I would like to do skim passes to level off some stock, but only in the y direction due to not yet fully trammed machine. It’s just a shallow rectangle, but to use the y axis option in Easel it seems I have to use my “Pro” days.
Is there an easy way around this, e.g. some other free program to make the .nc file and then import it into Easel or run it through UGS? I have a Fusion 360 free account but am still a long way off understanding it.
I tried tidying up the edge of my bump stop manually via jogging in UGS with the router turned on, although it did the trick more or less it didn’t feel like a very satisfactory solution, so I’m open to experiments but would prefer some better advice, please.
I guess i am not sure what you are doing. If you are not using a v bit or a easel pro font it should not use a free day. If you are going to skim pass something to level it up are you not using a straight cut bit?
You’re right, it’s with a flat bit, but Easel makes it do the Offset in Fill Method, I need it to do the Y-Axis raster as my machine leaves ripples in the x direction.
Ok i understand now. Can you turn the piece?
Yes, but because I need to fix the tram in my cutter the X-carve leaves ripples when it moves in the x axis, so rotating the piece won’t fix that. I might have to bite the bullet and try to get the out-of-tram issue fixed, but till now I’ve just left well enough alone. 
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It sounds like it is a good time to learn a bit about G code writing. It isn’t that hard to figure out. G90 , G91, G20, G21, G0, G1, F and M30 can do this for you. You can write a line of code and enter it in the command line of UGS, or write a small program and save it to your computer to call up in the UGS file Mode as a text file. I use Notepad or Wordpad. When I first started this stuff about 15 years ago, I used graph paper to help me visualize what was going on. Arcs are a bit more complex than straight line moves but totally do-able.
I have no affiliation with these links. You have to choose metric or imperial. You have to choose absolute or incremental. You choose a G1 with a Feedrate or a Gzero with your set rapid rate. After that you write the lines of code moving in the 3 axes.
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Thanks, looks like just the ticket!
Yes, I agree that I need to learn some of this, I’ll work through your suggestions. I’ve already looked at a fair bit from CNC Cookbook, but not the g-code specific links you put. Thank you
Following up, unfortunately the planing tool in Neil’s link only does x direction, the y button isn’t active.
I used it anyway on a piece of hardwood I wanted to engrave, and then sanded it more or less level.
The wood I was using is called Granadillo here, it’s a hardwood and according to a wood selling website it’s Platymisclum yucatanum. Average density 0.80 g/cm3. This wasn’t the same place where I bought it, but it was the only wood apart from pine the local guy had, he gave me a small block to test cut.
Today’s question is: There were some scorch marks on the wood, especially going one direction. Does this mean I was going too slow or too fast? The cut depth was 1 mm, I don’t remember what I set the feed rate at, but possibly about 700 mm/min. My bit is an 18mm leveling bit, no particular brand.
@ MartinW.Mcclary I looked into the links you posted and have made a skim g-code file that works in Easel (preview), although I am holding off testing it with wood in the hopes I get some feedback on the heat problem I mentioned in this post.
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I would say too slow causes the burning. It happens on cherry if you stop while routing and the cutter just spins in one spot.
Following up the follow up, on the same website as NeilFerreri1 linked to, they actually do also have a y skim g-code generator for free, sorry for casting doubt on that.
Second comment, using my new (very limited) g-coding abilities I ran a y-axis skim on my remaining sample of hardwood and the skim cutter (18mm) burnt the wood going in one direction and cleaned it up in the other direction. It was going with the grain when it burnt, and against the grain it cleaned it up. This didn’t seem logical to me, but that’s how it happened. I ran it at 800 mm/min with a 50% overlap, 1 mm deep. I didn’t realize the wood was thicker at one end so the 1mm depth was actually closer to 2mm at one end, so I ran a second pass afterwards at 0.25mm.
I also decided that I need to try and tram the machine, which I’m not really looking forward to, but armed with Peter Passuello’s Kiwi accented instructions I hope to give it a go very soon.