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View Full Version : Me, my new carvewright, and help with my first project



brewmeister35
11-20-2011, 09:01 AM
Hi everyone,

I just sort of inherited a carvewright from my dad who bought it, never figured out the software, and just finally wanted it out of his shop. I've gone through most of the tutorials but haven't bothered cutting them yet. I carved names into boards for use in a "pet food bowl holder" which turned out great. The one I'm making for my dad however needs to be good and make him happy that I'll be able to use it. I have read the manual and tons and tons of the posts here.

For tutorial design project 4, the tutorial never told me to set a "maximum pass depth" for cutting out the address sign along the cut path. Am I understanding correctly that this should be set somewhere around .100 to avoid breaking bits or losing traction?

Also, do I need to use tape on the bottom of the board or not until I have tracking problems?

So, I'm attaching my project here in hopes someone might explain why the arc at the top is broken but the line is solid. Also I'm also concerned about the cut path on the top (the arc) as I've read that the board sensor will be reading incorrectly. Does using the tabs stop that from happening?

One more curious question (for now): With a cut path, or a pierced carving, what stops the bit from drilling into the belt? The thickness of the board I set? or does it use it's own measurement?

Thanks for all your informative posts so far also.

If someone who knows what they are doing could peek at my project and make sure It'll work okay and not break anything, or just make any suggestions, I'd greatly appreaciate it.

David

CarverJerry
11-20-2011, 09:16 AM
David, first of all welcome to the forum and congratulations on your inhertiance. I'll let someone else chime in on the cut path details, but there is one thing I ALWAYS do when ever there is a cut path involved and that is I use a jig or carrier. I also ALWAYS use tape on the bottom for the brass roller, the price of tape vers... the cost of a tool is a no brainer. Since the machine has been sitting around you may want to be sure the flex shaft is lubbed but not over lubbed. There are plenty of threads on the flex shaft so if you do a search you will find them, be sure to use "quotes" around your search word(s). Good luck and enjoy.

bergerud
11-20-2011, 11:36 AM
It is curious about the break in the cut path arc. I think it may be a bug. If you flip the cut to the other side of the arc, the break disappears. (If you flip it horizontally, the breaks move to the ends.)

The cutting bit cannot ever cut into the tracking sensor or belts. (unless it breaks off and gets carried with the board) Take a closer look at how only the board moves in the x direction and the bit stays between the belts.

You will get a warning message that you may break the cutting bit since the board will leave the brass roller as the cut is made to the end of the board. The brass roller is responsible for the accurate tracking of the board x position. If the board slips, the bit may break. Your board will also not stay under both rubber rollers as the cutting nears the ends of the board. I would say it is a bit risky for a first project. Breaking a cutting bit is no fun. You should make the board 7" longer and also wider and cut out the whole sign out from the middle of the board. (Also set the maximum pass depth to 0.25.)

AskBud
11-20-2011, 11:55 AM
Hi everyone,

I just sort of inherited a carvewright from my dad who bought it, never figured out the software, and just finally wanted it out of his shop. I've gone through most of the tutorials but haven't bothered cutting them yet. I carved names into boards for use in a "pet food bowl holder" which turned out great. The one I'm making for my dad however needs to be good and make him happy that I'll be able to use it. I have read the manual and tons and tons of the posts here.

1) For tutorial design project 4, the tutorial never told me to set a "maximum pass depth" for cutting out the address sign along the cut path. Am I understanding correctly that this should be set somewhere around .100 to avoid breaking bits or losing traction?
Since we can not control the feed rate (Truck or board travel) I use .200 or .250 as a Max Pass Depth on most of my cut-outs. This saves me the worry of a bit that is getting dull or a board that is too hard.
2) Also, do I need to use tape on the bottom of the board or not until I have tracking problems?
Masking tape on the bottom of your board, where the brass roller contacts, assures that you get good contact with the wood. It's never wrong, as it also hides small flaws or dips which could cause a problem. If the brass roller looses contact the board will rapidly run until the roller contacts again, or you will get an abort. Running will break a cutting bit.
3) So, I'm attaching my project here in hopes someone might explain why the arc at the top is broken but the line is solid. Also I'm also concerned about the cut path on the top (the arc) as I've read that the board sensor will be reading incorrectly. Does using the tabs stop that from happening?
Most times, we make sure our cut-outs are about 3/4 inch away from the top of our boards to avoid problems. One way to assure this is to use an actual board wider than your design. Your design is 6 inches. So, if you use an actual board 7 inches wide the machine will give you a prompt asking if you wish to "Scale" your project. You will select "NO" and also select "Center on Board". This will assure that you avoid the potential of an abort due to the thru cuts at the top of your project.

