Z-axis raising in certain spots

Newbie here - still in the learning phase. I’ve managed to find creative work arounds for everything I’ve come up against so far, but this one still confuses me.

What triggers a raising of the z-axis in certain points of a cut out? For example, the machine runs the outline consistently but will (seemingly randomly) raise the bit on a specific area, preventing an entire cut through.

Is this the same reason that a seemingly consistent design - no visible variations in the cut line - will show up as small cut out spots in Easel until the depth of cut is adjusted past a certain point? Why would it do this if the cut line is solid and the depth uniform?

Any advice/links to explanations would be appreciated.

I can’t say why, but this is what I found frustrating about about Easel, it runs your toolpath all over the place for no reason and wastes time (I imagine). It is why I am trying to figure out Fusion 360 as it seems you can tell it what to cut when instead of putting all your blind trust in Easel.

When you’re doing a cut through are you using tabs? Tabs are used when you’re doing a cut through so the material won’t move.
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I’m seriously new to the CNC game, but I get this. One thing I already appreciate about Easel is that getting started is pretty straight forward and it is a good ‘playground/learn on your own’ system. I can see outgrowing it at some point though. I will say that it is also easy to make mistakes. I’ve already broken a couple of bits and even ruined a collet. Thankfully, I learned what I needed to learn and it shouldn’t happen again :slight_smile:

Thank you Russell. About 30 minutes after I posted, my brain just clicked as to what that was and why it was happening. And thanks to your reply, I now also know the technical term for it and how to adjust it to my liking.

Thanks for not doing the ‘that’s a stupid question’ thing :slight_smile:

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People for the most part are nice on this forum and don’t overreact when someone ask a question, we were all newbies when we started.

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