The audio file for this article was produced by the Ceramic Arts Network staff and not read by the author.
While teaching ceramics online in 2020, I was inspired to create new work using the handbuilding methods I taught students online. The work I envisioned featured raised designs that wrapped around and interacted with the form of each slab-built piece. At first, I created cuneiform-style roller stamps. These large cylinders took hours to create and didn’t allow for the quick refining of ideas. This led me to develop a way to carve my designs into unmounted linoleum using a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) milling machine (1).
Inspiration and Experimentation
The CNC milling machine could precisely and quickly carve my intricate designs into linoleum, allowing me to easily revise my designs when needed. A CNC milling machine is a router on a series of motorized rails that can be programmed to cut a variety of materials. A very user-friendly milling machine, the X-Carve, was available at a MakerSpace near me. A MakerSpace is a place where members are able to use a variety of tools and machines for a monthly fee. As a note, each MakerSpace is unique and may not have the machine that I use.
After learning the machine, testing different linoleums, and trying several bits and cut settings, I developed a process that works well. However, this article should be viewed as a primer to the process of milling your own texture mats. Use my process as a starting point for your own learning and experimentation. This tutorial assumes you have some experience with vector graphics and the X-Carve milling machine. If this is not the case, look to my website for links to learn more about vector graphics and the X-Carve.
Preparing the Graphic
The design must be a vector graphic, which means it is created using points, lines, curves, and shapes that are based on mathematical formulas instead of being created using individual pixels like most digital images. Inkscape is a free vector-drawing software that I use.
Materials and Settings
• Texture mat material: Blick Battleship Gray unmounted linoleum. I found the Battleship Gray held up better and carved cleaner than the tan Speedball linoleum.
• Tool bit: A tapered bit is necessary to give your carving the draft needed for it to release from the clay (2). I use a very steep 6.2°-angled bit to get the look I want to achieve. You may find a bit with a wider angle may work better for you. I also use a very fine-tipped bit to get the level of detail I want. A wider bit will carve faster but gives less detail. I use a ¹∕₃₂ -inch (0.8-mm) tapered ball-nose spiral router bit with a ¼-inch (6.3-mm) shank. It is an up-cut bit with three flutes.
These settings control how fast the router travels across the material. These settings work well for the bits I use, but depending on your bit or design, you may need to adjust these settings accordingly.
• Depth: I cut to a depth of 2 mm. Sometimes, I accidentally cut too deep because there is some variance to the thickness of the linoleum. Experiment with a depth that works best for your design and materials.
• Feed rate: 1400 mm/min
• Plunge rate: 700 mm/min
• Depth per pass: 0.7 mm
The simplest way to get your design converted into a vector graphic is to have the software trace it for you. You can also use the vector-drawing tools within the software to draw your design.
Whichever method you use, the important thing to remember is that the design must be made of closed paths and not open strokes. The CNC milling machine will not understand the line width of your drawing’s strokes, objects, or text. It needs only the outline of your design, so convert any strokes, objects, or text into paths. Once you have your design as closed paths, save it as an SVG (scalable vector graphic) and import it into Easel, the X-Carve milling machine’s software.
Milling the Texture Mat
The X-Carve uses a free, web-based software called Easel to convert your design into code the milling machine understands. Using Easel, import your SVG into the workspace. Click on the design, being sure to have all parts of the design selected, then click the “Shape” tab in the pop-up window. In the “Position” section, click the center circle and set the coordinates to “0,0.” This will tell the machine to cut the design in the center of your linoleum. In the same pop-up, click the “Cut” tab, set your desired cut depth, and select “Clear a Pocket” in the cut path drop-down menu. This tells the machine to cut away all the material inside the closed paths of your design at the selected depth (3).
Now you can prepare your linoleum in one of two ways. You can cut it so there will be approximately a one-inch border around your design, or if you want your texture to go to the edge of your mat, cut it to the size of your design. After cutting it to size, use a ruler to measure each edge and mark the center. Once the middle of each edge has been marked, draw lines vertically and horizontally to determine the center of the linoleum (4). Take note that larger carved areas near the edge of the linoleum can cause the linoleum to crack easily. Leaving a border will give the mat more strength. Secure the linoleum to a very flat piece of wood using double-sided carpet tape (5). I use ¾-inch (1.9-cm)-thick MDF wood as it is very flat and smooth. Be sure the linoleum is square to the edges of the wood (see 6). Make sure to take note of the size of the linoleum and the thickness of the stacked wood and linoleum.
