Vectric Customer

Wonderful family of the Forums... Here is today's question:


I would like to carve a Profile of 0.05" in some Pine/Fir/Spruce softwood. (So nothing too nasty, rough & tough that I'm biting into).

I have a 0.032" Ball Nose Cutter in question.

Does anyone have available a screenshot they can direct me to (or upload), of this tool in the (or their) Tool Database.

My numbers are way off, and a preview of my work in VCarve Desktop, shares a nasty incomplete 1/3 diagram of a simple Line-art image of a cheesy Owl, where much of the image is just missed dots and half completed lines (Wife wants me to experiment with this tiny bit for her Pyrography work, just to see if she can burn into such a fine groove nicely).

Thanks for the great input!

Machine: Shapeoko3 (basic 16x16x3)
Spindle: DeWalt 611
Software: VCarve Desk v9.15
Cutter: 0.032" by: Carbide 3D

Feeds and speeds won't affect the preview. All the preview looks at is essentially the diameter and shape of the bit. With such a small bit you'll need to make sure that your preview simulation quality is set to the highest value (Toolpaths menu, Preview Simulation quality).

The other thing it could be is poorly formed vectors. Try zooming right in to make sure they are clean lines and not lots of little lines, squares etc.

Can you post the CRV file. That will help us to answer your question

Do not post any copyrighted models

Is your ball nose cutter a tapered ball nose cutter?

Leo wrote:Can you post the CRV file. That will help us to answer your question

Do not post any copyrighted models

Is your ball nose cutter a tapered ball nose cutter?

Thanks Leo.

The line art came from a kids colouring book site, I think it is freely distributable.

Here is the CRV File. Note that only Profile 4 is the only tool path in question here (Highlited in my screen capture).

Is my cutter tapered? Not too sure how that is defined. I'll post another pic of the cutter...

Here are the cuts in wood so far...

It's as I suggested. The vectors are very poorly formed. If you zoom in and look at them you will see that they are not continuous lines so what is cutting is exactly what the machine is seeing.

It looks like an automatic trace of a low quality image to start with. With such a simple shape you would get much better results by manually tracing the image and creating clean vectors.

Have a look at the tracing images tutorials here - http://support.vectric.com/tips-and-tricks/select.php - for ideas on how to improve the quality of the vectors.

Adrian wrote:It's as I suggested. The vectors are very poorly formed. If you zoom in and look at them you will see that they are not continuous lines so what is cutting is exactly what the machine is seeing.

It looks like an automatic trace of a low quality image to start with. With such a simple shape you would get much better results by manually tracing the image and creating clean vectors.

Have a look at the tracing images tutorials here - http://support.vectric.com/tips-and-tricks/select.php - for ideas on how to improve the quality of the vectors.

Beautiful Advice!!!! Just what I needed too! Simple directions to the right path! I knew I saw it earlier this spring, but I just could not recall where I saw it. I thought it was on the forum here.

Thanks Adrin! & Leo too!

After I finish with the Tutorial, I shall return here and review all. A Deep Thanks.

I was just wondering to go back to my original dilemma...

Does anyone have this tool bit in their inventory that they can share a screenshot of their Library Database info on this tool (0.032" BN) for the appropriate Feeds & Speeds, and all that other good stuff that Vectric likes to see.

Thanks all.

These are my feeds and speeds and may not work for your machine but they work for me.

VE5MDH - do you have a name, or should we just call you - 5 - or something like that. My real life name is Leo.

The Owl is cool.

You can watch the video and learn from that. It's always a good thing.

I know there are better ways to use the trace tools, but I am an old so and so and I do it the painful way.

I node edit the living daylights out of it. I trim, skim, and fix it up the way I want it to be. You get good at it after a while.

The double lines make it a good item for a "V" carving. Not sure if you have that, but if you do - that's what you should at least try. A 90 degree or 60 degree would work really nicely on that Owl.

Pete Cyr wrote:These are my feeds and speeds and may not work for your machine but they work for me.

Thanks Peter! At least it is a point in the right direction! Better than going in blind. Problem here is I'm sure the nearest CNC is at least 100 mi away!

This is greatly appreciated! Who knows... it may also assist another Newbie too!

Leo wrote:VE5MDH - do you have a name, or should we just call you - 5 - or something like that. My real life name is Leo.

The Owl is cool.

You can watch the video and learn from that. It's always a good thing.

I know there are better ways to use the trace tools, but I am an old so and so and I do it the painful way.

I node edit the living daylights out of it. I trim, skim, and fix it up the way I want it to be. You get good at it after a while.

The double lines make it a good item for a "V" carving. Not sure if you have that, but if you do - that's what you should at least try. A 90 degree or 60 degree would work really nicely on that Owl.

Thanks Leo! Yes, I sure took Adrian's advice and hopped over to the video tutorials and watched (and dnld'd) both the Bitmap series & Node Editing as well for kicks!

Both series sure put me in the right point of view! This morning I created my own Owl, which uses many fewer nodes (KISS), yet it still took like 15 mins to cut out with the 0.625" BN. Outcome was spot on though! I cut out 2 signs for my wife. She put some colour to one, and she wants to burn the other! Pyrography, that is... LOL.

I too used to enjoy the art of pixel by pixel editing on my IFF images back in the day, so I am accustomed to tedious detail work that takes days to complete. I caught on to the node editing game like a kid on the ice (sure I'm sure I was ankle skating for the first couple of hours). After a while I started to get drawn into it.

I think I have the hang of it, and I like the outcome too! Oh, most important issue is that Andrea was blown away at it too! (A good thing!).

You mention the double lines make for good vcarving. Is that a pre-requisite for VCarving? BTW, I do have both V60 & V90, and have experimented a tad with my Chinese V20 Engraving "Pencil" bit. I like the 0.0625" BN the best for the side pics, so I may just stick with that for now (as I learn other things, like make a good Pen Box for my Customers who buy our Handmade Pens).

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mi ... 055747&z=4

There are a few camaster machines near your location...see link above

Pete Cyr wrote:https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mi ... 055747&z=4

There are a few camaster machines near your location...see link above

LOL! Nearest Camaster is 8 Hours drive away, due West from us in Calgary, Alberta! But thanks just the same. Next time I decide to travel that way, I just might drop on in just to chat CNC stuff, and pick up some great ideas from them. Everyone always has good tips to share!

BTW Peter, I own a Shapeoko3 from Carbide 3D.

Yeah - double lines for v-carving.

In your picture of the 1/32 bit - it is not a tapered bit.

The Tapered 1/32 ball nose is a MUCH stronger cutter. Far less likely to break.

You are currently profiling inside the lines. Perhaps the cutter cannot "fit" inside the lines. You can try profiling "ON" the lines.

Personally, I would node edit, and get rid of the small circles, particularly the halo around the owl. I would make that halo a continuous double line. I would clean up all the little circles and make more continuous double lines. I would make all the double lines a consistent width, for uniformity. Then I would vcarve with a 90 degree bit