Tapered Pocket

[mike.mills]

Hello

I am currently using VCarve Pro. I have students who are making gun cabinets and we have an oval type shape for the gun stock to sit in.

We would like to be able to put a tapper on the stock holders so the gun sits at an angle. I have not been able to figure this out in VCarve. Could this easily be done in Aspire. I have been thinking about upgrading, but not sure if it is worth the cost.

I am trying to find a simple way that students can easily do this. If it could be as easy as picking the 2d pocket tool and being able to pick the taper start height and the taper stop depth.

Is it worth the extra money to upgrade to Aspire?

Thanks Mike

[4DThinker]

You can cut tapered pockets by using the fluting toolpath. You can't cut undercut slopes. That would take tilting the board below the cutter.

If you can post a .CRV file with simple top view outline of the top and bottom perimeters of the pocket you need, then I'll show you how the futing tool is used.

4D

[Leo]

Hello

I am currently using VCarve Pro. I have students who are making gun cabinets and we have an oval type shape for the gun stock to sit in.

We would like to be able to put a tapper on the stock holders so the gun sits at an angle. I have not been able to figure this out in VCarve. Could this easily be done in Aspire. I have been thinking about upgrading, but not sure if it is worth the cost.

I am trying to find a simple way that students can easily do this. If it could be as easy as picking the 2d pocket tool and being able to pick the taper start height and the taper stop depth.

Is it worth the extra money to upgrade to Aspire?

Thanks Mike

I am not clear on what kind of a pocket you want to make. I know what a taper is, but then you mention holding a gun stock on an angle. There could possibly be several ways to accomplish what you want to do, but I don't have a clear picture.

It Aspire worth it?
I could easily give you 5 ways to say no
I could easily give you 5 ways to say yes
It all depends on what you want to accomplish and what the value is to you.

[GarySeibs]

Mike,

This is possible in VCarve but it is easier in Aspire. I am a high school shop teacher as well and yes, Aspire is worth the upgrade.

When we were doing this with Vcarve, I shimmed one edge of the board to give us the the tapered depth of cut required for the pockets. The down side of this is the arrangement of the pockets pretty much has to be in a straight line. With Aspire, we create the pocket with a 2 rail sweep. The advantage here is your freedom to arrange the pockets in a pattern such as an arc or to tilt them for better display.

The pic is of the cabinet bottom about 13 x 30

[martin54]

As has already been said there are a number of ways this could be done with Vcarve pro.

As Leo has said it is easy to give reasons why it is worth upgrading & reasons why it is not
Personally if you are a teacher then I would have thought the upgrade would be well worth it if the budget allows, you then have the capability to teach the students how to create their own 3D artwork rather than relying on what you can find to import

[mtylerfl]

Hi Mike. Glad to see so many helpful responses to your question about creating a tapered pocket. Great bunch of folks here.

Regarding your "is it worth upgrading to Aspire" question, I would say yes.

If I were one of your students, I would like to learn a complete course from 2D machining all the way through 3D relief modeling and machining. Otherwise, I think I could feel short-changed, in a fashion. Aspire would be worth the upgrade for that reason alone - you can give your students the advantage of a more complete CNC/CAM course I believe. (Plus, EVERYONE including you, will have a LOT more fun!)

[mike.mills]

Here is what we are trying to do. Attached is the CRV File.

We would like the end with the smaller radius to be 1/8" below the top surface of the wood. and the end with bigger radius to be about 5/8" below the top surface of the wood

Thanks Mike

[Leo]

Mike,

That looks like a "X"-"Y" 2 axis pocket with the board held on an angle.

Aspire would do nothing to help in that situation.

MTYLERFL - makes a beautiful point for the upgrade.

[GarySeibs]

An arrangement like this is one I never spent the time to try and figure out with VC Pro. Choosing your start points / shallow end / deep end looked like too much trouble at the time in order to get all of them pocketed the same. The straight line of pockets across the back can be done by adding a half inch shim (the difference in your desired depth front to back) under the back edge in order to carve at the desired angle. You might have to do a little trig to determine exact depths and differences but you could then carve a pocket to a 5/8 depth at the back with the material held in place with a back to front slope. I suppose the same method could be done for the groups of 3 at each end but with different shims.

I used to do these often with a hand-held router and handmade templates but since Aspire came out we use it and can easily edit the arrangement.

There may be other methods but this is how we made these with VCPro.

[Rcnewcomb]

The straight line of pockets across the back can be done by adding a half inch shim

From an instructional perspective I like this because it exposes the students to a solution that isn't strictly dependent on the capabilities of the CAD/CAM software.

[mtylerfl]

The straight line of pockets across the back can be done by adding a half inch shim

From an instructional perspective I like this because it exposes the students to a solution that isn't strictly dependent on the capabilities of the CAD/CAM software.

That could be on the Test!

1) Create blah, blah with Aspire

2) Create the same blah, blah with VCP

[joeporter]

Mike, I saved this as a 3D ClipArt, see if you can import into your copy of V Carve. I did use Aspire and can be done more than one way. I also taught at a community college and understand the budget constraints, but Aspire would be a really good upgrade for your class going forward. Hope this is of some help...joe

[mike.mills]

So What I am hearing. Aspire is worth the upgrade, but would not be able to help with this type of Stock holder.

What about the 2 rail sweep option people were talking about. That would not work to create a slop in this pattern?

Thanks Mike

[GarySeibs]

Mike,

Yes, worth the upgrade to bring in the elements of 3D. Your router has the capabilities and your students take it and run just like mine do.

Pockets like your arrangement can be done quite easily with Aspire. Not so much with VCPro. I had to have some of the pros on here help me out when I first started doing these but Aspire allows you to arrange them however you want since they are a 3D model. You have all the array, pattern, mirror tools to place them however you wish and the 3d toolpaths will create the pockets with no problem. The example on my earlier post shows the flexibility on the arrangement. We started using curved arrangements to better display them because I think it's a more efficient use of the space and looks nicer in the cabinet.

Here is your file done in Aspire. I've done quite a few of these so practice is key but once you have the process down it only takes about 10 minutes or so.

These are 1/8" in the front and 1/2" at the back. I can email you anything you like and might even be able to send you the carve file if I have your machine post. Always glad to help out a fellow teacher.

[mtylerfl]

I got the impression Joe made the file for you in Aspire. Have you imported that into your VCP and had a look at it yet?

Oh, never mind. You Cannot import a 3dclip file into VCP. Joe would have to save the model as STL for you to be able to import it and take a look.