Is there a way to turn on and off the spindle between cutting details…? e.g… Easel set to cut out the text “X-Carve”. Spindle comes on before “X” and turns off the spindle after the set depth is reached and is retracting. Machine moves to next letter and the spindle comes on before carving the “-” and shuts the spindle off when that detail is cut… And so on…
As I am new to the program I don not see anywhere to set this if it does exist. If not, It may be a good idea to have a selection in the shape/cut area that would do this. As well as a pause/continue selection.
So, Is there a way to do this in Easel or no?
Easel does not provide any automated way to turn the spindle on or off in the middle of a project. It will turn on at the start and then turn off at the end.
I suppose it would be possible to manually edit your gcode file before it was sent to the X-Carve and insert spindle start/stop commands but this would be tedious and potentially dangerous to the machine and your work.
Why would you want to stop the spindle in the middle of a project?
Auto tool changer, Plasma cutting, Laser cutting, Clearing chips, Clearing bit clog, because I want to, and another 5 or so reasons… Sure would be nice to have Easel put the M3/M5 code in where you want it. After looking through some of the forum subjects I see many people dislike the Easel and have swapped software… I am beginning to understand why.
David, as Allen and others will tell you, plenty of other software can do what you want.
As for dislike of Easel, some people have simply outgrown what it currently can do, and have moved on to other solutions.
Also, I think you GCode command you are looking for is M6 (tool change).
I believe ChiliPeppr supports this feature / macro; albiet a very basic version of it, due to GRBL limitations.
What’s more important is everyone wants to see you build an Auto Tool Changer for the X-Carve!
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Easel is designed to work with the X-Carve which. as designed is not configured for auto tool changes, plasma cutting, laser cutting or any other type of cutting. Ease does have a pause command that will stop all spindle movement (leaving the spindle running) so that you can clear chips if necessary.
I would disagree with your assertion that many people dislike Easel. As Jeremy said many people are designing projects that require abilities Easel does not yet support so they use other software tools like Vcarve or Fusion 360. This does not mean they dislike Easel, it just means that Easel may not be the best tool for the work they are doing.
I know that I use multiple software tools based on the project I am working on. For some projects I use Easel because it the fastest and easiest way to get something done. For other projects that require Vbit carving or full 2.5D contour carving I use tools that offer those features.
Now with the new apps in Easel, if I need to build a simple box, I will use the “Box Maker” app in Easel, it is the best tool for that job. WIth new apps being delivered frequently, Easel becomes more useful every week.
So even if others have purchased additional software, that does not mean they never use Easel.
No worries… Everything will be OK…
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