Clamp the wood down to the X-Carve platform, making sure it is square to the printed grid on the platform and the clamps are clear of the tool path (6). You can preview the tool path on Easel. Next, enter the size of the linoleum and the stacked thickness into the materials settings on Easel (7). Double-check your settings and press the “Carve” button. Follow the prompts and position the tip of the router bit at the marked center of the linoleum (8). Raise and lower the bit until a piece of paper barely slips out from under the bit (9). Be sure to set the “Home Position” to the current, centered position of the bit. This is very important to ensure the correct position and depth of the carving on the linoleum.
After carving the linoleum (10), clean out any debris with a toothbrush and vacuum. Carefully peel the mat off the wood from all four corners. If you carved lots of material, the mat can be fragile. After carving, I recommend applying duct tape to the backside of the mat to add some strength.
Using the Mat and Beyond
With some experimentation, any type of slab roller can work with the texture mat. Even using a rolling pin, with some flat sticks on either side of the slab to control thickness, can work well. If you have trouble with the clay sticking to the mat, use a cooking oil spray on the mat as a release agent. The oil also helps the mat last longer, as the clay will begin to dry out the linoleum, which causes it to crack easily. The cracks will show in the impression, which can be undesirable depending on your design. If the clay is not tacky and the texture mat design is open enough, a release agent may not be necessary.
I use a clay slab that is larger than the texture mat (11). I find this helps to ensure an even pressure across the whole texture mat. I also start with a clay slab thicker than what I want in the end. This initial thickness will take some trial and error to determine.
With the texture mat on top of the clay, roll the texture mat and clay through the slab roller, pressing the mat into the clay. Next, carefully peel the texture mat from the clay starting from one corner (12). I find peeling it halfway from each side can help it release more cleanly. Finally, use your newly textured slab to create your desired final work (13).
I create mats specifically for each vessel that I am creating, which allows the texture to interact with the shape. I also include cutting lines in the design of the mat to ensure the slab is cut to the same size every time. I sometimes include the lines for darting the form. The design can even follow arc shapes to create tapered forms (14). Creating and refining these very specific details into bespoke texture mats can take a great deal of time. However, once complete, the mats will allow uniquely textured, slab-built forms to be created quickly and uniformly.
the author Benjamin Buchenot is a potter and teacher living in Naperville, Illinois. He makes his work out of his home studio where he lives with his wife, stepson, and their two dogs. He opens his studio yearly as a host on the Northern Illinois Pottery Tour. To see more of Buchenot’s work, visit his Instagram @BuchenotCeramicsor his website www.buchenotceramics.com.
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The audio file for this article was produced by the Ceramic Arts Network staff and not read by the author.
While teaching ceramics online in 2020, I was inspired to create new work using the handbuilding methods I taught students online. The work I envisioned featured raised designs that wrapped around and interacted with the form of each slab-built piece. At first, I created cuneiform-style roller stamps. These large cylinders took hours to create and didn’t allow for the quick refining of ideas. This led me to develop a way to carve my designs into unmounted linoleum using a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) milling machine (1).
Inspiration and Experimentation
The CNC milling machine could precisely and quickly carve my intricate designs into linoleum, allowing me to easily revise my designs when needed. A CNC milling machine is a router on a series of motorized rails that can be programmed to cut a variety of materials. A very user-friendly milling machine, the X-Carve, was available at a MakerSpace near me. A MakerSpace is a place where members are able to use a variety of tools and machines for a monthly fee. As a note, each MakerSpace is unique and may not have the machine that I use.
After learning the machine, testing different linoleums, and trying several bits and cut settings, I developed a process that works well. However, this article should be viewed as a primer to the process of milling your own texture mats. Use my process as a starting point for your own learning and experimentation. This tutorial assumes you have some experience with vector graphics and the X-Carve milling machine. If this is not the case, look to my website for links to learn more about vector graphics and the X-Carve.
Preparing the Graphic
The design must be a vector graphic, which means it is created using points, lines, curves, and shapes that are based on mathematical formulas instead of being created using individual pixels like most digital images. Inkscape is a free vector-drawing software that I use.
Materials and Settings
• Texture mat material: Blick Battleship Gray unmounted linoleum. I found the Battleship Gray held up better and carved cleaner than the tan Speedball linoleum.
• Tool bit: A tapered bit is necessary to give your carving the draft needed for it to release from the clay (2). I use a very steep 6.2°-angled bit to get the look I want to achieve. You may find a bit with a wider angle may work better for you. I also use a very fine-tipped bit to get the level of detail I want. A wider bit will carve faster but gives less detail. I use a ¹∕₃₂ -inch (0.8-mm) tapered ball-nose spiral router bit with a ¼-inch (6.3-mm) shank. It is an up-cut bit with three flutes.
These settings control how fast the router travels across the material. These settings work well for the bits I use, but depending on your bit or design, you may need to adjust these settings accordingly.
