I have the Shapeoko 3 XL. I am working on doing a Jurassic World symbol project and need some help. There are large areas of the project that can be completed with a .25 end mill. I need to know how I separate that area from the smaller crevasses that I will use the 1/32 bit for, and it not try and cut all of it with the 1/32 after I already did the larger areas with the .25.
Assuming you’re using carbide create, short version, you generate a toolpath with each tool separately. Then run them one after another, saving them each to a different .nc file. You can save a bunch of time if you create keep outs for areas each tool can skip (because you know it was already cut by the previous tool). This is actually a pretty large topic, and depends a lot on the exact toolset you’re using.
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Yes I am planning on cutting the majority with a .25 enmill and then cleanup the smaller areas with a 1/32 endmill. I am trying to figure out how to keep the smaller endmill from trying to cut the rest of the larger area ghost like. You mention keep outs, what is that and how is it done.
There is a bunch of material a newbie should read and watch:
Yes I agree and have read and watched these. They do not help. The bit changes are for milling in separate areas of the project. In my question I am attempting to mill the larger open section with a larger end mill and them getting everything else left over with the smaller with out the smaller end mill attempting to cut the entire area again.
Select the path which you wish to make the more detailed cut against, under the “Scale” pane, the fifth icon from the left (the one on the right) is “Offset Path”, click on it and then make either an Inside or Outside offset and a distance at least 10% greater than the smaller endmill which you are planning on using. If necessary, draw in geometry which will ensure that any additional material which the larger endmill could not cut away is included in the region.
Cautious of feeds and speeds w/ the smaller endmill and the uneven / unsupported cuts, esp. when plunging.
Your asking for rest machining, which is not a native feature of CC. Fusion 360 has it.
Will’s suggestion is the best for CC. You could also scale aspects of the drawing down, then make a pocket operation between the larger and smaller vectors with the small endmill.
Shout if you need an example of the above…
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Yes this is what I ended up doing after speaking with wannabe_maker and winstonmakes. I created large geometry shapes inside and then made my small toolpaths. Thanks for the help!!!
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