I am batching out a project (each board is fixtured in the same location and has approximately the same thinkness) that has a tool change in the middle of the milling operation. The project starts with a 0.25" end mill and finishes with a 0.125" end mill. The BitSetter is a life saver for this and just works!
My question is once the milling is complete and I have turned off the router, what is the correct process for starting the next board? Do I restart the the milling operation in CarbideMotion and then let the tool change switch back to the 0.25" end mill? Or do I use the Load New Tool button to load the 0.25" end mill and then start the operation again?
I’m asking because last evening my first board turned out correctly but the second board at a deeper pocket by ~3mm.
Use the Load New tool button, or wait for the prompt to load an 0.25" tool and load it then — just make sure the tool is loaded at a time that Carbide Motion is aware of the change and will then measure the new tool length offset, see:
As Will says, you should just be good to go and ignore what is in the collet until you are told to do something.
When starting the next board is the same thickness as the old one? You say “approximately the same thickness” but it would need to be exactly the same thickness to have the same pocket.