3D Finish/3D Rough in Carbide Create Pro 472

[richardfferraro (Richard Ferraro)]

I am using Carbide Create Pro 472.
I am making a frame (10"x10") with a large center cutout (9.5"x9.5") that will be discarded.
I thus have two contours, one on the outside of the frame and one on the inside for the cutout.
I need the inside corners sharp (as if cut with a 1/8 bit #102).
The outside corners are fine (as if cut with a 1/4" bit #201).
I have a bitsetter.

Am I best to design three toolpaths.

1. Cut inside shape with the #201
2. Cut outside shape (with tabs) with the #201.
3. Cut inside (same shape as 1) with the #102.

I note there is a 3D Finish and 3D Rough. Is using this a better way of making these cuts? Are there any tutorials on using them? I have only found older ones pre 3D Finish

stay well.
Shapeoko has helped keep me at least semi-sane during this lockdown. thanks,

Richie

[fenrus (Arjan van de Ven)]

the 3D paths are for “3D cutting”, for example as done in Cutting STL models with Carbide Create Pro (nearly-2021 edition)

sounds like you have a more “normal” 2 1/2 D cuts.

I would tweak your suggested path a little bit. I would do the first cut of the inside shape, not on the actual inside shape, but of an “inside offset” of the inside shape, by say 0.01" or 0.02".
That way your 3) becomes mostly a finishing pass taking off only a little bit which tends to give a nicer cut quality