Very good explanation. I used this method to make a sign about 10" wide and 8 feet long. It worked great. I used V-carve Pro which has the same tiling feature.
Great detail and explanations. One important part that I didn't get, and I watched several times, what do you do to save the tiling as a .tap file, plus what does the machine do while you reposition the board for the next tile.
Hi Bill, If I understand you correctly, you would like to know how to save the tiled toolpath file, in your case a tap file and in my case an sbp file. Once you turn on "Tile Toolpaths", which is the icon in the center of the bottom row in the "Toolpath Operations" pane (you will see the tiling manager once Tile Toolpaths is on), saving a toolpath will automatically save both a T1 and a T2 file, etc, for as many tiles as you have if you have "Output Tiled Toolpaths" checked in the Save Toolpaths pane. You will see the T1, T2, etc files in the directory location you save to, so you have to take a look there to make sure saving tiled toolpaths worked right. While repositioning the material, you are between toolpath files and the machine is not running. That is, all the T1 files have been cut and I am preparing to cut all the T2 files, etc. I move the spindle to a convenient location to get at the hold down screws and move the material.
Watch carefully at time 9:15 and you can see that only two index holes in the workpiece are needed at exactly the 1/3 and 2/3 of total length points. The spoilboard also gets two holes, in this case at y=1 and y=17. The first tile uses the pin at y=17 and the second tile uses the pin at y=1 (and y=17 as well, if you like), and the third tile uses the pin at y=1.
Can you please tell me how you setup the zeroing at Tile#1 and Tile#2. I think I understand Tile#1 zeroing (Touch cutter to material surface, set X & Y to the zero point & then zero all three axis). However I don't understand how the zeroing process for Tile#2. After Tile#1 is completed, the cutter returns to home. What do you from there to setup Tile#2?
Hi Victor, You only have to do an xy zero one time, before cutting the first tile. For the second tile, the work was moved exactly 16" in the y direction, which was also exactly 1/3 of the material size in the y axis. The tiling software considered this second tile, which was the middle portion of the material in the video, as a new CNC file with the same material dimensions as the first tile, and the same xy zero position. Think of it this way. Suppose you wanted to cut two different plaques, each 16" in the y dimension and 14-3/4" in the x dimension. Each plaque has it's own file, and for each you made the xy zero point at the lower left corner. So, you screw down the material for the first plaque, zero xy at the lower left corner, zero z at the material surface, and cut the plaque. Now, remove that material and install the second plaque blank at the exact same position as the first blank occupied. Load up your new toolpath file. Since you did not change the xy zero on you machine, and the new toolpath file uses the same xy zero point as the first plaque, there is no need to rezero in the xy direction. BTW, if the material thickness is the same as the first plaque, there is no need to rezero in z, either. You should be able to cut the second plaque without any more rezeroing. Well, that's how the Vectric software treats the second (or third) tile; it sees it as a new "plaque" using the same zero points. The key, though, is that you must move the material a distance in y that is exactly the same size as the first tile. In the case of the video, each of the three tiles was made to be 16", so that meant the software saw three identical 16" boards with three different toolpaths to cut into them. In reality, there was only one 48" board that we indexed to look like three contiguous 16" boards. Hope this helps. Andy
Andy, can you cut Tile#3 first. The reason I would like to know is that I made up a project with 3 sections but during the last section the cutter broke and damaged the last section. I would like to make up a new section 3 and then glue it on the damaged section. Is this possible and how would you do it. Vic
@@victorzychla8237 You can cut off the damaged tile and glue on a replacement as long as you make your cutoff precisely. As far as then starting at tile 3, it will be done exactly the same way as you would normally cut tile 3. As far as the CNC is concerned, the T3 files are treated as a completely new job.
Beautifully explained and demonstrated, Andrew! I am trying to do tiling using Fusion 360 on a Mac and a Handibot CNC router, which has a much smaller carving area (6"x8"), so more tiles. Have you or anyone done tiling of an engraved text (Vee bit) sign with Fusion 360?
That was really very informative! I would have liked to see more detail on the doweling, but its enough to go on for me. I have a project where I need to flip the piece over as well and do the other side, so the clamps and the wood locator on the left side that you use the ShopBot to fix the position of are gems of advice! Question - what is that bit of wood you have with the marks on the right side? Was it for anything in particular? Also, did you get your roller from somewhere specifically ShopBot related or is it your own addition? Thanks!
