Has anyone figured out a way to convert the free designs to work with “regular wood” vs proofgrade?
Do you mean, how to adjust sizing issues?
Yes, when a free design includes pegs that have to fit exactly into a hole you can’t run the design using regular wood. I found that I had to sand down my wood to exactly an 1/8" or 1/4" for it to work. The wood I get from Home Depot of course is not exact.
With the ability to ungroup designs within the interface, it is possible (if not very practical) to modify the slots and tabs. Proofgrade materials are not precisely 1/8" or 1/4" and are subject to environmental influences like humidity. I have, on occasion, had to sand down Proofgrade or use glue in the same way that that is necessary for non Proofgrade materials. I often test one part of the design with my preferred material to see if the fit is too tight, too loose or acceptable before cutting the entire design.
6 Likes
Thank you! You have a great idea of cutting only one part of a design to test my material. Thank you again!
Scaling the whole design is the easiest way.
Say a design is made for .125" material and you have .136" material:
.136 ÷ .125 = 1.088
Now you can use this scaling factor to adjust the width (or height) of selected parts with the precision placement dialog.
For example if the original width is 5.0", then 5.0 * 1.088 = 5.44". So type that new 5.44 value in the width field. The height will automatically adjust proportionally.
11 Likes
I did this with the “snap and store box” from a nominal 1/8" to 1/4" wood and found the larger size more useful.
2 Likes
I always forget this equation, thank you for reposting it! It will come in use for a snap together design I’ve been working on, but lazily made it to 0.25" in Inkscape, instead of parametric with Cuttle. Now I don’t have to go back and change the many bits!
1 Like
Thank you! My first experience with cutting a premium free design was the phenomenal greenhouse. I was so stinking excited to put it all together and then none of the pegs fit into the holes. Should have seen my pouty face. Anyway, I ended up having a woodworking friend plane and sand a few of my boards to the exact thickness needed. I just know that I don’t want to have to bother my friend all the time. I’m not against proofgrade materials except the pricing. Thanks everyone!
2 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 32 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.