I am trying to figure out why my machine is trying to machine approximately 2 or 3 mm off the surface of the wood. I’m trying to figure out if I’m missing a step somewhere. Note: I am using a BitSetter. And I’m using CM 537.
I clicked on [jog/position], and using the X, Y, Z axis’s, I position the bit at the bottom left corner of my piece of wood.
I then click [set zero]. This brings up the [set current position] window. I then click [zero all], this makes the X, Y, and Z axis remember this point as 0,0,0. I click [done].
Then go to [run], load new file, the machine centers to the front, and requests me to insert bit. I already have #102 inserted so I click [resume]. The machine then runs over to the BitSetter and gets the proper depth of my bit.
The machine then requests that I turn on the router at the proper bit speed. I do and it proceeds to start machining…3 mm above the wood surface. smh
I’m not certain if I’m doing something wrong or forgetting something or if I have one of the settings inaccurate. I have deleted the job info 3 or 4 times and end up with the same results. I even tried to outsmart the machine by by putting the X axis, 2 mm below the surface of the wood when setting the zero points, but it still tried to start machining 3 mm above the wood. I’m wondering if it is the settings of the BitSetter? I DID check the setting for the thickness of wood in Carbide Create and that is correct.
The article talks about plunges, but air cutting can also be a problem. Here’s how I’d confirm:
Turn the machine and CM off.
Put the #102 in the machine, if that’s your starting bit.
Start everything up, zero, and run your job without ever removing the #102 unless your program has an additional cutter in it.
If everything works well then you were probably changing the cutter somewhere between initialization and hitting the Zero button without pressing “Load Tool”.
We have a new CM in beta that adds an additional check to help avoid this problem.
That is the way I left it last night, with the #102 bit installed. I shut down everything, the machine,
CM, disconnected the computer to take it inside, (I don’t leave it in the shop overnight).
I wrote the email this morning when I came in the shop and turned everything back on and connected the computer and it was still doing the same thing.
I even thought about pulling the #102 out of the collet a few mm after it went through the BitSetter and before turning the router on. But I figured that might end badly, plus I want the machine to work the way it should, not to circumvent the system and not be operator error.
You might want to disable BitSetter, re-zero, and run the job to make sure everything else is OK (and eliminate the possibility that it’s a zero-setting problem like Will mentioned above).
If that doesn’t point to anything, shoot us an email and we can hop on a video chat to walk through everything with you.
Hopefully a typo, but did you set X or Z 2mm lower?
Is your wood warped? Properly secured? A “rocking” piece of warped wood can cause strange issues like this. How thick is your stock?
Zeroing in Lower Left, but where on your stock are you seeing the 3mm discrepancy? Have you let the machine run its course and see what happens, or have you stopped it mid cut?
If you uploaded a picture of the setup, a CC file, and a g-code file, somebody might see the quick fix.
Yes, that’s a typo, trying to make my email accurate… and I still missed. Yes, the Z axis. I put it a few mm below the surface of the wood, but still have the same result. The wood is simple plywood, 3/4 inch thick, secured properly to the work area.
All of my projects so far have been made using only one bit, So I didn’t even bother using the BitSetter, I had it disabled in options.
The previous project I did required going from 1/8" flat end mill (#102) to the 60° V bit (what is that #302?). Anyway, I thought I could just do the bit change by eyeballing it. Yeah…that didn’t go so well, it cut very deep into the project, but not so deep to get into the wasteboards and work table, but way too deep. I thought, “quit being dumb, you have the BitSetter, use it!” I chock everything up as a learning lesson.
Thanks. Nothing suspicious there.
The next step should really be to try this again with BitSetter disabled and double checking where your Z zero is at, right before starting the job, like Rob mentioned earlier
Once again…operator error. I didn’t check the wood very well. When I zeroed out on the lower left corner and I started really looking at it, the wood was swelled up…about that 2mm. So when I zeroed out the Z axis, and it starts machining in the center of the board…it is 2mm off the wood.
Thank you so much for your prompt help. And I’m sorry I feel like I wasted your time.
No problem at all. This is actually very helpful because we’ve been trying to catalog what the problems are that get lumped into the “BitSetter category” and I don’t think we would have come up with this as something to look at.
If people are working with rough stock (ie. wood cut in a backward wood mill) then there is often going to be a variance in the thickness. I’ve even seen variance in thickness of store bough 4’x8’ sheets of MDF or plywood however marginal compared to what I’ve seen in rough stock. Unless the wood has been through a planner this could always happen.
I have seen plenty of factory produced wood that is bowed and uneven thickness. Shim a piece that is not flat and surface with a fly bit. It is important that the wood does not move or you still have a wavy surface. V carvings are worst about showing uneven surface especially when shallow cuts are made.