+Richard Vowles Richard, the piece of cedar on the right side of the Desktop just keeps the chips out of my computer keyboard. It's just a scrap. I think I bought the roller stand from Rockler, but they are available lots of other places. They adjust vertically and I usually use them at the table saw for the offcut. Andy
Thanks for the video... I'm trying to cut a simple slot in a long plywood shelf for a standard. I followed your directions and when previewing the tool path it looks right, but when I machine it the 2nd part - it doesn't line up with the first one - off by 1/8" or more. I'm using Aspire. I have a link to the photo here: www.dropbox.com/s/qyzb6bsr7wcp8l8/IMG_7315.JPG?dl=0 Any idea why its not lining up? I even have a fence/rail to guide it the fun length and marked the ends to be sure they are consistent (not out of angle, etc). Thanks so much for the help!
Sorry Brian, but I just saw your question, 4 weeks old. TH-cam had put it into Spam, probably because of the DropBox link. I suspect you have completed your project by now. What size bit are you using? Offhand I cannot think of a plausible explanation, and without seeing the Aspire file I'm at a loss.
I ask about the bit size because it looks like the software started cutting "on the line" instead of "inside the line" for the second tile, but I can't think of why it might have done that.
@@Andrewpittsfurnituremaker No worries and thanks for getting back. My "fence" was actually the problem. It was off just 1/64 top to bottom, enough to make it miss that little bit over 6'. SO, I made the fence wider and let the CNC cut it square to the table - problem fixed! ha Thanks again - great videos!
Great tutorial. I'll add thing you missed that I wish I would've known. When the file saves, it save with a "T-1, T-2..." in front of the file name you choose. So if you save it as "ProjectABCD.CRV" if they're tiled, the file will be saved as "T-1 ProjectABCD.CRV" and so on. I discovered this by accident and was furious I could not find my file.
Another helpful video. I haven't tried it yet with vcarve pro yet. Thanks for exploring the advanced functions of the vectric software. You make it look it so easy!
This is a great method to approach bigger projects with your cnc.
+The ShavingWood Workshop Thanks Tommy.
I had no idea I could do this on my ShopBot. Thanks.
+Marc Eaton You are welcome, Marc.
Nice to see how that is done. Thanks for sharing.
+Pettigrew Woodworks Thanks Alex.
Very good explanation. I used this method to make a sign about 10" wide and 8 feet long. It worked great. I used V-carve Pro which has the same tiling feature.
+Steve Bonte Thanks Steve.
Great detail and explanations. One important part that I didn't get, and I watched several times, what do you do to save the tiling as a .tap file, plus what does the machine do while you reposition the board for the next tile.
Hi Bill,
If I understand you correctly, you would like to know how to save the tiled toolpath file, in your case a tap file and in my case an sbp file. Once you turn on "Tile Toolpaths", which is the icon in the center of the bottom row in the "Toolpath Operations" pane (you will see the tiling manager once Tile Toolpaths is on), saving a toolpath will automatically save both a T1 and a T2 file, etc, for as many tiles as you have if you have "Output Tiled Toolpaths" checked in the Save Toolpaths pane. You will see the T1, T2, etc files in the directory location you save to, so you have to take a look there to make sure saving tiled toolpaths worked right.
While repositioning the material, you are between toolpath files and the machine is not running. That is, all the T1 files have been cut and I am preparing to cut all the T2 files, etc. I move the spindle to a convenient location to get at the hold down screws and move the material.
Well done video and very informative. njoyed watching how you used the tiling feature on your small platform CNC.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Great video, thank you for taking the time to explain everything.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for givin this very useful information, espacially the practical demonstration with the workpiece on your machine
You are welcome.
@@Andrewpittsfurnituremaker But a last question, Sir: for making this sign with 3 tiles you will need to drill 3 index-holes, right?
Watch carefully at time 9:15 and you can see that only two index holes in the workpiece are needed at exactly the 1/3 and 2/3 of total length points. The spoilboard also gets two holes, in this case at y=1 and y=17. The first tile uses the pin at y=17 and the second tile uses the pin at y=1 (and y=17 as well, if you like), and the third tile uses the pin at y=1.
@@Andrewpittsfurnituremaker Thank you so much, thats the key of information i missed.
Thanks for sharing
+Mitch Peacock - WOmadeOD You are welcome, Mitch.
Can you please tell me how you setup the zeroing at Tile#1 and Tile#2. I think I understand Tile#1 zeroing (Touch cutter to material surface, set X & Y to the zero point & then zero all three axis). However I don't understand how the zeroing process for Tile#2. After Tile#1 is completed, the cutter returns to home. What do you from there to setup Tile#2?
