Inconsistent carving depth during some passes

X-Carve Troubleshooting
1

This is the outcome and it does this during some passes as it steps down, while other passes correct the depth and has an as expected carve… I have not experienced this from other parts of this same board and it all has been ever-so-slightly bowed or cupped.

https://instagram.com/p/BEKLHXjifq4/

Material is secure, mill is secure, zed axis screws and nuts checked over and I’m unsure what other adjustments maybe necessary to check before assuming it is he material and not the machine.

Thanks

3

I’m under the impression that it just might be the condition of the wood. Since I haven’t had any problems like this with materials yet, it seemed like the default would go back to the machine needing an adjustment. After flipping the board over to carve out the clock mechanism pocket, I realized just how much the wood was cupped–more than I thought.

I’m going to wait for any input before freaking out further.

4

What type of bit? If you’re using an upcut bit and only have those two clamps holding it down, it may be lifting the material up just a little bit by acting like a screw.

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5

I carved something later this evening and it appeared to be good to go–it was on the opposite side of the same material.

As much as I was in disbelief it could be material condition, I now believe it was.

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6

When I have issues like this, it is a combination of the material (density), speed, and bit selection.
X-Carve’s weakest link is the Z axis flex. This is exacerbated by a direct plunge of the end mill into material; the better the end mill can center cut, the less a problem this will be. The shallower the DOC, the better it will be. The slower the plunge rate is, the better it will be.
What basically happens, is the end mill has not finished cutting the material directly beneath the bit. The gantry then moves too soon. Combine this and the flex and you end up with a slope / curved cut. Most end mill cuts much better from the side, then it does from the bottom.
A lot of this can be mitigated in software with helical or ramping plunges; however Easel has neither.

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