• Depth: I cut to a depth of 2 mm. Sometimes, I accidentally cut too deep because there is some variance to the thickness of the linoleum. Experiment with a depth that works best for your design and materials.
• Feed rate: 1400 mm/min
• Plunge rate: 700 mm/min
• Depth per pass: 0.7 mm
The simplest way to get your design converted into a vector graphic is to have the software trace it for you. You can also use the vector-drawing tools within the software to draw your design.
Whichever method you use, the important thing to remember is that the design must be made of closed paths and not open strokes. The CNC milling machine will not understand the line width of your drawing’s strokes, objects, or text. It needs only the outline of your design, so convert any strokes, objects, or text into paths. Once you have your design as closed paths, save it as an SVG (scalable vector graphic) and import it into Easel, the X-Carve milling machine’s software.
Milling the Texture Mat
The X-Carve uses a free, web-based software called Easel to convert your design into code the milling machine understands. Using Easel, import your SVG into the workspace. Click on the design, being sure to have all parts of the design selected, then click the “Shape” tab in the pop-up window. In the “Position” section, click the center circle and set the coordinates to “0,0.” This will tell the machine to cut the design in the center of your linoleum. In the same pop-up, click the “Cut” tab, set your desired cut depth, and select “Clear a Pocket” in the cut path drop-down menu. This tells the machine to cut away all the material inside the closed paths of your design at the selected depth (3).
Now you can prepare your linoleum in one of two ways. You can cut it so there will be approximately a one-inch border around your design, or if you want your texture to go to the edge of your mat, cut it to the size of your design. After cutting it to size, use a ruler to measure each edge and mark the center. Once the middle of each edge has been marked, draw lines vertically and horizontally to determine the center of the linoleum (4). Take note that larger carved areas near the edge of the linoleum can cause the linoleum to crack easily. Leaving a border will give the mat more strength. Secure the linoleum to a very flat piece of wood using double-sided carpet tape (5). I use ¾-inch (1.9-cm)-thick MDF wood as it is very flat and smooth. Be sure the linoleum is square to the edges of the wood (see 6). Make sure to take note of the size of the linoleum and the thickness of the stacked wood and linoleum.
Clamp the wood down to the X-Carve platform, making sure it is square to the printed grid on the platform and the clamps are clear of the tool path (6). You can preview the tool path on Easel. Next, enter the size of the linoleum and the stacked thickness into the materials settings on Easel (7). Double-check your settings and press the “Carve” button. Follow the prompts and position the tip of the router bit at the marked center of the linoleum (8). Raise and lower the bit until a piece of paper barely slips out from under the bit (9). Be sure to set the “Home Position” to the current, centered position of the bit. This is very important to ensure the correct position and depth of the carving on the linoleum.
After carving the linoleum (10), clean out any debris with a toothbrush and vacuum. Carefully peel the mat off the wood from all four corners. If you carved lots of material, the mat can be fragile. After carving, I recommend applying duct tape to the backside of the mat to add some strength.
Using the Mat and Beyond
With some experimentation, any type of slab roller can work with the texture mat. Even using a rolling pin, with some flat sticks on either side of the slab to control thickness, can work well. If you have trouble with the clay sticking to the mat, use a cooking oil spray on the mat as a release agent. The oil also helps the mat last longer, as the clay will begin to dry out the linoleum, which causes it to crack easily. The cracks will show in the impression, which can be undesirable depending on your design. If the clay is not tacky and the texture mat design is open enough, a release agent may not be necessary.
I use a clay slab that is larger than the texture mat (11). I find this helps to ensure an even pressure across the whole texture mat. I also start with a clay slab thicker than what I want in the end. This initial thickness will take some trial and error to determine.
With the texture mat on top of the clay, roll the texture mat and clay through the slab roller, pressing the mat into the clay. Next, carefully peel the texture mat from the clay starting from one corner (12). I find peeling it halfway from each side can help it release more cleanly. Finally, use your newly textured slab to create your desired final work (13).
I create mats specifically for each vessel that I am creating, which allows the texture to interact with the shape. I also include cutting lines in the design of the mat to ensure the slab is cut to the same size every time. I sometimes include the lines for darting the form. The design can even follow arc shapes to create tapered forms (14). Creating and refining these very specific details into bespoke texture mats can take a great deal of time. However, once complete, the mats will allow uniquely textured, slab-built forms to be created quickly and uniformly.
the author Benjamin Buchenot is a potter and teacher living in Naperville, Illinois. He makes his work out of his home studio where he lives with his wife, stepson, and their two dogs. He opens his studio yearly as a host on the Northern Illinois Pottery Tour. To see more of Buchenot’s work, visit his Instagram @BuchenotCeramics or his website www.buchenotceramics.com.
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