Hi all,
I need to cut two simple lines. Creating two lines is easy, making a tool path is easy enough on the two open (pink) vectors.
But, it only cuts on one direction, wasting a bunch of time pulling out of the material, travelling to the start of the line, and continuing the cut.
There doesn’t seem to be a setting to make this easy, so what is the work around?
Thanks everyone!
I don’t think you can in CC. Unless you use separate toolpaths for each depth, and 2 separate curves that start & end at opposite ends. If the curve is not mirrorable/symmetrical, you would have to draw it in and fine tune it manually. (not fun)
If you create the lines in a vector program such an Affinity Designer (AD), Illustrator or, possibly, Inkscape, the lines will have a start end and a stop end. In AD, for example, one end is designated with a red square node, the other a black circle node. These can be reversed.
CC uses this directionality. So you can simple reverse one of your lines or create it in the opposite direction from the other.
I think, at least in the case of AD, that CC reads the line from finish to start, at leas that was true when I experimented a couple years ago.
That does seem possible, but I agree not fun!
Humm, that’s interesting. I will experiment with that. Finding a work around directly in CC would be ideal, of course.
I’m not sure how CC creations handle this, Try creating one line opposite the other. (I’d experiment but I’m cooking!)
Note that Pro adds an option for reversing a toolpath.
Um, which toolpath? And where is it found?
OK…well that’s certainly not intuitive terminology!
So…if I have a single vector (open) with a contour…and it’s set to a depth that requires multiple paths - does this setting make each progressive depth go in opposite directions - or does it still retract, pass to the beginning of the vector, and cut at the next depth?
That, to me, is the real time waster…it could just as easily cut back along the path at the next depth.
Climb vs. conventional are the standard terminology used in machining for direction of cut:
No, you would need multiple toolpaths (one for each pass) and the machine would lift out of the cut at each end.
As mentioned, just create one line in the direction opposite the other. I create all my lines in a separate program but I just tried this directly in CC and it’s applicable there as well.
Climb/Conventional is not available with No Offset. It could be, and the default conventional could cut the curve start to end, and changing it to climb would cut end to start. (?)
Other software has Climb/Conventional/Mixed, where Mixed will cut both directions as Dale suggested.
I thought maybe a very thin (0.001) closed curve with full DOC and ramping might work. But for longer curves the ramp angle would need to be less than 0.1" and the field only allows one decimal place. 
A man’s gotta eat lol.
Oh, that’s an interesting idea!
Climb and conventional cutting terms are really only appropriate when the bit is in contact with the material on one side with the other side free. Think of milling a rabbet on a router table. You typically feed the stock against the cutters rotation, if you feed it with the cutter’s rotation you run the risk of the cutter pulling the stock uncontrollably away from you. Same reason circular saws rotate against the cut. If you’re removing only a very small amount, feeding with the rotation can, depending on grain, give you a smoother cut.
Substituting climb for conventional to run a line in the opposite direction is a kludge. Better would be a way to reverse the directionality of the line, something most vector graphics programs provide.
The idea of running the mill both directions in a multi depth slot is appealing. One related technique I’ve seen is that some software uses ramping in such a fashion that the mill continually descends over the course of the cut versus, as in CC, descending to a plateau, finishing that level, ramping down to the next plateau etc. Now this would be a really cool way to slot.
It appears CC has some ability to reverse line polarity, in the Engrave toolpath you have the option to Cut Both Ways.
So, This is just creating a line from screen top to the bottom, and then a second line from bottom to the top as an example, selecting both and then just making a single tool path for the two open vectors? That seems easy enough.
Yep.
But, as Gary pointed out, if the slots (dados?) require multiple passes because they’re deeper than the Depth per Pass, these passes will be repeated just like the first pass. Still, a time saver.
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