So, one of the downsides to using a 45 degree Vbit is that as it goes down in depth it also cleans out by the same amount laterally. This can make it more difficult to achieve nice, tight corners as very small factors can easily mess it up.
Now, it should be possible to get nice tight corners in your case, but everything has to be perfect. One of the culprits of ruined V-carving is material warpage/shrinkage. Once you start shaping into a board, the wood can/will start changing shape as its internal stresses change with removal of material.
This makes material hold-down critical to keeping the top surface where itās expected to be during V-carves. Even small changes to the surface height can have a detrimental effect, and IMO, the most likely cause of poor corner-cleanout if machine & toolpath design factors are confirmed non-issues.
As your inlay carves are quite small, it can be difficult to troubleshoot the problem to find the solution. Best thing you can do is try out the same cut on a piece of scrap MDF or maybe bamboo cutting board - something that is known to be more stable to compare against.
It almost looks like the tool was not defined correctly in Carbide Create. When the corners flare out like that, itās usually indicative of the tool being skinnier than expected. Can you share how it was defined in the tool library?
Guys, I need some help with this inlay thing. Iāve tried twice and gotten the same results. Iām following Winstonās tutorial to set up the plug depth and socket depth, and my plugs are coming out REALLY loose. Iāve got a ton of play. Hereās a quick run-down of my setup. (Iām using inches, not mm). I realize the depths are really overboard, but Iām trying to figure out where Iām going wrong with setup and wanted to give myself plenty of play.
Socket - Advanced V-carve with 1/8" endmill and 60 degree V-bit set at .2" depth
Plug - Advanced V-carve with 1/8" endmill and 60 degree V-bit. āInlay modeā box is checked. Plug depth is .15" and top gap is .125".
Again, I realize this is way overboard, but I wanted to give myself room to actually see what was going on. The first time I tried, I set socket depth at .1" and plug depth at .08" with a .05" top gap.
Whatās happening is the plug is bottoming out in the socket and thereās at least a good 1/16" gap all around the sides of the plug. On my second attempt, I just sanded off about 1/8" from the plug and itās fitting pretty good now, but I have next to nothing for top gap.
What am I doing wrong, or what am I missing? I even idiot-checked myself to make sure I didnāt put a 90 degree V-bit in instead of the 60 degree.
It looks like you input your 60 degree bit yourself as a custom tool. In the simulation, it appears that Create thinks you have a 30 degree bit. Please double check your tool definition or just pretend you have a #302 bit.
Here is my final output for the inlay. The base is mesquite and the inlay is maple. In the center is a graphic I used Affinity Photo to create. Our woodworking club has a painted sign that is about 3āx3ā and from a picture of that sign I was able to extract the log and used the text on a path to circle the log. I printed that on matte photo paper and used 3M 99 contact cement to glue it into the recess. The recess was .1" and I trimmed the picture to perfectly fit in the recess. I put 3 key holes in the back. The recipient can hang it on a single or on the outside two key holes. It only took about 2 minutes to cut the 3 key holes so why limit what and how it can be hung.
I had a previous attempt that failed. On that one I cut a .2" recess for the photo. Since it was a failure I tried MAS table top epoxy to see if it would look ok. I wanted to finish the whole plaque with the table top epoxy. However the epoxy looked cloudy so I just finished it with gloss poly.
This plaque was created to thank Dr Kulhavy for his assistance in getting a woodworking show that is at the SFA affiliated Cole Art Center in downtown Nacogdoches Texas. I went in photoed all the exibits and made a video. If you have time please take a look at the youtube video of our woodworking show.
Thanks a ton Winston! I figured it was something stupid on my part. I guess I had fat-fingered the angle on that V-bit and have just never noticed. The inlay was still a bottoming out on the socket, but Iāll just know to make it a bit deeper and I should be fine.
Thanks again for your help. This community really is great . Always helpful people.
