentrate on just making the videos...but I was selling pre engraved keyrings at £3 each, personalised at £5 (single sided) and £6 for double sided. Certain keyrings cost a little bit more if there was some kind of non standard text or symbols. Profits were quite good compared to the materials used though. An oak board for around £10 I could resaw into two pieces and I could sometimes get 30 per board. So it was roughly £150 of keyrings to a £5 board...obviously taking out time, rings etc. But they were good sellers for me...sold thousands.
Where did you get the hardware for the keychains?
I bought the rings on eBay…I think the main rippled ring is 25mm and the jump ring was 10mm…I bought them off different suppliers on eBay as neither sold both types at the time. 👍
@@Smugwood thank you, great video!
Thanks :-)
Just curious where you were sourcing the 7mm oak / ash please.
You can buy oak and ash at 7mm but the companies usually have to take it from thick stock so it cost a lot. So I just bought 25mm (sometimes 22mm) thick boards and used my bandsaw to rip them down. Then I’d thickness them to about 8mm or so then use my cnc to skim them perfectly flat to around 7mm. It was a little bit of work…but worth it because a 25mm board at around 600mm used to work out around £10 and split in 2 worked out at roughly £5 each. That one board might make £30 keyrings at £5 each so in theory a £5 board was worth £150…give or take obviously. With the oak I used to specify to the suppliers what sort of cut I required too…usually rift sawn prime grade so almost zero knots and a good surface to engrave too. Plain sawn wasn’t too bad either as stability wasn’t too important and things like small keyrings. Quarter sawn wasn’t really the best on this occasion as sometimes the medullary rays made the text hard to read…depended on the piece though…I was very selective 😂👍
@@Smugwood thank you that was helpful
Hi mate, great video thank you.
I saw your post on a woodwork group and have subscribed to your channel.
Just had a go at making these and got kick back when the router bit into the end grain of the oak... New pants time lol
There’s a bit of a knack to doing this. First make sure your router bit isn’t too high. You only need a bit of the curve showing as you’re only easing the edges. Finish with sandpaper to smooth it properly. When approaching the router with the keyring, you sort of have to start on the sides and go in at an angle and keep going. If you have to stop and reposition, go in at an angle again and go as far as you can and repeat. Don’t back up or you’ll get a kick and don’t go in at a 90 or you risk a kick. If you need a little demo let me know and I’ll take a little video for you.