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I'm thinking to have a local guy with a laser cutter do some logos and head plates. He says cutting kerfs are usually 10 to 12 thou. So, if I cut the same design positive and negative the total kerf would be the same. Should I make the positive and negative a little different To try and get a smaller kerf? He says about .005" is a good target for a tight fit.

Thoughts?

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Pat

Hi Pat,

You may have better luck finding an answer over on the CNC luthier page. That said, I'd say .005" is a tad on the loose side though certainly much tighter than I could do by hand. I use vcarve pro8 for cutting inlay pockets and shell on my CNC. This software makes inlay work a breeze! On my machine I use an offset allowance of .002". The offset amount is applicable to both the pocket and the inlay material, so if the pocket is tight I can simply up the offset by .001" or so and run the tool program again. This gives me a press fit. Wick in some thin CA and level sand.

M