# this is the jumbo tracer 4 configuration



## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

I am going to trace out a large set of plans for a 18 foot canoe, sides and bottom
and show the different selections on 2018 jumbo trace software using the jumbo 4
configuration
this is an amazing configuration of 4 boards tied together





 jumbo4


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

So the tracing board hardware is used to copy existing large scale drawings. I'm curious what the market for these devices is as most everything these days is created in CAD, machine control code (aka GCode) in CAM and then sent directly to the machine doing the cutting so there is never a need for large scale printouts. Also, is there some problem with scanning large printouts and then tracing from that?


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## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

There is a market and there is a lot of interest with companies purchasing this configuration . I use it to digitize large prints and my scanner bed is only 18x18 in and I find I have to do a fair amount of node editing
Where as when I use the logic trace software and boards and trace carefully I can end up with no open vectors and a perfect trace.
I hear the boat industry, counter top people, glass cutters and aircraft industry are big users of the jumbo .
one large aircraft company templates full sized carpet layouts for the interior of the plane , then digitizes the template and cuts the dxf file 
And I am not sure where you are finding a lot of cad files I don't see them unless you pay for them and whats the chance of finding a cad file of the project you are working on
for me I don't like cad software , just seems difficult unless you use it a lot , tracing is simple and tracing parts , templates or paper diagrams is simple
not everybody can do what you are saying


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

CAD SW is pretty much how it gets done these days. I can't imagine even a medium sized business not having the skills. I see it fitting a niche digitizing old large scale drawings and maybe sort of copying a physical object by tracing. Guess, I'm surprised that there is that much demand.

For hobbyists using a CNC machine, I think CAD is pretty much a requirement and there are programs out there that are pretty easy to use. VCarve stuff seems very geared towards people without "High" CAD skills and their tutorials do some great hand holding.

By the way, I assumed that you are affiliated with the maker of the scanner boards given the huge number of videos you post over on CNC Zone. Bad assumption?


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

So, are you tracing out the actual size of the plans, or what?


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## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

I have know John Walsh Logic trace since about 2007 or 2008 and because of our friendship I started posting all my work and findings with these drawing boards.
I am retired and run a 3500 sq foot shop, have a lot of interests and I use the drawing boards a lot in everything I do from cnc to laser to plasma.
I started with a small cal comp drawing board III and logic trace software and have worked my way up to where I am today . Sometimes people ask me to digitize 
a plan or template and send them a dxf file so they can be sure it will work for there uses

Because of the physical size of jumbo 4 I am trying to trace out full sized plans to show how easy it is. I get the local print shop to print pdf files full size and them masking tape it to the boards 
and away I go.
Its great for boats and I have done a bunch 
I never thought of the drawing board to be a scanner but in a sense maybe , my hand is pushing a cordless pen
I find all this very interesting and really ties in with my interests and equipment
hope all this helps your questions


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## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

actual plans or what
I had the canoe plans printed by a print shop (pdf) full size just to show because of the board size , then I demoed how I can handle the 18foot canoe


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

woodman12 said:


> actual plans or what
> I had the canoe plans printed by a print shop (pdf) full size just to show because of the board size , then I demoed how I can handle the 18foot canoe


As I understand then, you have full size plans. Then you use your machine to trace those plans. Is that correct?

And you get your full size plans by taking a pdf file to a print shop, and the print shop prints the plans out to be full sized. Is that correct? 

So, if I find a set of pdf plans I like, and want them full size, what exactly would I take to a print shop to have them printed full size? A print copy? The pdf file URL? What is the approximate cost for printing a full size plan for an 18 foot canoe?

I'm just asking out of curiosity, so I will understand some of this. In the real world I doubt I would have a pdf file printed out full size. I have no problems laying out plans full size by hand, if I decide I need full size plans. I normally make changes to someone else's plans anyway, on the few occasions I use other people's plans. But always curious, never know when I will learn something new that I can use. And still not thinking about getting a CNC machine.


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## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

I have had good luck with this print shop , they charged me $35.00 CAD to print the bottom 18 feet and the side 18 feet (bottom was a bit less)
then I roll it up take it to my shop masking tape it down to the drawing board and trace it .
BUT I asked for it to be 18 feet, you also could trace this out on one drawing board and because its a vector, could enlarge it proportionally so it becomes 18 feet for a machine to cut
but in this instance I wanted to show tracing a full size canoe , and really if you can trace a boat bottom on this table , I have traced large parts

I take the pdf file on a USB 2.0 stick to the print shop , there software handles it. getting into cnc , laser, plasma, vinyl cutting just opens a whole learning curve because of using these machines I am not good at drawing CAD and that why I favour the logic trace drawing tablets or as the guy above put it scanning
Hope I addressed your question

stan


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

woodman12 said:


> Hope I addressed your question


Yeah, I reckon so. Seems complex and a bit expensive to get another copy of a full size set of plans tho. Grew up when things were simpler, and a lot of it still sticks to me. Way I learned, I would lay out the cut lines on the wood, cut, then if I wanted a full size plan just get a roll of butcher paper, find a flat space large enough, lay down the paper, then trace around the cuts. I normally make masters from the original cuts, so would trace those, cut, and make whatever. 
Then use the masters to draw out plans, as many as wanted, if I wanted any at all. Same procedure if a boat, furniture, whatever. Except I don't work from full size plans. 

Thanks.


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## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

where this really pays off is tracing an old grid diagram making it a vector then you can scale it any size
I have a lot of old magazines where they always printed a grid pattern for enlarging by hand, when you digitize these
you can select any size and it will not distort
these grid diagrams cannot be scanned and converted because of the grid
in feb 202 I will be drawing and cutting a unique chair design from California that I will cut 2 the full size and a 6 inch version
because its drawn up as a vector


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Totally agree that tracing to vector is a great technique and use it all the time. But for things like the example you attached, I just don't see the cost benefit of a tracer board, especially at the prices they charge. I did this in about 10 minutes by hand with Affinity Designer. Can export as SVG. No need to print it out. AD is a $50 piece of software that rivals Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw though you can do the same with Inkscape which is free. There are applications that do auto tracing though the results can be disappointing, I prefer by hand to get a cleaner result.


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## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

looks good , I will have to google affinity designer


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

woodman12 said:


> looks good , I will have to google affinity designer


It's a great company. They update their products frequently, adding new features every time. Lots and lots of tutorials. And, it's often on sale for around $35. It's a bargain at $50 and a steal at $35.


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