Help Please

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dmidkiff
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Help Please

Post by dmidkiff »

Hi all, I haven't been here in a while. Truth is I seldom use Aspire4.5 anymore. I was asked to do a job for the city where I live and it also needs to be historically correct. I new that I could do the job but am having trouble with the correct shape. The job is to replicate fence pickets.
fence picket.jpg
They need many of these pickets so I thought the best way to make several at a time would be to do a 2 rail sweep for 36". This way I could cut 30+ on 1 side and flip for the other side. Turns out that I'm not doing something right because either the picket tip is too shallow or the rest of the curves are too deep or both. I have traced and scanned and sized the picket multiple times and redone the 2 rail sweep many times. The last test cut I did I had the picket tip just right but the rest of the curves were either too deep or too shallow and was also to long. I have tried the tilt feature and that seems to help get the tip right but the rest is wrong. I have also drawn a grid to put the nodes in just the right spot.
2021-06-23.png
The above screen shot shows what I have now and the preview cut shows extra curves that are not in the model/component.
The picket measurements are 2.125" wide X 45" long X.75". The whole tip is 8" overall. I have a Shopbot PRS Alpha 48x96. Tool pathed with .5" ball nose bit with 9% to 17% stepover at 5" per second.
Any help would be very much appreciated. Sorry for the length of this post and I hope it isn't too confusing.

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dealguy11
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Re: Help Please

Post by dealguy11 »

I can't tell from the picture, but are you sure you put a vertical leg on both sides of the profile, and that the legs are even on the bottom on both sides? That's often the problem when sweep vectors don't look right.
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dmidkiff
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Re: Help Please

Post by dmidkiff »

Thanks for the reply. I think they are even. I made a box on my work table the size I wanted the group of pickets to be. I then deleted the vectors at both ends of the box. I used the 2 vectors that run from 0y to 36y for my sweep rails. I checked and they appear to be the same if we are talking about the same lines.

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mtylerfl
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Re: Help Please

Post by mtylerfl »

Hi Dave,

Could you post a photo of the actual picket, please?

This will help us get clear idea of what shape/contours you are needing to achieve, and be able to offer a solution for you.
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mtylerfl
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Re: Help Please

Post by mtylerfl »

Just a quickie example of 3 styles of pickets.

1) Flat - Two-rail sweep with one cross section and scale cross sections with width turned OFF

2) Two-rail sweep with one cross section and scale cross sections with width turned ON

3) Two-rail sweep with two cross sections (different height) "strategically placed" and scale cross sections with width turned OFF
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picket-sample.jpg
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dmidkiff
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Re: Help Please

Post by dmidkiff »

20210623_134101 (2).jpg
Thank you, here is a picture of the top of the picket. The picket is 2.125" wide. I am trying to use that measurement for the model depth so am only needing the last 8" of the top of the picket. I hope my explainations are not confusing or hard to understand. And perhaps the 2 rail sweep is not the right approach.

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Re: Help Please

Post by Hermie »

Your picture shows something that can be done with a simple profile cut, one minute per and on to the next.

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mtylerfl
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Re: Help Please

Post by mtylerfl »

Hi Dave,

If all you need are “flat” pickets, then Hermie is correct. An outline (closed vector) of the shape and a Profile Toolpath is all you need.

(BTW, I included a flat example sweep for a visual-only so it could be shown in the 3D View with the other two.)
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dmidkiff
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Re: Help Please

Post by dmidkiff »

Michael, The pickets you show in your illustration are 3d from the face. I was looking to turn them on edge and 3d the profile so I could cut 30+ at one time. Much like I've seen others do with corbels to do multiples.

Thanks, Dave

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mtylerfl
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Re: Help Please

Post by mtylerfl »

dmidkiff wrote:
Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:27 pm
Michael, The pickets you show in your illustration are 3d from the face. I was looking to turn them on edge and 3d the profile so I could cut 30+ at one time. Much like I've seen others do with corbels to do multiples.

Thanks, Dave
Thank you - I understand that now.

So, you can definitely do a two rail sweep for that strategy. As long as your drawn vectors are accurate (and the scale cross sections with width is turned OFF) you should get the result you need.

I’m not sure that method is as efficient time-wise (due to 3D Toolpaths) as compared to a regular profile cutout method, but you will need to be the judge of that.
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dmidkiff
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Re: Help Please

Post by dmidkiff »

Hermie and Michael, I was hoping to be able to cut more than one at a time as there are over 1500 pickets needing reproduced. That is why I was trying to do the 2 rail sweep over 36". There is already a lot of labor/time just to rip the pickets to size because I wasn't able to find a supplier for 2.125" wide 1X material. I have been able to get the basic shape (just not close enough for an historical replica). I just don't have enough experience with Aspire to be able to fine tune it. I'm not sure I can even explain what I have done because I don't understand exactly what the software is doing when I try something different.
Thanks, Dave

dmidkiff
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Re: Help Please

Post by dmidkiff »

"And the scale cross section with width is turned off"

I have not seen this anywhere so I'm sure I haven't checked or unchecked it. Could you point me in the right direction please? I am using 4.5.

Thanks, Dave

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mtylerfl
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Re: Help Please

Post by mtylerfl »

dmidkiff wrote:
Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:48 pm
"And the scale cross section with width is turned off"

I have not seen this anywhere so I'm sure I haven't checked or unchecked it. Could you point me in the right direction please? I am using 4.5.

Thanks, Dave
Hi Dave,

This is a screenshot from Aspire 4.514

I circled the scale cross section option in the rail sweep window (it's box is shown blank/unchecked...meaning OFF)
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scale-cross-section-circled.jpg
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dealguy11
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Re: Help Please

Post by dealguy11 »

A moulding toolpath will give you a faster, cleaner cut and is easy to set up...no fooling around with scaling cross section boxes. Please see the attached file.
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Picket.crv3d
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dmidkiff
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Re: Help Please

Post by dmidkiff »

Thanks Michael, I have actually seen that but my eyes just glazed over it as it was already checked and I assumed it needed to be. I will uncheck and try again. Thank you again and I will post my new results.

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