Personally,I always have top of stock,,,well at the Top,,,you don't have to,but you can get confused pretty quick with many operations..Think of it as a DATUM point,,,(GOD point) Google Datum,,,,welcome to the World of machining
Each machining set-up,,,,reset tools to TOP of stock,,,,you don't have to,,but till you get use to this,,,it will save much grief
ain't your grandpa's Oldsmobile
The horn issue? I'm not convinced the gouge in your wood cam from the cam cutlist yet though. It could be from the post code, or from the setup parameters like the top of part and also the seperate surfaces thing. Thats yet to be determined. It WILL help with a nice clean path all the way around the edge though. But there are also many ways to acheive it. That way was just a good visual. More like an "ah i see".....
Your use and idea about how you've used "top of feature" is pretty scary though. I would say "incorrect" but that wouldnt really be true either. I just think what it does and what you THINK its for may not be inline (i could be wrong)...
Maybe someone could find a depoalo video that addresses this area and setting? Maybe we can get Al to jump in. We need to break it down to a simple setup so we can "ah ha"...
Top of feature can be used, but i think you better undersrand it well, or you'll be crashing tools or your machine.
Guaranteed true that
Jr. You would be much better to adrress the ole "i cut this side then flipped and reset up the next op" part with him.
I'll get lost. But i just know when we start defining imaginary planes "below the stock zero" we better have a good reason and definitely understand it. Ours is always set at top of stock. The toolpath will know where the surface is.
Although i THINK he's using it as a "second stock definition" so to speak... chimes on this part needed.
I have said it before,,,anytime I move the part anywhere,,I create a whole new file..Do copy/paste or whatever,,,but I don't do multiple machine set-ups
Each new OP,I translate print to Top of Stock (almost always) and re-tool measure offset
Microsoft does not care how many files,,,ex:OP1,,OP2,,OP3
It is just easier,especially when you come back 6 months or a year or 2,,then you go WTF ?
Nice they have that feature,but I don't use it
Typically,I also take a real picture of the part and the set-up and put it in like,,,OP1 or OP2
KISS,,,keep it simple ??????
Always,each OP,well,almost always,,,each new OP,top of job is top of what I consider my Datum or God point,,,,usually that is the very top.
again,google Datum or reference point or reference plane
Most Blue Prints it will reach out and tell you where that may be
Might add,using the "text" feature and putting notes right on the print for each OP
Well,it saves that WTF? moment down the road,at least for this old fart,,,memory fart
So when it says pick "Top of feature" you pick the top of stock?
Well, its usually filled in for you.
So MOST people set the stock zero on the top of stock, so that number is zero. If we do a 4th axis cylindrical stock, the zero is the center of the chuck (the middle of the stock) and that number is filled in at the radius of the cylinder.
It also is playing with the clearance plane and rapid and feed plane values.
So it is rare, that we ever touch the "pick" part of that dialogue. If the first steps of the setup are done right, its filled in where it needs to be.
I built a fixture with removable dowels for this, with a corner to indicate and two hard stops. I place the wood block against hard stops. I cut, interpolate, two 5/8 dowel holes in op1, remove part, insert dowels and flip, then op2, two more dowels holes and cut all the bottom features, op3, flip again and finish all the top features. Done
Everything top to bottom in perfect alignment.
I don't have my vacuum table set up yet, so I machined two hold down clamps out of aluminum for the block. I have threaded inserts in my fixture just for this job.
Yup,anything to help repeat,,what's that sayin ? "If you keep doing the same thing,over and over,don't expect different results"
Guess that is about Life,,but it is a good thing in Machining