Cutting through board.....Help

[cajunpen]

I am getting ready to cut out a picture frame on the CW. I just wanted to ask about the process before I do it and mess something up. My board will have a 5"x7" square cut out (for the photo). I have created a .250 carved region on the rear of the board that is 5.750"x7.750"x.250" deep. This region will be the recess for the photo, glass & backing.

I am starting the project on a .750 board. My concern is that once I hog out the carved region on the rear (which I think will be the first process), then I flip the board over for the Front work, will the material I have removed affect anything? I realize that I will have removed .250 from the rear, thereby changing the thickness in the cutout area to be reduced to .500. I suspect that this change in thickness will cause the machine to cut out the 5x7 section, but not leave any of the tabs (to hold it in place). I'm thinking that the board will come loose in the cutout process and wonder if it will cause any problems. I would appreciate any input or possibly another way to approach this project.

[David M.]

I think your concerns are valid, I think the solution is to reverse your order and cut the front images first, then flip the board and cut the rabbit first then the cutout. By doing it in this order you WILL get the tabs, and the piece will not be loose, a cardnal sin in this machine. Loose pieces mean a broken bits, or worse.

[cmorlier]

The software does anticipate this. If you design both sides on the same board in the Designer, then it is aware of the carved region on the back and communicates the depth for the tabs to the machine. Obviously, if you design each side as a different project then you will have the problem you describe.

[David M.]

Thanks Chris that's good to know, but does the machine change the order of the cut, or does it move the tabs to a different location within the board?

[cmorlier]

It will actually change both the tab depth and cutting depth.

[David M.]

So if I understand this right, it will reposition the tabs and I'm guessing your saying it knows there is less depth on the otherside (bottom) and changes the final cut through depth to accomidate?

[cmorlier]

Yes. Basically, it looks at the path of the cut and finds the deepest and shallowest parts of the board along the path. The cut depth is set to cut through the deepest part, and the tab depth is set to ensure tabs would work at the shallowest point.

[cajunpen]

Thanks Chris and David - glad to know I can proceed without worrying. Looks like David and I both learned something new. Hopefully others will follow the thread and get some new information too.