Broken bit and Newbie not sure what to do?!?!

[billybehr]

Not fun!!! I was in the middle of carving the Corbels from the Tips & Tricks article and my cutting bit broke right at the end of a cut. I still have the board loaded and the machine on. I am afraid to turn it off for fear of messing something up. First question is, can I turn it off and still finish the cut when I get the new bit? The second, is is this normal? The bit was brand new out of the box. I would think it would last longer than this. The last question is, can I buy just the bit and not the whole bit adapter and bit? Please, help... Newbie in dire staits!!!

Bill

[SAA3840]

For what it's worth, I have been having problems getting Z-Axis stalls. I've started & stopped the same project 4-5 times and luckily enough, each time I restarted, the carve started right where it was supposed to. I even removed it and loaded it into my second machine and that machine measured it accurately enough to again start where it should. I admit this all was luck. You might get lucky too.

As far as your bits breaking, no you cannot buy just the bit. You have to buy the adapter and the bit. When you get a new new one, try to limit the amount/depth you cut in one pass. I try to limit mine to .125 (1/8") per pass.

Another thing you can do, buy a plain high speed steel straight router bit for any cuts less than 1/2" deep. I bought one at Lowe's for $13.
Good Luck

[forqnc]

Couple of things, was the cut 1 time and the full thickness of your board? What type of wood where you using, Hardwood/Soft? What version of software are you using?
Since the tab size and allowing multiple cuts came in ver 1.34 (I think) I have always only cut 0.25 depth at a time.
Good Luck

[Jeff_Birt]

Bit breakage can normally be attributed to not having the bit installed securely a cut out part coming loose or the board 'tipping' and binding the bit. If you are using a long piece of wood be sure to properly support with additional support rollers so that the weight of the wood does not cause it to tip up in the machine.

[mtylerfl]

...
Since the tab size and allowing multiple cuts came in ver 1.34 (I think) I have always only cut 0.25 depth at a time.
Good Luck

That feature came out in 1.131.

3/4" boards can be set at either single pass or 0.3" is a good number for multipasses.

[billybehr]

Thank you to all for the great advice. Now a listing of things I found I did wrong; hopefully other "newbies" can learn from me so as not to make the same $55 mistake (39.99 bit, plus shipping and tax) and a customer that has to wait on his Corbels.

1. Did not take the time to delve into someone elses pattern in Designer before I carved it. The depth was set way too deep for the cutting path; in fact I found out when I took it off my sled, that it went down past the 3/4" of my work piece. About 1/8th of an inch. I was cutting red oak- Newbie.

2. I did not have my outfeed rollers set properly. One of the corners was not supporting the board. Thank you Jeff for that one. This was the first time I had ever used a sled. So, too much stress on the bit- Newbie.

3. I used drywall screws on the back to hold my work piece down to the sled. Hint: don't place them in the path of the cutting bit- Newbie.

All in all a good learning experience. I just wish it was not such an expensive one.

[cnsranch]

I used drywall screws on the back to hold my work piece down to the sled. Hint: don't place them in the path of the cutting bit- Newbie.

Hot glue's my best friend (next to AW's masking tape:rolleyes:)