Offset help (why must the title be 15 characters?)

I have set up a pocket cut and it continually pulls the offset to one side of the cutout. i.e. one side ends up with a cut the width of the cutter and the other side ends up grazing the side that is already cut. This messes up additional cuts, what am I doing wrong and how can I fix it. The simulation shows exactly what I want.

picture?

Probably insufficient belt tension.

Might be pulley set screws: http://docs.carbide3d.com/article/169-shapeoko-3-how-to-check-the-pulley-set-screws

If that doesn’t work, let us know.

I ran it twice and both times it hit the exact same tool path, even after reviewing the tool path and changing the position of the wood.

Okay, to debug software we’ll need to see code.

Please post a complete workflow description and files from each step.

Here are the two files that I used. The picture is what the piece looked like. The “scrape” diagonally along the left side was from the router going from zero to the first cut, it lowered as it was moving. The top cut out should all be lined up to create recessed pieces, not the offset cuts that occured.

Business card holder- plywood.c2d (982.3 KB)
Business card holder- plywood.egc (81.3 KB)

Retract height is set to only 0.4mm

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Will that fix both problems or just the gouging from the zero point to the first cut path?

As my Eight Ball says: Probably Yes.

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I guess I don’t understand what “retract height” means. I understand how that would fix the gouge (it was supposed to be 4mm not 0.4mm) but how would that fix the other problem of the tool paths not lining up like the diagram shows. The picture shows three cuts, each one is about 1 inch to the left (1 inch lower in the toolpath diagram) of where it should be.

Retract height, nee safety height is how much the machine lifts up in-between paths.

As I noted above, please check your belt tension, pulley set screws, and the V-wheel tension (basically all the mechanical stuff).

Also check your feeds and speeds.

I checked all the mechanical and it is all good. The project before was perfect. This one seems like the entire project got shifted into the -Y position from the start and then the two separate tool paths also shifted into the -Y direction while the last three cuts of one of the toolpaths shifted in the -Y direction. How can I view the actual g-code?

I also suspected a skipped tooth so I shifted the second workpiece on the table and got the exact same cutting error.

It was a mechanical problem, but nothing to do with belts and pulleys. The 16x16 cutting area is in the front of the machine and does not include the rear 8 inches. I moved the wood to the front and so far everything is lining up.

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