Help - Erratic Measurements?

[c6craig]

Hi All-

I am having a strange problem that I am hoping someone else has seen.

1.Load Board
2.Choose "measure length"
It measures and gives me correct length.

Leave everything exactly the way it is and choose to start a project:
Measures board and tells me the measurement is barely above the project board.

For example:
Trying to carve the Round "Notions & Sundries" Box from the April 09 Tips & Tricks.
Project length is 18", actual board is 25" to allow for the 7" slop.

1.I choose measure length on board and it tells me, 25.68".
2.I start the project, it measures the board again and tells me 18.91/18.0 and asks if I want to center, scale or load new board.

I choose to center, it starts. I don't know if it will work, I am carving it now. When I tried this with the Tic Tac Toe project last night the carve was all over the place and none of the cut paths overlapped each other.

I am using masking tape on the board and the board is straight as a ruler. I can move the board freely and can tell it is not binding against the slide guide.

Ideas?

Thanks,
Craig

[dbfletcher]

What firmware are you using? A bunch of us had symptoms like that with 1.15... but 1.152 seemed to clear it up.

[c6craig]

I am using firmware version 1.152, but thanks for the suggestion!

Craig

[dbfletcher]

is the o-ring on the brass roller... does it "spin" pretty freely?

[fwharris]

Craig,

You did not mention about the staying under rollers prompt and how you answered it.

Not sure why but some times that will give you the shorter measurement issue like you are having. Since you know you have the extra length, tell the CW to "not" stay under the rollers. It will see that you have a board 7" longer than what you need. Then select "center" on board...

[c6craig]

Yep, that looks fine to me. The part that gets me is that it measures fine when I am just measuring a board. I can do that over and over with perfect results.

Even after a perfect measurement, without moving anything, just starting the project, then it wants to measure differently.

This is pretty consistent for all projects.

Thanks,
Craig

[c6craig]

Good point there, I usually just answer yes to stay under rollers as a matter of habit, I will have to try answering no and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for the idea :)

Craig

[fwharris]

Good point there, I usually just answer yes to stay under rollers as a matter of habit, I will have to try answering no and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for the idea :)

Craig

Thought so!!! Saying "no" works for me on all my carves...

[renuts]

Tryed to do the same project but it asked to scale 7.25 or 2.15? How should I answer? One of the solution was to place masking tape! Where do Iplace the masking tape?

[Pratyeka]

Tryed to do the same project but it asked to scale 7.25 or 2.15? How should I answer? One of the solution was to place masking tape! Where do Iplace the masking tape?

on the edge of the board you want to appear longer to the machine. tape on the top side of the board, with a bit of tape overhanging. The edge sensor will see the tape and measure to the edge of the tape instead of the wood. so if it measure the wood at 4.24 and you want 4.25, then place an overhang of approx .02, just to make sure the machine see longer (or wider) than necessary.

You must place the tape where the sensor will take the measurement, of course. If in X, that's the middle of the board's Y. If in Y, wherever you place the board, the area under the Z truck.

[Digitalwoodshop]

OAK..... A Board Foot of Masking Tape is pennies.... A Board Foot of Oak.... DOLLARS.....

Oak is HARD and the Brass Roller has a hard time with digging into the oak... Masking tape along the brass roller track is your friend..... With Oak... 2 Strips down the length of the board is GOOD too.... Prevents slipping....

Now for the Stay under the rollers.... Saying YES and not having your Board Length in Designer PLUS 7 inches to stay under the rollers will make the machine TAKE the 7 inches from your WOOD and leave you with what is left over IF the wood is shorter than the length of wood in Designer PLUS 7 inches.

It will then ask you if you want to SCALE the project? Saying YES will make the ART smaller to meet the requirements of the real world board that is too short.

If the board was Physically Longer than Designer Board Length PLUS 7 inches then nothing bad will happen.

If you ever see the message.... Scale Project OR Place on CORNER then you will have a scaling PROBLEM.

You can save yourself a lot of Grief if you start doing projects like I do...

I open my Designer and draw a 4 inch box and place is on the RIGHT side of my Designer Board. That is my "Stay Under the ROLLERS wood". I then start all artwork to the LEFT of that box.... I end the left side of the wood in designer just past my project.

I then use a board that is longer than my project. I cut a bunch of signs from 5 foot long wood. I get 2 signs from each piece.

I use PLACE ON END rather than center. Since I leave 4 inches of wood on the right side of designer, it works out for me as I always place 2 inches of wood on each side of the wording. On the 4 inch side, I cut a 2 inch deep slot in my 4 x 4 to mount the sign. I cut off the 5 foot board 2 inches past the text and have a blank ready for the next sign.

Using Place on END is valuable too for making a Carrier Board. I use the 4 inch rule in designer and with my plastic cutting Carrier Board I place a waste piece on the Carrier Board and then place a Factory 12 x 24 inch piece on the Carrier Board. I also places a waste piece at the other end too. My Touch Area is on the waste piece too preventing the bit from placing 2 dots in my finished tag material.

Used the same idea with cutting Bears..... This Bear Sled had a 5 inch waste area in Designer and I just taped the board on the Carrier board.

Get in the habit of using Place On END... It will save WOOD.... I have stacks and stacks of 4 inch cut off's..... I place them on a carrier board and make Christmas Ornaments from them. Nothing Wasted....

AL

Picture 1 shows the artwork in Designer, the 4 inch to the right of the logo was spaced with a 4 x 4 inch box. Removed the box and sent the screen shot to the customer for OK before CUT.... See the left side of Designer, no big deal... Using a board longer than my artwork, using place on END then after the sign is cut, I measure 2 inches from the text and cut off the blank.

Picture 3 and 4 are Carrier Boards used to make stuff with WASTE WOOD.... Artwork never changes... Just slap another chunk of wood on the board and let it run.... Cut it off later and butt it up again.... Making smaller bears with smaller cut off's... I even have a side rail version to mount 4 inch blocks with space between them, 3 at a time making Christmas Ornaments. Should say to the Right of Designer not Left.... I think Ken fixed that one for me one time....

Picture 5 shows how I place a standard piece of plastic, 12 x 24 with waste on both ends and cut tags.

PLACE ON END is your FRIEND.... USE IT....

Stepping OFF my Soap Box.....

AL
The Last Picture

[liquidguitars]

Yes +1000
I not sure who came up with the subtract 7" in Designer virtual board BS but I think its 90% of the layout mess ups around here. like your saving wood but your not. ;)



Heres my layout like Al's, Dotted lines show the extra 4" on each side needed for my sled, everything is the same size 1:1. so it's quick to index.

http://96.9.54.101/liquidguitars.com/assets/images/BodyDesign.jpg

LG

[Digitalwoodshop]

7 inches, the distance between the rollers....

If you made a Carrier Board with a permanent piece of scrap wood and bumped the new wood up to it, that would save new wood.....

AL

[liquidguitars]

yes agreed. I was talking in Designer adding the 4" as the way to do it..