The rendering of your cut-out in designer seem to be a software flaw that should not cause you a problem. If I "Flip" the line, the rendering shows the full cut-out. When I go back to your original, and also apply the "Hide Cutout" Icon I get a true vision of the cutout action.

Tabs are automatic on a true Cut-out. You may select the number and height of your tabs as you apply the cut-out. This is also where you apply your Max Pass Depth.
4) One more curious question (for now): With a cut path, or a pierced carving, what stops the bit from drilling into the belt? The thickness of the board I set? or does it use it's own measurement?
This one is for your learning curve. The bit truck never moves forward or back. It is on a stationary track which is over the gap between the traction belts. The machine does a "depth/thickness" test at set-up to determine the amount of depth it will use on cut-out actions. It measures at the sliding plate and at the keyboard side.

On "Pierced" carvings, you assign tabs. My download link, below, has a lesson titled "Pierced Carving-How I made it" that will help you understand the concept.
Thanks for all your informative posts so far also.

If someone who knows what they are doing could peek at my project and make sure It'll work okay and not break anything, or just make any suggestions, I'd greatly appreaciate it.

David
Enjoy your CarveWright.
AskBud

brewmeister35
11-20-2011, 02:27 PM
Thanks guys. Bud, I have a friend of mine with better internet downloading your tutorial vids. Thanks a ton for making them! I chose 6 inches for the width of the piece because I don't want to use the last of my widest oak board and I have a few that are 6 inches. I left 1/2 inch because that's what it had me do on tutorial 4's address sign. I'm cutting them both out of 2x material for practice since I'm new at this thing, then if it works, I'll try with the 3/4 oak and set the cut depth a little lighter.

Another curious question: Is there any way to flip everything on the board so I could just cut it upside down? That would keep the uncut side against the sensor. I've drawn the arcs so many times trying to learn the software that I really don't want to draw them again lol.

brewmeister35
11-20-2011, 03:11 PM
While the address sign is carving, I'm still thinking about this mickey sign. The board I will be using is actually 29 inches long. As I understand how this all works, I'm supposed to design my finished project in designer and use a board 7 inches longer and choose stay under rollers. Since I'm ending my board height (for this project) at 3 inches, I'll have to actually take it to the chop saw for the final length which will separate the cut away section of the upper arc. Did I make it harder by not keeping the whole project inside the board?

AskBud
11-20-2011, 03:35 PM
Thanks guys. Bud, I have a friend of mine with better internet downloading your tutorial vids. Thanks a ton for making them! I chose 6 inches for the width of the piece because I don't want to use the last of my widest oak board and I have a few that are 6 inches. I left 1/2 inch because that's what it had me do on tutorial 4's address sign. I'm cutting them both out of 2x material for practice since I'm new at this thing, then if it works, I'll try with the 3/4 oak and set the cut depth a little lighter.

Another curious question: Is there any way to flip everything on the board so I could just cut it upside down? That would keep the uncut side against the sensor. I've drawn the arcs so many times trying to learn the software that I really don't want to draw them again lol.Reversing this project is not as hard as you think. We can use the "Flip and Rotate" tools on your project. I've also sent you a private message so I can walk you through the easiest way (rather than making a new video).
AskBud

CarverJerry
11-20-2011, 04:12 PM
David, here are a couple of threads I found for using a jig, sled, what ever you want to call this carrier. These may help you when it comes to carving smaller pieces too. But one thing to keep in mind is most say to make the ends 3 1/2", but like liquidguitar (LG) says make them longer like 4". Check these threads out..... http://forum.carvewright.com/showthread.php?18125-sled&highlight=sled
and this one where LG talks about the longer ends or tails.... http://forum.carvewright.com/showthread.php?17478-Sled-Question&highlight=sled and another one by LG (Brandon)..... http://forum.carvewright.com/showthread.php?14648-Make-a-sled-with-Designer.&highlight=sled
Hope this helps you out a little.

brewmeister35
11-25-2011, 05:17 PM
Well, here's the final product. It's going on a pet food bowl stand. Thanks to bud for the help. The original design that I posted did actually miss cutting the middle as it showed in the .mpc. All fixed now. Thanks again bud!
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