Plunge depth increases and bit drags material

1

I designed a project that was 24 inches wide and 18 inches high. The bit used was a 60 degree V Bit. The left side of the project cut great. The further to the right of the project the bit started dragging the material, and the plunge increased.

What is going on?

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2

It could be a couple of things:

  1. It could be that your material is not dimensionally the same across its breadth.
  2. It could be that your waste-board is not 100% flat to your Z-Axis travel.
  3. It could be misalignment of your rails causing the X-Axis to be tilted.
  4. It could be that you lost some steps somewhere during the carve.
  5. It could be your Z-Axis Pulley set screw(s).

My bet would be on #2 being the biggest factor …

Get your machine all squared up & trammed. Then either skim your waste board or install a thin waste board on top of the original if you do not want to mess up the original and skim that. This will make the waste board 100% perpendicular to the Z-Axis travel across the breadth of the cutting surface.

{:0)

Brandon Parker

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3

Thanks,
How do you do number 2?

4

Either skim cut the work area of your waste-board. You will have to figure out how far off it is from its lowest point to the highest point. You then just resurface it down to that lowest point so that all of the work area is level with the Z-Axis. Most people do not want to do this with their original waste-board, so that install a thin one (maybe 1/4" thick) on top and skim that one.

{:0)

Brandon Parker