Failed Attempt Spoon Carve

[BurlSource]

This was my first carve so I probably did a few things wrong but I am not sure what.
I had read a thread about a 2 sided spoon carve from a short while back.
It looked simple enough so I copied the mpc. to my flash drive and then attempted to carve the spoon.

For quality I selected best. No to keep under rollers and yes to center on the board.
The board I used was 20 inches long, 3&1/2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.
First the machine prompted to load the 1/8" cutting bit. Next prompt was to load the 1/16" carving bit (both before any carving occurred).
With the 1/16" carving bit in place it started the carving of the first side.
When I flipped the board the machine carved the second side with the carving bit.
Next it prompted for the 1/8" cutting bit. This began cutting to the outer edge of the cutout, not the spoon.
When it started to cut through the tabs I shut off the machine because it was obvious something was wrong. I did not want to chance the spoon coming loose or breaking my bit.

I have no idea if I did things wrong or maybe what I used was not a completed project with the mpc. To me the cut path seemed awfully wide, but what do I know? Also the bowl of the spoon seemed too thick. These lead me to believe I unknowingly grabbed an incomplete mpc file.

Here is a photo of the work piece.

also....was it bad manners to carve a pattern posted in one of the forum threads that was not my own creation?

[bergerud]

It sounds like the cutout with the 1/8" cutting bit was not required since the carve already went through. It should not have been in the project. Otherwise, I think you did everything right. (Good you stopped it before the tabs cut out.) The spoon was too thick because that is the way the mpc was made. The mpc was not well designed. Not your fault.

[BurlSource]

Thank You Bergerud.
Do you have any idea why at the very start it prompted for the cutting bit and then prompted for the carving bit before carving started?
Just trying to figure out what to do if that happens on another project.

I am thinking I will make my own spoon pattern before I try again.
Even though my project failed I learned a bit from it.

[bergerud]

The machine goes through a process, at the start of a project, of measuring each bit that will be used in the project. The last bit measured is the first bit to actually be used. If the cutout was removed from the spoon project, it would not have asked for the 1/8" cutting bit. If, for example, a project uses 5 different bits, it will ask for them all before it starts cutting.

Post your next spoon mpc before you carve it and maybe we can make some suggestions.

[BurlSource]

Thank You.
That makes sense about the bits.
I will post the mpc when I come up with my own spoon pattern.

[SteveNelson46]

First, carving a pattern that was posted here on the forum is okay. If the maker didn't want anyone else to carve it they wouldn't have posted it. Second, Dan is right. The spoon was designed to be very flat. It's on a board that is only .5" thick so it's not possible to have much depth. Although it looks good in the preview it will be very shallow when carved. Third, on the back side there is a tab that shouldn't be there. I think it was missed and not deleted when the project was revised. That is why the machine ask for the 1/8" cutting bit.

[bergerud]

Sorry Steve, I thought the cutout was part of the mpc. My mistake.

BurlSource: You must have changed the mpc by inadvertently assigning a cutout to the outline. I think that must be why the 1/8" cutting bit became part of the project.

[SteveNelson46]

Actually, I think that I was the one who revised the original from a cutout to pierced. Someone had somehow placed tabs on the back side and I deleted them but it looks like one was missed. So I guess the blame is really on me.

[bergerud]

That tab does not make any difference. The cutting bit became part of the project because the cutout button must have been pressed before the project was uploaded. An easy mistake for a new user to make.

[BurlSource]

While attempting to model the backside of my spoon I get an error message that says;
Members of a vector group must be closed and may not intersect.
So apparently I need to figure out a different way to do this.
For the back of the bowl I puffed an oval, for the handle I did connecting lines and then used the clip tool. Then I puffed the handle.
My goal is a rounded handle and spoon bowl.