We use cookies to personalize content, interact with our analytics companies, advertising networks and cooperatives, and demographic companies, provide social media features, and to analyze our traffic. Our social media, advertising and analytics partners may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Learn more.
Trying to figure out what I am missing on this simple layout but can’t get there. I have a 5.4" X 11.4" work piece that I am trying to cut a pocket leaving about .265" border all the way around. I have a box sized correctly for the work piece and the lower right corner is work zero. I added another box inside 4.87" X 10.87". Both boxes share the same center location so to me the uncut outside border should be equal all the way around or at least top to top and side to side. But it is not.
The remaining border at the bottom and left side ends up wider at .324 while the top and right sides are about .235. Tried it 3 times with the same result. So what am I missing?
AND yes, I am correctly calibrated. Also, after the cut is complete it returns to dead on work zero so I don’t think I am skipping steps.
Do you have a long ruler you can clamp down and check your steps? Clamp it down and check X & Y separately. Set Easel to jog 10 inches and see if it moves a full 10.
I calibrated over a 25" distance both ways and have it right on. Also, the pocket is exactly the correct size which it wouldn’t be if calibration is off. Yea, it looks right but carves wrong - that’s why I am confused.
Could it be a wrong bit size? You say your using a 0.5 inch bit but is it actually 0.5 inches? More deflection one direction versus another? Have you cut just a square outline and measured the cut width on all four sides?
The bit is correct but even if it wasn’t I would think the borders would still be equal, just wider. Is that right?
I will try that but again the pocket is exactly the drawn size. If calibration or skipping steps wouldn’t it be off?
I didn’t want to cut out the actual work piece because it is more than a inch thick - just much quicker on the table saw. But I think you are right and it worth a try. I have a gut feeling it has something to do the full size piece being placed on the zero X/Y line. Shouldn’t make a difference but I am otherwise without a clue.
I’ll just clamp down a scrap piece and do a shallow cut of both the pocket and outline and see what I get.
You said the work zero is the bottom right corner. How are you generating code to reflect that or was that a typo?
I generated Gcode from Easel for that project as is (made the deep outline be zero depth) and it looks spot on. You should have a 0.265 border all the way around if your work piece is the listed dimensions of 11.4" x 5.4".
The pocket measures exactly 4.87" x 10.87" once cut?
My outline square question was for actual bit cut thickness not skipping steps or stepper calibration.
The work piece is the correct size and I just measured the pocket again 4.856 x 10.853 as opposed to the entered 4.87 x 10.87. So there is some error there but I probably wouldn’t see it just looking. But there is almost a .09 difference in the border and the is very noticeable.
I first Home the machine. Then I have a L-shaped bump stop semi-permanently installed and I have G28 set to move it exactly to the corner which is then my Work Zero. When I run Easel’s carve routine I use that location as the home.
I have a 1/4" piece of steel rod I ground to a point on one end and I can chuck this in the router and confirm I am indeed centered on the corner. Normally I just trust my G28 setting but since I was having problems with this carve I used the rod both before and after the carve to confirm it was still hitting the mark. Dead on both times.
Hopefully, tomorrow I will have time to run a carve cutting the outside as well as the pocket and see what happens. Sure got me scratching my head.
I must have moved it during the discussion while trying to confirm the location. That is not where it was when I carved it. But I think I will take your suggestion anyway and just make a new layout and see what happens.
