Hi
I am looking at building a 4 x8 lowrider for cutting sign materials so plastics etc max half inch thick but maybe other things in the future. What is the best power to weight ratio router? I was looking at makita but would be open.
Anything else I should be thinking of for sign type materials?
Makita/clones and the Dewalt are the consensus favorites. The Makita has variable speed and the Dewalt comes with multiple collets. Both are cheap enough to be disposable workhorses. Some go with fancier spindles but I’m not sure there is much to gain for a simple carving rig.
Haven’t done to much sign carving but the key factors are leveling your bed and tramming the gantry to get good detail with the thin lines.
Thanks. For tramming. I am from the 3D print world. Would a bl touch work to help with that or is there something else
Tramming is about getting your router perpendicular to the workpiece. I just trammed mine last night and found this post very helpful:
That is about as long of a 1/8" endmaill as you can get for materials denser than foam. 1/4" works but can get pricey, and longer is harder to use.
Without a doubt you want to integrate a touch-plate into your build.
There will be many times when you are going to need to rough out a sign with a larger diameter bit and refine it with a smaller diameter bit. It can save literal hours of time. But if you don’t use a touch plate it is near impossible to get the bits the exact same start depth and you will get a raised or recessed line along the perimeter of your pockets that is not fun to correct by hand - trust me.
If you plan on V-Carving you also want to put as much effort as possible into making sure your table is sturdy and flat as possible using a stable material like MDF or high grade plywood. If your table has random dips and elevations from side to side, your line weight won’t be consistent on long stretches of text and can ruin a project.
Hope that helps!