Cutting holes (not circular)

[jsullysix]

Hey there,

I want to use my CW to make some guitar building templates; this one in particular will have a hole for the neck pocket, two pickups, and the bridge. I’m using the cut path tool to cut the holes out on the inside of the line, but as you can see, you can still see material where there should be none. I know I’m not doing something right, but what am I missing? I’ve attached a picture of a neck pocket routing template, so you can kinda get the idea that I’m going for. I’ve also attached the mpc that I’m working on.

http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/i-11...1_template.gif



Thanks!


sully

[mtylerfl]

Hi Sully,

Don't use the Cut Path for those holes. Instead, you'll want to use the Drill Tool. That way you won't have any stray material to worry about flying around your machine! EDIT: I am assuming you are concerned about the two round holes with the small "dots" of material left??? Let me know if I am misunderstanding. I was puzzled by your topic heading "Cutting Holes (not circular)" which makes me think I may not be interpreting your question correctly.

[jsullysix]

Thank you so much for your help! I thought I was getting warmer by using the select bit option, choosing the 3/8” straight bit, and doing a 3/16’ inset, but alas, the holes remained (albeit smaller) I’ve undone the Select Bit options that I chose, but when I select the drill tool, I’m not exactly sure where to go next. I guess I’d use the 1/8’ straight bit for this (although if there’s a way to use my 3/8 straight bit, that’d be more desirable), but I’m not sure what to select for the diameter; the default is .125. The “Through the board” button is selected, which makes sense, but do I need to worry about depth or max pass depth?

[mtylerfl]

Thank you so much for your help! I thought I was getting warmer by using the select bit option, choosing the 3/8” straight bit, and doing a 3/16’ inset, but alas, the holes remained (albeit smaller) I’ve undone the Select Bit options that I chose, but when I select the drill tool, I’m not exactly sure where to go next. I guess I’d use the 1/8’ straight bit for this (although if there’s a way to use my 3/8 straight bit, that’d be more desirable), but I’m not sure what to select for the diameter; the default is .125. The “Through the board” button is selected, which makes sense, but do I need to worry about depth or max pass depth?

You can select any diameter required. The Drill feature will spiral the 1/8" cutting bit in a circular motion to yield any dimension you choose. Yes, you need to be mindful of Depth and Max Pass Depth.

Looking at your MPC, the circles had a radius of 0.197" (diameter of 0.394"). So, I just added a Drill hole at the locations of your originals, made settings of Through the Board, with a diameter of 0.394", and a Max Pass Depth of 0.3" per spiral pass. I have included a revision of your MPC so you can take a look. HINT: to access and change any existing drill settings after they have been made, just double-click on any drill hole and the menu will pop-up, so you can make your changes.

[jsullysix]

Thanks for the revision, I appreciate it. So I’ve selected one of the remaining non-circular patterns, selected the drill tool and add a diameter, of, say, 3/8” (while selecting Through the board and a Max Pass Depth of 0.3” per pass), I just have a 3/8” hole; Do I just fill the remaining material with little drill holes? That doesn’t seem right.

[mtylerfl]

Thanks for the revision, I appreciate it. So I’ve selected one of the remaining non-circular patterns, selected the drill tool and add a diameter, of, say, 3/8” (while selecting Through the board and a Max Pass Depth of 0.3” per pass), I just have a 3/8” hole; Do I just fill the remaining material with little drill holes? That doesn’t seem right.

Ok, I think there is a big misunderstanding happening here! The other cutouts do not need drill holes. The material left inside the cutouts in your preview is perfectly normal. The Cutting Bit will leave little tabs holding the parts in place (you CANNOT see them in the preview on-screen...but they WILL be there).

So, I'm gathering from your post that you've never actually performed any Cut Path cutouts with your machine - is that correct? If so, before proceeding any further, please allow me to suggest you read a particular Tips & Tricks document. This will explain the Tabs and Tab Settings when using the Cut Path Tool. After reading that, if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask more questions if anything is still unclear. Glad to help, of course. Here is the link to the Tips document I am referring to...

ISSUE 12 September 2008 – Designer 1.131 New Feature Highlights

Just an FYI...I like to use the following settings on "typical" Cut Paths present in my own projects...

Cutting Bit: 1/8 inch
Minimum number of tabs: 4
Tab spacing: 2 Tabs / Foot
Tab height: 3/16 Inch
Inset: 0.000
Maximum Pass Depth: 0.3 in

[jsullysix]

Okay, that helps; thank you! I’ve done one test carve with my machine. I’ll check that document you linked, thank you. The thing that’s been difficult for me with this whole thing is that there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of tutorials that I’ve found that apply to what I’m doing. Thanks for clarifying the tabs part, although it’s too bad you can’t see where they’ll be because there are definitely parts of the patterns where I don’t want to have to sand a tab away.

I really want to be able to put my machine to work, but I have to confess that the learning curve on this (at least for guitar related stuff) has been frustrating.

[mtylerfl]

Okay, that helps; thank you! I’ve done one test carve with my machine. I’ll check that document you linked, thank you. The thing that’s been difficult for me with this whole thing is that there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of tutorials that I’ve found that apply to what I’m doing. Thanks for clarifying the tabs part, although it’s too bad you can’t see where they’ll be because there are definitely parts of the patterns where I don’t want to have to sand a tab away.

I really want to be able to put my machine to work, but I have to confess that the learning curve on this (at least for guitar related stuff) has been frustrating.

Hi Sully,

Don't worry - we were all beginners once - and most of us needed encouragement and assistance from time to time. The CarveWright System is really not that hard to learn..it's a whole lot easier than any other CNC! When you can, read the Tips & Tricks - they cover all the basic procedures and help keep you out of trouble, and AskBud has a ton of videos you can watch showing software opreations and tips, plus you always have the forum to turn to for help too.

When I started, there were NO Tips & Tricks (that's what motivated me to write them) and very little documentation for troubleshooting, instruction and performing maintainance. YOU have all the info now at your disposal - the hard part is finding the time to read and digest it! Anyway, you have a head start and the resources that will provide the info you need - no matter what you're building - guitars, address signs, cabinets, whatever.

Don't forget that your Designer software is well documented too - about 250 pages worth, I think...describes the tools, what they do, menu explanations along with loads of illustrated examples throughout. It can be accessed via your Help File in the Designer software. Very handy when you need to do a quick lookup on something!

[jsullysix]

I cut it out tonight. Thanks for your help. It's not as accurate as I'd hoped (neck pocket width was 2.21 at it's widest, and it's a little wider in reality) but a good start. My machine doesn't have the rock chuck or the carve tight, so maybe that'd be a worthwhile upgrade.

That said, I'd call it an overall success. It's practice, and that's why I used MDF. Thanks again for your help; I know I've got a lot more questions!

Sully

[fwharris]

I cut it out tonight. Thanks for your help. It's not as accurate as I'd hoped (neck pocket width was 2.21 at it's widest, and it's a little wider in reality) but a good start. My machine doesn't have the rock chuck or the carve tight, so maybe that'd be a worthwhile upgrade.

That said, I'd call it an overall success. It's practice, and that's why I used MDF. Thanks again for your help; I know I've got a lot more questions!

Sully

Sully, Fathers day sale going on now..