new "SET" feature

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ohiolyons
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 3:24 pm
Location: Kettering, Ohio

new "SET" feature

Post by ohiolyons »

Can anyone supply me with a reference or explain the set feature in the control panel?

Asked Tim and no response probably busy with IWF. Asked Rockler and there response was less than helpful.

See below the Rockler explanation.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** The "Set" button in version 1.4 of the CNC Shark Control Panel allows you to preset system coordinates to something other than [0,0,0]. For many users, this capability is not required; but in certain circumstances, for example when running a project that uses different bits and multiple toolpath files, it can be advantageous to initialize system coordinates to a position not on the workpiece.

Operation is straightforward; click on the "Set" button, type in the desired X, Y, and Z preset values in the 'SetCoordinates' window, and then click on the "Set" button in the 'SetCoordinates' window to set the values and close the window.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
I routinely use more than one bit and think this may solve some of my issues.

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

John

spinningwood
Posts: 191
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:28 am

Re: new "SET" feature

Post by spinningwood »

A couple uses for "set":

A) You want to move the cutter a set distance in a certain direction. Let's say you want to reset z zero to be .002 lower than it currently is. You could jog and then zero out, but jogging isn't the most precise function and it is sometimes hard to hit exact numbers. So you could move to 0,0,0 , set z to be 0.002 and move to 0,0,0 again. Z Zero will now be 0.002 lower than it used to be. You need to be careful with this to insure you have cleareance to actually move in the direction you want.

B) Using multiple tools, if the point you used to zero z was carved away by the previous tool, you've lost the ability to set z zero for the new tool. There's a couple ways to deal with this. My preferred approach is:

1) set your 0,0,0 as usual.
2) pick a spot on the shark table or your workpiece that won't be cut away during any operation.
3) move to the spot picked in 2 above and note the x, y and z settings.
4) when you change tools, move to the spot picked in 2 above and use "set" to set the shark to the readings recorded in 3 above. When you move to 0,0,0 you should be all set. The precision you can achieve in maintaining a constant z zero across multiple tools with this method will depend on your ability to consistently set a tool to z zero.

Hopefully I wrote all that right and in a way that could be understood. If something doesn't make sense, just ask.

Ed

ohiolyons
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 3:24 pm
Location: Kettering, Ohio

Re: new "SET" feature

Post by ohiolyons »

Thanks Ed for the quick response.

I will try out what you provided today and report back!!

Thanks a million

John

ohiolyons
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 3:24 pm
Location: Kettering, Ohio

Re: new "SET" feature

Post by ohiolyons »

Ed

Your option A worked like a charm w/o any additional info required.

Option B I have a question: did you forget to mention pressing the zero Z button?

I move to the "new" spot as you indicated
I install the new bit and zero it to the surface

possible missing step press the zero Z button

I press set
Move to 0,0,0
cut parts

spinningwood
Posts: 191
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:28 am

Re: new "SET" feature

Post by spinningwood »

Hi John - It's not necessary to press z zero, but depending on your procedure it may not hurt. Let's review:

Original in black, comments in blue:

1) set your 0,0,0 as usual.
2) pick a spot on the shark table or your workpiece that won't be cut away during any operation. This spot does not have to be at the same height as your z zero in step 1. It can be higher or lower. Anywhere the bit tip can reach. It doesn't even have to be on the workpiece. It could be a standard touch off point somewhere on your table.
3) move to the spot picked in 2 above and note the x, y and z settings.If the spot you picked is at the same z height as your initial point in step 1 then you can use z zero later. However, if the z of the spot from step 2 is different than the z from step 1 you do not use z zero. See (A) below for more detail.
4) when you change tools, move to the spot picked in 2 above and use "set" to set the shark to the readings recorded in 3 above. (A) If the spot from step 2 had a z setting of -0.20 then that is what you enter for z now. If you use z zero you bit will be off on the z dimension.
When you move to 0,0,0 you should be all set. The precision you can achieve in maintaining a constant z zero across multiple tools with this method will depend on your ability to consistently set a tool to z zero.

**********************

It's a lot easier to do than explain and there are more than one way to do what we are talking about. Picking a point for step 2 that you assume is at the same z height as the point in step 1 (and using z zero) may work for what you are doing. I work a lot in wood, much of it still pretty green. It's never a good idea for me to assume that any point will be at the same z height at any given point in time. My table doesn't change and I can always count on it being at the same height (I hope), which is why I record the z setting in step 2 and set to that in step 3 instead of using a z zero.

Ed

ohiolyons
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 3:24 pm
Location: Kettering, Ohio

Re: new "SET" feature

Post by ohiolyons »

Thanks Ed

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