Method of forming a carved sign using an axially rotating carving tool

A method of carving a signboard, comprising:

• (a) displaying in two dimensions on a computer-aided design system, a two-dimensional graphical representation of a character having an outline;
• (b) generating from said outline of said two-dimensional character, at a predetermined offset towards the inside of said two dimensional character, a plurality of substantially similar outlines of said two-dimensional character and displaying said plurality of similar outlines on said computer-aided design system;
• (c) projecting each of said similar outlines a predetermined distance along a third dimension of a coordinate system of said computer-aided design system, thereby providing a three-dimensional graphical model of said character;
• (d) introducing in said three-dimensional coordinate system, a plurality of points at locations corresponding to points along a three-dimensional tool path of an axially rotatable carving tool of predetermined dimensions;
• (e) interpolating said plurality of points to render the coordinates of said three-dimensional tool path;
• (f) causing said rotatable carving tool to engage a signboard;
• (g) causing said rotatable carving tool to rotate about an axis, and
• (h) causing said rotatable carving tool to move along said three-dimensional tool path, thereby carving a three-dimensional v-shaped pattern within said signboard having a center line and smooth three-dimensional surfaces corresponding to the surfaces of said three-dimensional graphical model.

A method of carving a signage work in a signboard, comprising:

• (a) graphically representing a signboard using solid geometry to provide a solid graphical model thereof;
• (b) graphically representing a carving tool using solid geometry to provide a solid graphical model thereof;
• (c) moving said solid graphical model of said carving tool through said solid graphical model of said signboard;
• (d) mathematically subtracting those parts of said solid graphical model of said signboard that are in mathematical union with said solid graphical model of said carving tool during said movement thereof in step (c), as to form a three-dimensional graphical model of a signage work in said solid graphical model of said signboard;
• (e) displaying said three-dimensional graphical model of said signboard resulting from step (d);
• (f) generating a three-dimensional carving tool path corresponding to the generation of said three-dimensional graphical model of said signage work using said solid graphical model of said carving tool;
• (g) generating a three-dimensional numerical coordinate data file corresponding to said three-dimensional carving tool path;
• (h) causing an axially rotatable carving tool to engage a signboard, and
• (i) causing said rotatable carving tool to move along a path corresponding to said three-dimensional carving tool path while rotating said carving tool about an axis, thereby removing material from said signboard to provide a signage work corresponding to said three-dimensional graphical model, such that said signage work includes substantially v-shaped grooves having smooth, opposing side walls which adjoin each other along center lines within said grooves.