3D Hickory Plate with Walnut Inlay

[jlepper]

Tim...I was going to try out one of your plate inlays this weekend and had a question. You have mentioned several times to pay attention to the machine allowance...can you please explain to a newbie what role that exactly plays in this process and also what the cut plane position does. Is the cut plane the lowest the Z will cut on a given side ? Look forward to your answers.

Thanks
Jason

[Turtle49]

Hi Jason,
I have to admit it has been some time since I have done this in Cut3d. The Machine allowance is the material left after the rough cut, it is the material that will be removed by the finish cut. In this case it was 0.04" (if I remember correctly). This number is important because you have to take it into consideration when you set up the Vcarve pocket toolpath. You will need to make your start depth at the correct level so when you after you run your finish cut the pocket will be the correct shape.

Does that make sense?

Is the cut plane the lowest the Z will cut on a given side ?

I believe that is true. But again I haven't used Cut3D since I moved to Aspire...

Hope this helps,
Tim

[jlepper]

Thanks Tim...just one more question so I understand. I think I understand the part about adding the machine allowance to the Z but how do I know how much material will be removed by the roughing pass...I'm assuming I take that measurement and add the machining allowance to establish my start depth when I do the VCarve pocket.

thanks