Tool Database

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NewAtThis
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Tool Database

Post by NewAtThis »

A couple of questions about the tool database:

1. Why doesn't it have a search facility?

2. Why doesn't changing the Geometry units (mm to imperial to mm) recalculate the values, like it does when changing the Feeds and Speeds units?

3. Amana, for example, provide a shed load of geometry for each of their cutters, but Vectric only seem to use the cutting diameter and, with V bits, the cutting angle. Is the rest of the geometry information spurios, then?

Just asking...

Thanks
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Adrian
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Re: Tool Database

Post by Adrian »

1, This is covered in this thread - viewtopic.php?t=34147

2. No idea. Never bothered me as it's not something I would think people would be doing all the time. Surely you enter the values correctly when you create the tool? Perhaps it should convert but there are lots of places in the software where switching units in the middle of a job doesn't convert.

3. Depends on the tool. A lot of what Amana has in their database is just wrong with incorrect settings from what they publish. Engraving tools defined as v-bits, tools defined as form tools when they don't need to be etc etc. What else do you need apart from the tool diameter on an end-mill or the diameter and angle on a v-bit? There are 12 different tool types plus a form tool in VCarve. I can't think of anything that doesn't cover. Do you have an example?

NewAtThis
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Re: Tool Database

Post by NewAtThis »

Adrian wrote:
Wed Aug 03, 2022 1:47 pm
1, This is covered in this thread - viewtopic.php?t=34147
Fair enough. It was something I though would be useful, when looking through the imported Amana tools database for example, but this was only because one of the Amana tools I have isn't actually in the "latest" list, and was why searching seemed a good idea.
Adrian wrote:
Wed Aug 03, 2022 1:47 pm
2. No idea. Never bothered me as it's not something I would think people would be doing all the time. Surely you enter the values correctly when you create the tool? Perhaps it should convert but there are lots of places in the software where switching units in the middle of a job doesn't convert.
I get that. All of my cutters have a 1/8" or 1/4" shank (I know that's not necessarily the cutting width!) primarily because my first CNC machine and foray into free and paid software all seem to be biased towards imperial measurement, rather than metric. Being UK-based, I prefer to keep to "local" measurements, so my boxes project, for example, would be 100mm x 150mm rather than 4" x 6". Does it really matter, though? If the tools are setup in imperial, in the tool database, would that actually affect the project, if it's set up in metric?
Adrian wrote:
Wed Aug 03, 2022 1:47 pm
3. Depends on the tool. A lot of what Amana has in their database is just wrong with incorrect settings from what they publish. Engraving tools defined as v-bits, tools defined as form tools when they don't need to be etc etc. What else do you need apart from the tool diameter on an end-mill or the diameter and angle on a v-bit? There are 12 different tool types plus a form tool in VCarve. I can't think of anything that doesn't cover. Do you have an example?
"A lot of what Amana has in their database is just wrong with incorrect settings from what they publish" bothers me a bit! Importing the data from the Amana database has given me different numbers in the tool database from the Amana documentation (specifically different chiploads), but I'm not sure if this is down to Amana or Vectric.

As for specific examples, I don't really have any. I suppose it depends on how the V-bit geometry is "defined". I think I'm confusing myself in changing from Carbide Create to Vectric software, and having to relearn stuff! Although the principles are the same they use different terminology, and the CC database provides more geometry information than Vectric - hence my comment about spuriousness.
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Adrian
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Re: Tool Database

Post by Adrian »

You can setup your tools in whatever units you like and have the job in whatever units you like as well. I use all sorts as I always design in metric but (due to my machine) I'm more comfortable with using feed rates specified in Inches Per Second and the tools themselves can be imperial or metric depending on what I'm using. The beauty of the post processor system is that all those units are automatically converted into the units that the post processor uses so I don't need to worry about it.

NewAtThis
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Re: Tool Database

Post by NewAtThis »

Adrian wrote:
Wed Aug 03, 2022 4:35 pm
The beauty of the post processor system is that all those units are automatically converted into the units that the post processor uses so I don't need to worry about it.
That'll do for me, thank you!
Be wary of taking the advice of someone who thinks he knows what he's doing, and don't listen to me!

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