Bit question

[Geophyrd]

I'm a newbie, as you can probably tell by the number of questions I've asked.

One issue that I've got is that I can't tell which bit is which. I'm carving a project right now...the Spring Wreath project. It asked for the 1/8 carving bit then the 1/16 cutting bit. I used the bit that is tapered at the end, then the one that is straight. Now I'm not sure I got them in the right order. Is the machine smart enough to know which bit is mounted or if its the wrong one?

Its cutting, and looks like its doing a good job. But I'm a little worried that when its done, the machine will have carved with a cutting bit or visa versa.

Got one more questions while I'm at it: I got a board problem message popped when I tried to cut the first board. The sensors were clean, so was the board (no real defects). It was the right length and depth. I got the error several times (machine moved the board all the way forward while measuring, then stopped). It also read tracking issue. When I swapped out the board, the second board seems to be doing fine. Thoughts?

thanks in advance for the help!

[chebytrk]

the carving bit is the one that comes to a point. It is usually also the one that is asked for last. The 1/8 ctting but has the flat tip.

[Geophyrd]

the carving bit is the one that comes to a point. It is usually also the one that is asked for last. The 1/8 ctting but has the flat tip.

Sounds like I reversed them. Will the machine be able to reverse actions, or should I stop it and restart with new material?

[Digitalwoodshop]

If you have a project that requires a Cut Path or a Drill Bit it will usually ask for the 1/8 inch Cutting Bit. And since the machine asks for the LAST Bit to be used in a 2 or 3 bit project, it will ask for the 1/8 inch Cutting Bit in your project then ask the the 1/16 CARVING Bit then start carving. SO when the Carving Bit finishes and by now I bet it has... the machine will then ask for the 1/8 inch Cutting Bit.

When you install it, you will most likely get the error message saying the 1/8 inch cutting bit did not MATCH the one you put in the first time when setting up the project. In this case you select to Continue as the machine will now use the bit currently installed as the measurement bit... BUT in RARE cases this will result in a PROBLEM with Tabs being TOO THICK or Cut Path not cutting through.... So it is a Risk... Most times it works normal....


Good Luck.


Tips and Tricks will help you understand the machine better.


AL

[Geophyrd]

Actually, I wish I could say it went well. It finished the first cuts, made the basic project. Then it asked me to swap out the bit and when it went to touch the bit plate, the bit plate didn't come out to meet to. I finally hit continue instead of refind (after unsuccessfully attempting to refind about 10 times) and the bit cut a swatch across the whole board before telling me it had a z track fail. That was at around 12 last night so I'm trying to figure this out now. I know the wires can get in the way so I'll try futzing with that but I'm not confident that I'll be able to fix the problem.

I tried putting the other board in but the CW is still telling me there is a board problem. Sigh, any suggestions?

[cestout]

The 1/16 carving bit, the one you will probably use the most, is a ball nose (rounded) 1/16 in and is tapered to 1/4 in where it is pressed into the collar. It is used for raster carving - back and forth like the raster that paints your TV picture. The 1/8 in cutting bit is a straight 1/8 in spiral up-cut bit with a flat end. It is used for vector cutting - following a line, and not for carving. Your machine will usually ask you to install the bits for calibration in reverse order. If you have a raster carve that you will cut out, you will be asked for the 1/8" cutting bit. that will be calibrated, then you will be asked to install the 1/16" carving bit. That will be calibrated and the carve will start. Just do exactly what the little window tells you - with no guessing or assuming until you know your machine inside out. Keep asking questions, that is how you learn.
Clint