I was wondering, has anybody use their glowforge spark to make letter stencils to use for a router? If so, would you mind sharing any information that you have?
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There have been a few threads on the topic over the years, if you haven’t looked through them here’s a link to the search to find them:
https://community.glowforge.com/search?q=router%20stencil
That said it’s not really anything specific about letters, and arguably that’s not what you need anyway. What you probably would benefit most from is a primer on using a laser cutter to make router stencils. I’d imagine that this is pretty easy to find on YouTube.
Here you go:
I believe John Kuipoff is on the forum, let’s see. Ah, here he is, @john11. Maybe he’ll chime in with hints.
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Making and using router stencils is pretty straightforward, and the other Evans gave you all you need, but I don’t know about using a Spark, as you need a minimum of a 1/4” thickness to your template for the bearing or guide.
An alternative, if you have an FDM 3d printer would be to simply print the template.
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I’ve had a Spark since the beta - 1/4” anything is a challenge, requiring multiple slow passes. That’s why the preferred rigid materials are the thin plywoods and eco acrylics — thinner than the 1/8” medium materials. MDF is barely possible, but only with a lot of chat. My Spark is now dedicated to paper crafts.
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Mine too.
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If it needs to be 1/4”, you could always try cutting two 1/8” stencils and stacking them.
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