03-13-2025 Q&A: Spiral Cut Hearts, CNC Scroll Saw Techniques, and Tiled Toolpaths

Note: You must be a member of the Learn Your CNC Academy Community to watch this replay. Benefits include weekly Q&A Meetups, weekly project lessons, monthly CNC challenges, an active community of Vectric users, past replay lessons & project files, and so much more!

In this Q&A session, we discussed how to design a scroll-saw-style heart pocket project using VCarve, the limitations of CNC vs. scroll saws for certain cuts, and alternative approaches such as using tapered ball nose bits or V-bits to create similar effects. We also covered troubleshooting tiled toolpaths in Vectric, best practices for tracing images into vector files, and techniques for modeling 3D designs from photos in Aspire. Other topics included SketchUp for 3D modeling and solutions for making a hollow cone for a lobster trap.

Key Tips Learned in this Q&A:

• Spiral Cut Designs on CNC: While possible, replicating scroll saw-style spiral cuts on a CNC requires careful vector design and extremely small bits (e.g., 1/32"). However, the lack of a tilted cutting angle makes it challenging to achieve the same drop-through effect.
• Using Tapered Ball Nose or V-Bits: If cutting angled features, a tapered ball nose or V-bit can help simulate the slanted edges that a scroll saw naturally creates when cutting at an angle.
• Tiled Toolpath Troubleshooting: When using tiled toolpaths, ensure your sheet size allows for full toolpath clearance. Switching to a “feed through Y” setup and widening the sheet may fix missing cuts on tiled projects.
• Tracing Images in VCarve for Precision: Manually tracing over an imported image rather than relying on bitmap tracing provides cleaner vectors, especially for complex designs like doors with geometric patterns.
• 3D Model Sculpting from Photos: Aspire users creating 3D reliefs from photos can refine their models using the sculpting tool, depth maps, and external AI-based 3D modeling tools.

Questions Answered in this Q&A:

• 00:03:28 – How can I recreate scroll saw-style drop-down heart pockets in VCarve or Aspire?
• 00:13:46 – Why is my toolpath raising up between the slots and not milling the right edge of the board?
• 00:20:49 – How can I convert an image of a set of doors into a DXF file for CNC cutting?
• 00:27:26 – What’s the best way to create a raised chip-carving effect in Aspire?
• 00:34:43 – Can you demonstrate making a hollow cone in SketchUp for a lobster trap?
• 00:38:44 – How can I improve 3D modeling of human faces in Aspire using sculpting and depth maps?
• 00:54:58 – How do I optimize roughing toolpaths so they don’t waste time cutting unnecessary areas?

Keywords:

cnc, vcarve, aspire, scroll saw, chip carving, toolpath tiling, 3d modeling, sketchup, fusion 360, lobster trap, heart pockets, tapered ball nose, depth maps, photo to 3d, sign panel template, ai 3d modeling