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tackytim
04-26-2017, 02:18 PM
Hello,

I have a pattern that I am carving that I built a sled for. The sled is 3/4 thick and the board I am carving is 3/4, so 1 1/2" thick total. I used the outline feature in designer and selected the pattern to be cut out. I loaded the board and the machine touched off with the 1/8 cutting bit and the machine gave the message "board too thick to cut through: 1) Abort 2) Continue" I chose continue and it is currently carving. When it completes the pattern with the cutting bit, will it treat the cut path as if it was cutting through only 3/4 and leave tabs like it normally would and just cut a little into my sled (as i was intending), or will it not perform the cut path at all? I realize the 1/8" bit only cuts 1" deep, I was thinking the machine would just use the thickness of the programmed board and perform the cut path just over 3/4 deep and leave the tabs.

This is my first project with a sled.

Thanks,

Tim

fwharris
04-26-2017, 02:38 PM
Did you get any message asking to cut through the project or the board? Did you set your board size in designer as 3/4 or 1 1/2?

tackytim
04-26-2017, 02:51 PM
No, the machine did not ask to cut through project or board. The board in designer was set to 3/4. From some searching on the forum, it seems it should have asked project or board. If it asks me to load the 1/8 bit after the carving bit has finished, I may just see what happens and have my finger on the stop button. I did set the max cut depth to .260 so it should take it in small cuts.

bergerud
04-26-2017, 03:11 PM
I believe that after the machine gives the board too thick message and you press continue, it will cut to the maximum depth possible. Be ready for the bit to cut into the sled. Tabs may be cut.

tackytim
04-26-2017, 04:24 PM
Well, it seems it wasn't a problem. The machine finished the carve, asked for the 1/8" bit, and started routing. It left the tabs and went into the sled only .075" (measured with dial caliper). *phew* :)

bergerud
04-26-2017, 06:45 PM
Did the machine ask for the board thickness before it continued?

tackytim
04-26-2017, 07:15 PM
No, it just asked to load 1/8 cutting bit, it touched off on the swing out plate and went to work. I'm almost positive it did not ask for cut through project/board at the beginning. I plan on making a 2nd identical project in a day or two, so when I start that one I'll make sure to note any prompts from the machine.

DianMayfield
04-27-2017, 06:00 AM
What I have found is that if the total thickness is one inch or less, the machine asks whether to cut through board/project. Over an inch (can't find sliding plate) it just says too thick, abort/continue. Selecting continue, it goes with the design thickness. Hasn't failed to use design thickness yet.

bergerud
04-27-2017, 10:09 AM
I my experience, if if cannot touch the sliding plate, it asks for the board thickness.

When it asks for board or project thickness it is because it did touch the sliding plate and the thickness it found did not agree with the project thickness.

There is a third case where it bobs at the keypad side and just says board too thick. I think that in that case, it does a max depth cut.

I do not know which case is happening here.

tackytim
04-29-2017, 02:07 PM
Running an identical project this afternoon. This is what the machine did:

Measured board, stay under rollers, center on board, etc, etc,
prompt for 1/8 cutting bit, spin up test
bobbed a couple times (keypad side - no z errors)
moved across machine and touched off on the slide out plate
returned to keypad side and bobbed a couple times (no z error)
Touched off on board (1 1/2" total thickness)
Message "Board to thick to cut through, 1) Abort 2) continue" pressed "2"
Load 1/16" carving bit, spin up test, bob keypad side, touch off on slide out plate
begin carve

To the best of my knowledge this is the exact sequence it went through on my first carve a couple days ago, and the end result was it performed the cut paths properly with tabs and penetrated .075" into the sled.

It works for me, but still wonder if i'm supposed to get the "project or board" prompt, or if its automatically assumed to cut through the project when the machine knows it cant go all the way through the board.

Cgav34
07-09-2017, 10:59 AM
I just attempted a project with a sled for the first time. Same as tackytim's...3/4" thick project piece & 3/4" thick sled. The project in Designer is 3/4" thick.

After touching off the board, to measure the thickness, I don't get a "Board Too Thick" message. It just moves over to the sliding plate, bobbs up and down a few times (never making it all the way down to the plate), then gives an error to the affect of "Ensure Sliding Plate Is In Place. 1) Retry 2) Abort"

Any suggestions??

bergerud
07-09-2017, 12:05 PM
My guess is that the bit touches by the brass roller and so expects to be able to touch at the sliding plate. How close to be sliding plate does the bit come?

(If the bit does not touch at the brass roller, the bit will still bob at the sliding plate but it will give then you the option to key in the board thickness.)

