Quick question, is there a way to “outsmart” Carbide Motion with depth?
I’m trying to cut letters for an epoxy fill, and I chose a font that gets very thin in certain areas, (yes, I chose poorly).
I’ve cut the letters a couple times and changed the depth of cut each time, but that doesn’t seem to matter, the letters are a certain thickness and it doesn’t make them deeper.
I had thought about lifting the work piece and shimming it with…I was thinking a few razor blades or something similar. That way there the bitsetter won’t realize I changed the ‘thickness’ of the wood project.
I was just curious what others may have done in this situation.
If you just want to move an entire toolpath up or down a bit, you can just change your Z zero.
I use this technique a lot when surfacing. I’ll run a path at Z0 (I enter 0.0001 in the max depth, and it outputs 0.000). Then on the machine I touch off the surface & set Z to 0.010. If I need to take more after the path finishes, it’s sitting somewhere around 4" in Z. So if it says 3.956, and I want another 0.010, I change 3.956 to 3.966. Now it thinks the tool is sitting 0.010 higher, or the Z0 is 0.010 lower.
Then just rerun the program.
You could do an advanced vcarve with a 15/20 degree vee bit and limit the depth but get the maximum depth the line will allow. As @WillAdams or @Tod1d you could modify the z zero or offset and make it slightly bigger with the offset. With a simple vcarve the bit will only go as deep as the lines allow. If you limit depth in simple vcarve some bits will barely scratch the surface. So for fine lines do a 15/20 degree vee bit and use bottom of material for simple vcarve to get the maximum depth on fine lines or switch to advanced vcarve and limit depth but still deep the deepest cut possible on fine lines.
Simple vcarve goes down the center of the line until it touches both sides of the line. An advanced vcarve goes around the perimeter of the lines but you can limit depth for thin material. You can also use flat bottom end mill for the large areas to make a flat bottom for those areas like in your big V.
I use the same method as @Tod1d if I find I need to lower a toolpath without re-programming. I just move the bit to somewhere off the material, lower it to negative whatever depth I want to go deeper and re-zero.
Thank you to all you guys that chimed in to help me!
I get a solution or idea in my head and I’m pretty sure it’s not the best way, (all that overthinking things and such, but caught in the moment).
Anyway, the font I was having issues with was all at the bottom of the work piece, I actually did just loosen my clamps on the bottom, slipped a razor blade under the work piece, clamped it down tight again, and ran the date again, it came out perfectly.
I will keep in mind what you guys said about going off the workpiece and resetting to Z axis a millimeter (or whatever I need lower).
Thank you again, I value your experience and willingness to always help out!
It is easier when working from the top, but not better. I just have to pick a spot like the t-track that is lower than the wasteboard when choosing the bottom. So yeah, an extra step for sure. But most of the time that I have to slightly lower the Z, it is a v-carve, and I usually set Z from the top center for those anyway. Most other jobs I set off the wasteboard.
