After a lot of frustration working through issue after issue with the M4 I have finally got some projects completed! Pretty happy with how this project came out. Engraved a cross section of a tree my Mom gave me with her pets.
Used masking (blue stuff) so I could spray paint the black in the engravings so I had WAY less sanding to do. Still had som paint blend into the wood that I can’t seem to sand out so if anyone has recommendations on how to avoid that I am all 
Looks great!
What actually is the masking you put on the piece? Is it just a thin film that you applied prior to the cut? What kind of bit did you use for this?
Also, I love that Bell and Booboo are the exact same dog only mirrored.
This came out great!
How did you mount the wood on the frame? I could see that being a little tricky
I used THIS It’s a thin film that’s sticky on one side that yes I applied before the cut
I used a 60 deg V-Bit for the engraving.
Mounting was definitely its own challenge. I used “Wood Working” double side tape to mount it. Worked pretty good but definitely helps that the M4 naturally presses down on the piece as well.
Did you put something around for a skirt to avoid the M4 tipping off the material?
I didn’t because I didn’t have any material that was the same thickness as this piece. I did have to push down on the sled when the M4 was in top left area of the cut to prevent tipping so it did require close supervision for this project.
Did you have any issues with it? Would you use it again?
Worked great! The only issue and I don’t think
It’s the mask’s fault is there was a little bit of paint bleeding into the wood grain in some areas.
Spray the piece with clear varathane first (let it dry so it seals up), then hit it with the black 
I’m trying to understand the timeline you have in mind here. 1) Spray before carving and applying the masking film; 2) Spray after carving with the masking film still on; or 3) Remove the masking film after carving and spray?
option 2 - the clear coat will “bleed” into the wood first, blocking any color bleeding. Unless the wood is cracked, then the color will follow the “cracks” regardless of the clear coat. Hope that helps?