Cgav34
07-09-2017, 12:21 PM
Looks like it's missing the plate by roughly 3/4".

bergerud
07-09-2017, 12:33 PM
Could it be that the bob at the brass roller is touching the sled instead of passing beside the sled on the left?

(You may have to post sled pictures or explain exactly every move the machine makes.)

Cgav34
07-09-2017, 12:53 PM
Here's a pic of the sled. Sled is the same width as the project piece.

84445

After careful study, It appears the the Z sled is bottoming out before the 1/8" cutting bit as able to touch either the brass roller or the slide plate. Surely I'm doing something wrong :confused:

bergerud
07-09-2017, 01:01 PM
After careful study, It appears the the Z sled is bottoming out before the 1/8" cutting bit as able to touch either the brass roller or the slide plate. Surely I'm doing something wrong :confused:

That would explain it. The bit needs to be installed longer. Are you using the Rock Chuck?

Cgav34
07-09-2017, 01:06 PM
It's a new machine, so it has the CarveTight Spindle

84446

bergerud
07-09-2017, 01:25 PM
Does the bit touch the bit plate? Is the bit plate swinging out as it should?

Cgav34
07-09-2017, 01:31 PM
Bit plate is swinging out as it should. Then it comes back to the other side of the machine, bobs up and down a few times then moves over and touches off the board a few times, goes back over and tries to touch off the brass roller but bottoms out, then goes over to the sliding plate and bottoms out. Then I get the error message. It never gives me a "board too thick" message.

bergerud
07-09-2017, 01:43 PM
Now that I think about it, the truck should not bottom out during normal touching routines. Does the truck move smoothly up and down? If on initially moving up to find 0, it encountered resistance, it might get the z calibration wrong and then go down to far.

Make sure the truck moves smoothly throughout the whole travel distance. It should go right to the top when it first homes.

(No other ideas at the moment!)

Cgav34
07-09-2017, 02:30 PM
Here's a link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/ggt1wjd1iuj7god/File%20Jul%2009%2C%202%2055%2056%20PM.mov?dl=0) to a video showing what's going on. It looks like the spindle is hitting the board, causing it to stop, but that's just the camera angle.

fwharris
07-09-2017, 02:56 PM
Is it actually touching the top of the sliding plate?

Cgav34
07-09-2017, 03:00 PM
Is it actually touching the top of the sliding plate?

it's not touching the sliding plate

fwharris
07-09-2017, 03:05 PM
Is it not going down far enough or not moving over it to touch?

Cgav34
07-09-2017, 03:14 PM
Is it not going down far enough or not moving over it to touch?

The Z truck is bottoming out, so it's not going all the way down. Look back a few posts to see my original issue along with picture of the sled I'm using and some other troubleshooting comments.

Sorry tackytim...didn't mean to hijack your post :rolleyes:

tackytim
07-09-2017, 03:36 PM
Cgav34, I don't feel hijacked. Sorry you are having problems. Is the sliding plate all the way up against the sled? If it's not all the way up against it with maybe a small shim to keep it from rubbing a lot, the bit might be missing the spot it needs to touch. I believe my machine behaved the same way, but it DID touch the slide plate. Then it asked abort or continue. I did not get the message you are getting.

bergerud
07-09-2017, 04:43 PM
Let me explain how I think things work. Just before the machine tries to determine the board thickness by touching the sliding plate, it bobs at the brass roller. This bob is not really a measurement; it does it only to get an estimate as to where the sliding plate will be.

Normally, with a board thickness of 1" or less, it touches at the brass roller and then goes for the sliding plate. If there is no touch at the sliding plate, it asks only retry or abort because it knows it should be able to touch it.

If it cannot touch at the brass roller, it still goes for the touch at the sliding plate (who knows why!). But, this time when it cannot touch, it asks retry or continue and lets you input the board thickness.

(There is another case where it measures the board thickness and finds it far off. In this case it asks which thickness to use - project or board.)

In your case, it seems that it thinks it is touching at the brass roller when it is not. The truck is bottoming out and the machine is mistaking that for a touch. Then, when it cannot touch the sliding plate, you only get retry or abort.

I think something is wrong here with the firmware or the z truck encoder. Reformat and reflash the card to first eliminate the firmware.

fwharris
07-09-2017, 04:53 PM
Would it be worth doing a Z calibration?

Cgav34
07-09-2017, 05:33 PM
formatted card, but did the same thing again. I have some 1/2" MDF that I'm going to cut tomorrow for the base of a new sled, see if that works.

Still don't know why 3/4" wont work though.