using advanced vcarve with 60 degree in this file…attached. the bottom line (Next Stop …) does not carve the “Next” clearly. have tried adjusting depth of cut but no improvement. thoughts?
Steve and Julie v3.c2d (632 KB)
saatisfied with everything except last line. with material still in place tried redoing the bottom line and adjusting depth of cut…but no improvement.
Steve and Julie v3.c2d (632 KB)
Is your MDF trammed to match the movement of the machine?
Is your stock of uniform thicknress?
It is very close in terms of thickness….but wouldn’t increasing depth of cut across the entire line address that?
The depth of cut won’t adapt to varying thicknesses unless your comm/control program has a feature for probing the current stock and adjusting for any variation.
Using a more acute tool will help somewhat.
without totally starting over is there a fix just to get those first two letters?
- Create a new ‘Text’ object with just those two letters
- Drag into alignment with the existing text
- Create a new toolpath for those two letters.
- Set your Z Zero right where the two letters are
- Disable the other toolpaths, and run just that new one.
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Did you change the X-Y zero? That needs to stay the same, it’s the Z Zero that should be set over the letters.
Yup….will try to reset. Oh my, rookie mistakes.
I think you will ultimately start over when you see how much better you can do. A few thoughts:
your last line will not carve deeper than ~0.06 in ( about 1/16 of an inch) with a vcarve tool path regardless of how deep you tell it. This is a function of the size of the text and the bit you are using with a vcarve toolpath. You can go shallower with poor results - but not deeper. Larger text or a smaller bit with a vcarve tool path would allow deeper cuts but there may still be a limit. A contour tool path would allow you to go as deep as you want and eventually cut into your spoil board.
None of your vcarve toolpath results look like they are going to the correct depth. This could be your z zero is not accurately set (you are not carving very deep and being slightly off can have a significant impact on a shallow vcarve), your spoil board is not flat, your material being cut is not flat, your bit does not have a sharp point on the end (or on a rare occasion something more serious).
A v carve tool path is probably not the best choice for the states (countries). All you need here is a clean outline. Try a contour toolpath with no offset but use the 60 degree v bit, at a depth which gives you the width/depth look you like.
The advanced v carve tool path on the stars is limiting the depth they need to look the way you probably picture they should (you have the max depth set to 0.079).The stars as drawn and cut with a 60 degree bit will never exceed 0.15 inch in depth and that is about how deep they would cut with a vcarve tool path and give a much better result.
I would recommend practicing with MDF, with a few letters, a star, and the country. Be sure your zero is set accurately. No reason to attempt the entire plaque while you are troubleshooting/fine tuning your project. If MDF looks acceptable, then go into wood which introduces grain and may or may not add its own issues depending on the type of wood. If you have one, experiment with a 30 degree bit vs. the 60 degree bit to see the difference ( the 30 will go deeper with the same text). Homework today: Devote a day to experiment with the above and write a ten page synopsis (just kidding of course).
Cheers.
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After plenty of issues here is finished project…on ash, second one (serving tray) on cherry. Some good first projects…learned a lot.
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