Vapor lock

[chunkstyle]

Thanks Ken,

As far as dxf's being imported into part editor, i and the Thermwood shop have had really good results with it. Taking a part into the contour editor and loading the dxf drawing on the part is very easy, once you get the hang of the x axis being rotated to vertical instead of horizontal. Dxf drawings must be drawn this way in cad as well. This has proven to be very effective for me. I tend to create client folders and store sub folders inside such as DXF Templates, pictures, shop drawings, TWD,s, Job files, etc...
Drawing with two monitors allows me to have both e-cabs and a cad program running at the same time. If there is a correction needed to the DXF, to work right in e-cabs, I just make the correction to the DXF drawing in cad and hit the save button. Reload it to the part editor and BAMMO. Very quick and easy and all the parts are still in the job file. Having cad and E-cabs running at the same time has really opened things up for "sculpting" cabinets. Likewise, the better hardware companies are loading their DXF's onto the web. Makes it real easy to bring into part editor. Just wish that TWD would allow this import feature in the hole pattern editor. Maybe they do and I don't know how to do it yet. This may not be as helpful for other shops, though. Just one way of working.

Thanks for the spoillboard/ running time heads up. I'm finally getting good fits with my blind dado's. Got schooled by Gary on the poor stability of uldf and auditing parts off the table.

Thanks,
Tim

[chunkstyle]

Kenneth,

Thought about your advice on running times and cut thru's. I checked the table clearance with the drill rod in the spindle and a feeler gauge. Looks like my table had shrunk a few thou. Pretty consistent over the whole table. Wound up just setting the table height a few thousandth's lower and rechecked. Much nicer fit with the feeler gauge. Thanks for the advice.

Brady,
I turned off the automatic update setting in the properties area of the computer. What I'm finding is that the INI file keeps getting corrupted and I have to delete it (as recommended by SB) and restart SB control. The intervals between doing this keep getting shorter and shorter. Not giving me a warm and fuzzy to run large TWD files.

Gary,
Spoke with Daniell at TWD about a crazy link file generated for a cabinet that had DXF pocket cuts. The Link file was calling up a .25" M.C. bit to perform a drilling operation for a 5mm hole with a concentric 7/16" countersink hole. He sorted out some of the problems with the pocket cuts being made from DXF's. He had me save the boundaries of the dxf in countour editor and erase the dxf from the part. The saved x_t (formally a dxf) file is then reapplied. Do the 'Create pocket from closed contour' deal again. No more issues with a link nest and crazy tool call up's. This kind of error has not been happening in twd files run off on Thermwood's CNC's and appears to be issues between the link and SB3. It's a work around but at least it works. No answer on the onion skin being partially removed or dropped off of parts completely. Have to get files and pictures over to TWD.

Definitely not prime time yet.

Tim

[Gary Campbell]

Kenneth...
I really liked some of the 3.5.late teens, but as I beta tested many of the newer versions, each seemed to be an improvement on the prior. Bad part is, or so it seems, when you fix one thing, 5 more get screwed up. Thats why I am not a programmer. I had to go back a couple versions on my shop computer to get a job done.

Tim...
I was afraid of that. We have had very few SB specific "bugs". Most of the stuff that has been reported in the past was able to be chased down by the TWD guys in their code. Sure do hope that some of the latest fixes arent causing cutting errors.

[ken_rychlik]

Gary,
I would have stayed with the 3.5.20 if I didn't want to run the link. I was talking about 3.6.xx

I am thinking back to about 14 was working pretty decent before I decided to "upgrade" I have 20 running on it now, but i had to put old coppies of z zero and xy zero along with making my own JH file. Files are running ok as long as I don't hit the space bar.

Tim,

Normally emails to t-wood with the export is very productive. They usually know how and why it is acting the way it is. Very sharp folks there.

[chunkstyle]

Kenneth,

Yeah, I've had a lot of help from Daniell today and he's been able to find some of the strange that's been happening.
the onion skin setting doesnt appear to be working with arcs. I had the minimum set to 4 square inches and the shapes that I was missing onion skin pass on were over that. Daniell tried it on his end and saw that the program was not writing the code for onion skin as it should. I've had a lot of strange and whats been consistant are the use of circles and arcs brought into part editor for creating shapes or pocketing operations.
TWD has sent me a circle to air cut and see if it does the momentary pause at the four 90 degree points as I witnessed earlier. The thought is that there is some kind of trouble with the SB control handling the G code for this geometry. That's my butchered translation of it anyhow. If I learn anything about it I'll post it.

I've had Link trouble and SB3 trouble thru out these small cutting jobs. I now seem to have to throw out the INI file on a regular basis. In fact, I'm thinking that I will have to throw it out before any cutting session begins. Program bugs out and locks up if it's left open and idle for any length of time.

Getting nice repeatable blind dado joints though. Week had some results.

Tim

[ken_rychlik]

Tim,

What version of SB3 are you running?

[Gary Campbell]

Guys...
I really doubt we will find any of these problems that are specific to a particular version of SB3. We know SB is changing stuff. We know eCabs is constantly changing, and I am sure that the Link will have its share of changes also.

The only way that we as users can get them to play together nicely is to report all possible errors. Use the export button. Send it to TWD. If there are some things in the SB code that need to be tweaked... they (TWD) will let SB know. Remember..... NOTHING WILL CHANGE IF YOU DONT REPORT ERRORS!

[chunkstyle]

Kenneth,

I'll report back on the SB version tomorrow when I get over to the shop.

Gary,
Trust me when I say I've been a squeaky wheel. I agree that one report of a problem may go unnoticed but if there are more reporting the same problem it will probably get noticed and fixed sooner.

Tim

[Gary Campbell]

Tim...
Do you notice that as your machine gets broken in, everything gets easier? BTW, the break in period is for the owner, not the machine!

[chunkstyle]

LOL.,

No Gary, not yet. It's still a game of whack-a-mole for me. As I get some issues resolved more appear to take their place. It does get easier to understand the mechanics of the machine, though. With your help it's been a lot easier to diagnose the cutting results and what to do to fix it.

My current list is:

Why does the INI file keep getting buggered up and have to be deleted or the machine will run erratic. Have to delete it at least once a day.
Still no solution to the speed control issue. I've had a workaround for the Link provided by SB though.
Onion skins not getting cut from parts with arcs.
Shoulders on tenons not getting cut from certain parts.
Tool pathing on circles has a pause at 90 degree sections instead of a smooth path thru the entire circumference.
And then there's that latest one that had the spindle sit and spin during a final onion skin pass.


I have no doubt that the problems will get fixed. I also have no doubt that more problems will be discovered. Maybe I've reached a state of grace or Zen with the machine. It is nice to be cutting even if the cutting is sometimes incorrect.

Are you saying that there is a point when the problems stop? : )

Kenneth,
I'm running 3.6.18

Tim