Setting up a sled carving?

I’ve search for and answer to this question, but cannot find anything specific.
I understand why we can use a sled for smaller carvings, but I am not clear on the set up procedure to start carving.
I built a sled similar to what has been posted on this site 2 ½ sides 14 ¼ width and 3 ft length. I marked a cross on the sled for center, and then marked ½” marks out to help line up the part. The part I am now puzzled with is when the carving bit is install and the machine sets it parameters for height, how does it find the surface of the material and not the surface of the sled? This may be a simple thing but I would hate to mess up and break my only carving bit.
Thanks in advance for any help.

forqnc,
Could you post a picture of your sled in the machine?

Sure it may be tomorrow before I can get to it, but it looks just like Autobody's (post #8) in this thread http://www.carvewright.com/forum/sho...highlight=sled only mine is made of 3/4" Plywood.

Edit to correct Link

http://www.carvewright.com/forum/sho...highlight=sled

pkunk? how did you get the link to show up?
Is this another one of those moderator Privileges! :)

forqnc,
You closing tag is incorrect the forward slash goes in front of the url
like so [/url] not [url/]

[url]http://www.carvewright.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1553&highlight=sled[url/]

This shows the url when wrote correct and not a moderator Privileges!

http://www.carvewright.com/forum/sho...highlight=sled

Thanks Bill, I'm used to clicking a button and letting the software post the code.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by forqnc

pkunk? how did you get the link to show up?
Is this another one of those moderator Privileges! :)

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I don't know why you think we (mods) have such powerful privileges. On a Mac, just grab the URL from the address bar, & drop it into the post.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pkunk

I don't know why you think we (mods) have such powerful privileges.

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Bow down before the all powerfull pkunk and never mind that man behind the curtain. :)

I have the same question as forqnc from 2-23-2007. I am trying to carve a small piece and it is mounted on the sled. But the machines software will not let me jog the bit to the corner so it knows where to start. How can I get this started? I did set the options menu to jog to start, yet the machine insists on measuring the sled and not jog to starting position.

I believe the machine needs to measure the sled and work surface to get started. Are you covering any open areas between the sled rails and carving board to fool the board sensor so it thinks it is seeing a board?

Remember that the machine thinks the carving size is whatever the board size you set in Designer. It will only let you jog to areas which keep the carving (virtual board in Designer) on the measured board. I always make the board size in Designer only slightly larger than the actual carve region. That way, there is freedom to jog all over the real board.