1/4" Ballnose Pattern Bit

[MetalCutter]

Hello All,

I called Tech Support on Sat. but no answer so I left a message with no response. I searched the forum and no luck. So here's the problem: I wrote a simple program for a threshold for my kitchen, which I set it up selecting the 1/4" ballnose as the pattern bit. I loaded the machine, started the project, measured the board and it then asked me for a 1/16" carving bit. I turned the machine off checked the program, good, checked firmware version, 1.12, reloaded the program and same results, "Load 1/16" Carving Bit". Any help or suggestions would be 'muchly' appreciated.?

Thanks,
Rick

[cajunpen]

When it asks for the 1/16 bit - go ahead and put your 1/4" in, should not cause a problem and the machine should carve what you designed, after all - it's smart - but it can be fooled.

[CallNeg151]

Hello All,

I called Tech Support on Sat. but no answer so I left a message with no response. I searched the forum and no luck. So here's the problem: I wrote a simple program for a threshold for my kitchen, which I set it up selecting the 1/4" ballnose as the pattern bit. I loaded the machine, started the project, measured the board and it then asked me for a 1/16" carving bit. I turned the machine off checked the program, good, checked firmware version, 1.12, reloaded the program and same results, "Load 1/16" Carving Bit". Any help or suggestions would be 'muchly' appreciated.?

Thanks,
Rick

Did you actually start carving? Normally at the beginning of the job it has you cycle through all of the bits in the job, so, did you abort right after it asked for the bit? Or did you wait and see if it then prompted you for the 1/4" ballnose bit afterward? Throw in a piece of scrap wood and see if it starts carving the 1/4" ballnose pattern with the 1/16th" carving bit, without prompting you. You'll waste about 10 seconds on the carving motor figuring that one out.

If you post a project file, someone here can also take a quick look at it to see if maybe there's an error in the file. I've wasted many an hour making mistakes that would have been obvious to someone else.

[MetalCutter]

Thanks cajunpen,

The purpose of using the 1/4" ball was to save cut time without sacrificing finish by increasing stepover and still maintaining the same contour shape. I was assuming the software does this automatically and the rendering seems to be what I want and it showed a larger radius at the bottom of the wall. Do you know if the software has actually compensated stepover and adjusted for the larger ball dia. and if not, does draft mode accomplish this without decreasing the tool tip accuracy? So far all my projects have been cut in "best" mode with the 1/16" carver.

Again, Thanks

[MetalCutter]

Did you actually start carving? Normally at the beginning of the job it has you cycle through all of the bits in the job, so, did you abort right after it asked for the bit? Or did you wait and see if it then prompted you for the 1/4" ballnose bit afterward? Throw in a piece of scrap wood and see if it starts carving the 1/4" ballnose pattern with the 1/16th" carving bit, without prompting you. You'll waste about 10 seconds on the carving motor figuring that one out.

If you post a project file, someone here can also take a quick look at it to see if maybe there's an error in the file. I've wasted many an hour making mistakes that would have been obvious to someone else.

Yes, I stopped it. The 1/4" is all I told it to use. Here's the file. And Yes, I could put some scrap in the machine but since I can't read the code or plot the actual toolpath I prefer not to do that type of experiment but you can try it if you feel inclined.

[RC Woodworks]

Metal, I did see one problem with your design. In the rectangle you have your height set at 999 same as your eagle. This cancels out each other and you will find your eagle recessed.

By setting your height in the rectangle to 100 or less and the eagle to 999 you will have the results you want. Oh also reset your depth to 1/4 inch or so the deeper you can go it will be more detailed.

The 1/16th bit will work for this project but will take some time. I hope this helps.

Rick

[MetalCutter]

Rick (good name!),

Thanks for the advice but I already made a shorter version of this for my other kitchen doorway. It was only 29" but took over 2.5hrs with the 1/16" bit. I wanted to carve this 57" one with the 1/4", finishing the bacground then come back in another program and run the eagle with the 1/16" for depth and detail. That's when I found this software glitch. I will try to get hold of a human at LHR.

Have a good one.

Rick

[Dan-Woodman]

The 1/16" bit you'll be useing for detail, won't cut any faster or with more detail by useing a 1/4" ballnose first. You'll save time and where on the machine by doeing it all in one pass. The machine carves at the same speed no mater if you remove material first.
Also your carve regioncovers your entire board witch will give you an alarm sayingcarving across the entire board will interfior with roller compression. You will need to put this piece on a sled.

later Daniel

[MetalCutter]

Daniel,
I didn't plan on recutting the entire piece with the 1/16"- "then come back in another program and run the eagle with the 1/16" for depth and detail".

Anyway, nuff time on this topic.

Later,
Rick

[MetalCutter]

Hello all,

Just finished talking to Omar at LHR. He told me the only bit you can use to cut a pattern is the 1/16" carving bit and the other "Pattern Bit" tab options under "Board Settings" don't work (go figure). When I asked him why they would release a version with something like that in it he said thier engineering wasn't aware of it.
Draw you own conclusions.

Rick