The best I can say right now is make sure the the top of the material is 0 in Vcarve. It's past my bedtime
OK I JUMPED BACK OVER INTO VCARVE AND IT SAYS 0.08, AND I WOULD AGREE IF ITS NEGATIVE ITS GOTTA BE DOWN AND POSITIVE UP ABOVE
The best I can say right now is make sure the the top of the material is 0 in Vcarve. It's past my bedtime
Jim Dawson
Sandy, Oregon, USA
WAY PAST MINE TOO, I APPRECIATE THE INCITE
Ok i'm still stuck.....I've tried messing with some of the z settngs in the programming process but am still clearly missing something...I thought perhaps i'd just do a simple gcode using text from vcarve….I used the word test and it did actually go into the wood, and cut but it cut some weird shape with a series of lines......what file type should I be taking to the cnc on the memory stick?......previously what I have been trying was .nc type...i'm just saving the toolpath after I do a design and that's what i'm taking to the cnc, should I be taking the .crv file?
Mach3 should be happy with a .nc file. The code snippet you posted looked like it should work with Mach3. You can attach the whole G code file to a post if you change the extension to .txt. It really is just a text file anyway. I'll take a look at the file and see what it looks like in a viewer.
Jim Dawson
Sandy, Oregon, USA
ok here's the gcode….
I just almost feel like it's a setting of some type that I haven't done right, because I've tried other files and they all have the same behavior...the bit will dive into the wood a little bit then lift up and it will be trying to do the cutting about half a inch or so above the surface of the material. its like I don't have some type of parameter set right
A half inch above the material is what the G code shows. I'm not sure what is causing the tool to dive to about zero, that's not in the G code. But Z0.5700 is where Vcarve is telling it to go. It looks like Vcarve thinks the top of the material is above 0.5700, maybe around 0.9500?
Jim Dawson
Sandy, Oregon, USA
well that makes since, and ideas how to fix this?
I have never used Vcarve, but in general in any CAM program there is a way to set the working surface. I don't have time to download and learn Vcarve right now, but you might take a look at the online tutorials.
The tool diving down might be the Safe Z setting in Mach3. I think it should be a couple inches or more above the work. Maybe at the Z home position.
Jim Dawson
Sandy, Oregon, USA
that is funny I just completed a tutorial for making a small sign in vcarve and followed their every step so I could look at the gcode to see what it looks like compared to what I have produced....thanks for your time and help.....if I figure this out i'll post it back on this thread...