Engraving on a cylinder

[dciliberti]

Making a bat on 4th axis and would like to engrave logo in center of bat. because the bat is not flat (slopes from barrel to handle) the engraving is to deep on the barrel side and not making contact on the handle side. How can a set the engraving depth to the profile of the bat?

[bdwigley]

How did you make the bat with the 4th axis? Any help would be appreciated. Sorry I couldn't help with your problem.

[TReischl]

Check the box: Project tool path onto 3D model.

You may have to select Advanced Settings first.

Remember, you are really working with a flat model until the information is "wrapped".

[bdwigley]

I hate to ask but can you be a little more specific I have never used the 4th axis.
Thanks

[TReischl]

BD, I do not wish to appear rude. . . . but,

To describe how to use the 4th axis in a post or two is way beyond the scope.

I suggest you find the tutorials about using it and also it is important that you understand the basic concepts of flat work before attempting it.

There is also a forum here "Wrapped Rotary Machining" It is towards the bottom.

[mikeacg]

I would try something simple to start. My first project on the recoil was to turn a 4x4 into a cylinder and add some type to it. Then I did a tapered cylinder with type. It helped me understand how the process works. There are a lot more videos available now (I think I did this back in 2011 and I was pretty new at this stuff).

[TReischl]

Mike. That looks like a rotary that you built up? Nice job, mine is quite a bit more on the crude side.

For those just getting started with rotary:

The important thing to understand right away is that the work is "wrapped" around the axis. In other words, when you are adding things to a model it is NOT done while the shape is cylindrical. This is even true for work that is imported from a true 3d model (stl file is an example). Aspire reads the stl file and then flattens it out. Or, as the video shows you can use things like a 2 rail sweep to create a complex cylindrical shape, but it is still done in the "flat", then wrapped.

Another thing to understand is that the tool is always working on the centerline. So, it is not possible to create something like a mortise that has vertical walls for a tenon. The only way to do that is to have a true 4th axis, index into position, cut in X,Y and Z. But that would not be programmed in the wrapped rotary software.

There are other challenges, but you can read about most of them by browsing the "wrapped rotary machining" forum near the bottom of the forum listings. There are not a lot of posts so it is pretty easy to go through and get a basic understanding of some of the "do's and don't's" of rotary work.

All that said, rotary cutting is really interesting. Lately I have been experimenting with making bowls (cannot do the inside cutting but can certainly get the outside form just perfect). One of the challenges when turning bowls is to get the outside shape "fair" (no bumps or strange anomalies). The rotary solves that very nicely. My only challenge is getting the process tweaked so that the bowl remains true when going from the rotary to the lathe.

My process so far is to attache the bowl blank to a lathe faceplate that has a 1-8 thread. I then put it on the rotary axis which also has a 1-8 thread. Turn the outside to shape. Remove blank and go to lathe. But for some reason it tend to be a bit out of concentric when turning on the lathe.

What I am going to try today is to start on the lathe. Put a shallow (about 1/4 inch deep) pocket on the end of the blank. Then go to the rotary and use a blank that fits the pocket and has a center in it. (that will be turned on the lathe). Not sure how it is going to work out, but going to give it a go.