I am having problems combining my project. I was able to combine the lettering no problem but combining The lettering to the circles is resulting in my issue! When I do so my lettering all disappears
It is making a single object. That’s what it is suppose to do. Keep letters separate from the circle. Set cut depth for the letters. Set the outline of the circle and cut the outline of the circle
If you use a vbit for the letters put it in a separate work piece for Carving the letters and one work piece for cutting the outline
steps
large circle fill it solid
put a smaller circle in side as solid 0 cut bring to front size the inner circle to create your border then combine
now you have a circle that is your border
make your text as solid (not outline at this point) place it were you want it in the circle touching the border then combine
select all
change it to outline
if i had more time this morning i would do pics for you of each step.
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Check this out
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Great sign! What I’m attempting to do is completely cut the circle border and letters out so I need to attach the lettering to the circle boarder. I’m sorry! I’m very new at this and am in the learning curve— maybe I need to design on Inkscape?! 
After playing around and designing on ink space I figured it out! Thanks for your help!
I think I might see the trouble you’re having… you need TWO outer circles (one for the outside edge, one for the inside edge)…
in easel the way I’d do it is
- start with a large filled circle with 100% depth (this would be the ring around)
- place a smaller filled circle with 0% over it (your center cutout, and ring width)
- place filled text with 100% depth over all of it (doing each letter separately may make it easier to keep them connected)
- verify proper overlaps, if you nee some more more, insert shapes, not lines to make the joins
- select all, “combine”, change the cut type to “outline - outside” and set to full depth.
here’s a simplified example, uncombined on the left, combined on the right Easel - Circle Text Example
the text may be the hardest part, depending on your font. You can do it first and use the “bring to front” command on it to get the proper layer. Make sure you check the preview to see that your bit can get into all the little spaces you need it to. Alternatively you can do it with 2 passes, using a Vbit set to “outline - on path” for the second pass. but you’d probably want to do some node editing for that so it doesn’t cut through any fine details or the outer ring connections
This can be done completely in Easel easily. No need for Inkscape for this design
This looks like you are combining EVERYTHING. It seems that you need to select everything, and then deselect the outermost circle before you combine.
I’m actually having the same issue with a door hanger. I have the design I like drawn up in Easel, but can’t combine the items I’d like to in order to cut my carve time. Right now it’s at around 3 hours for something pretty simple.
Choose “Outside of path” vs “Fill”?
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I’d go with the following sequence
- Below you use black:filled+full depth for what you want to keep, and white:filled+zero depth for what you are erasing
- Create Ring (big black circle, smaller white circle, combine)
- Create background (stylized Black S, and combine)
- Create a hole for the text (white block, combine)
- Create horizontal lines and text (black and combine)
- Change cut to outline:outside
the way combining works, it’s easier to create shapes like that backwards (so that it looks like your shape is being cut through, instead of cut around) and then as the last step change the cut type from fill to outline … that way you aren’t left with big through-cuts you don’t need.
Here is how I do these. I built one and did screen shots. Took me a minute to figure them out the first time I built one, I feel your pain. I found a set of the script letters on Etsy that are BOLD for a couple of bucks they work better for those thin serfs.
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Well damn. Thank you for that. I just did it real quick and got it. I haven’t had the motivation to use the X-Carve for a few months now (it was 103 outside yesterday, even hotter in the garage. So I’m VERY rusty. I got it all sorted out. thank you for the help.
Does that look correct, It look a little different (the cut)
Thank you, I follow your pictures very helpful
You can set the cut to inside, on path or outside, try them one at a time and see which one you like the best. Be sure to add lots of tabs and move them into every area that cuts out. this will keep them from moving and keep your edges clean. AND keep you from potentially from breaking a bit. TABS are your friend on these things.
The V gets a little thin in areas. You can grab just the “V” and use the Offsetter app to fatten it up. Try .05 or .01 and see what it does to it. Some of the letters you have to just experiment to get them heavy enough to hold up when carved.
Thanks for the excellent tutorial Steve, I will be sure to use it in the future! In the meantime I found this awesome split letter svg , wish I had bookmarked the site, because I can’t for the life of me remember where I got it. It made it easy to create this project, which is now ready to carve. This is Ed’s wife Debbie, I think I am more enamored with the xcarve than my husband (he’s a scrollsaw pro/geek) I can’t seem to spend a whole day away from planning projects. So much learning to do, knowing which bit to use has me boggled, but every mistake is another obstacle overcome. Thanks again for the info 
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