Hi Victor,
You only have to do an xy zero one time, before cutting the first tile. For the second tile, the work was moved exactly 16" in the y direction, which was also exactly 1/3 of the material size in the y axis. The tiling software considered this second tile, which was the middle portion of the material in the video, as a new CNC file with the same material dimensions as the first tile, and the same xy zero position. Think of it this way. Suppose you wanted to cut two different plaques, each 16" in the y dimension and 14-3/4" in the x dimension. Each plaque has it's own file, and for each you made the xy zero point at the lower left corner. So, you screw down the material for the first plaque, zero xy at the lower left corner, zero z at the material surface, and cut the plaque. Now, remove that material and install the second plaque blank at the exact same position as the first blank occupied. Load up your new toolpath file. Since you did not change the xy zero on you machine, and the new toolpath file uses the same xy zero point as the first plaque, there is no need to rezero in the xy direction. BTW, if the material thickness is the same as the first plaque, there is no need to rezero in z, either. You should be able to cut the second plaque without any more rezeroing. Well, that's how the Vectric software treats the second (or third) tile; it sees it as a new "plaque" using the same zero points. The key, though, is that you must move the material a distance in y that is exactly the same size as the first tile. In the case of the video, each of the three tiles was made to be 16", so that meant the software saw three identical 16" boards with three different toolpaths to cut into them. In reality, there was only one 48" board that we indexed to look like three contiguous 16" boards. Hope this helps. Andy
Thank you very much for your reply, it is very helpful
Andy, can you cut Tile#3 first. The reason I would like to know is that I made up a project with 3 sections but during the last section the cutter broke and damaged the last section. I would like to make up a new section 3 and then glue it on the damaged section. Is this possible and how would you do it. Vic
@@victorzychla8237 You can cut off the damaged tile and glue on a replacement as long as you make your cutoff precisely. As far as then starting at tile 3, it will be done exactly the same way as you would normally cut tile 3. As far as the CNC is concerned, the T3 files are treated as a completely new job.
Thank you again Andy, it's nice to have a back up like you.
Beautifully explained and demonstrated, Andrew! I am trying to do tiling using Fusion 360 on a Mac and a Handibot CNC router, which has a much smaller carving area (6"x8"), so more tiles. Have you or anyone done tiling of an engraved text (Vee bit) sign with Fusion 360?
Steve, I've not used Fusion 360.
That was really very informative! I would have liked to see more detail on the doweling, but its enough to go on for me. I have a project where I need to flip the piece over as well and do the other side, so the clamps and the wood locator on the left side that you use the ShopBot to fix the position of are gems of advice!
Question - what is that bit of wood you have with the marks on the right side? Was it for anything in particular? Also, did you get your roller from somewhere specifically ShopBot related or is it your own addition? Thanks!
+Richard Vowles Richard, the piece of cedar on the right side of the Desktop just keeps the chips out of my computer keyboard. It's just a scrap. I think I bought the roller stand from Rockler, but they are available lots of other places. They adjust vertically and I usually use them at the table saw for the offcut. Andy
Thanks for the video... I'm trying to cut a simple slot in a long plywood shelf for a standard. I followed your directions and when previewing the tool path it looks right, but when I machine it the 2nd part - it doesn't line up with the first one - off by 1/8" or more. I'm using Aspire. I have a link to the photo here: www.dropbox.com/s/qyzb6bsr7wcp8l8/IMG_7315.JPG?dl=0 Any idea why its not lining up? I even have a fence/rail to guide it the fun length and marked the ends to be sure they are consistent (not out of angle, etc). Thanks so much for the help!
Sorry Brian, but I just saw your question, 4 weeks old. TH-cam had put it into Spam, probably because of the DropBox link. I suspect you have completed your project by now. What size bit are you using? Offhand I cannot think of a plausible explanation, and without seeing the Aspire file I'm at a loss.
I ask about the bit size because it looks like the software started cutting "on the line" instead of "inside the line" for the second tile, but I can't think of why it might have done that.
@@Andrewpittsfurnituremaker No worries and thanks for getting back. My "fence" was actually the problem. It was off just 1/64 top to bottom, enough to make it miss that little bit over 6'. SO, I made the fence wider and let the CNC cut it square to the table - problem fixed! ha Thanks again - great videos!
are you located in s c.
Gene Rhodes No. Virginia.
Great video. This answered many of my questions
Thanks!
Great tutorial. I'll add thing you missed that I wish I would've known. When the file saves, it save with a "T-1, T-2..." in front of the file name you choose. So if you save it as "ProjectABCD.CRV" if they're tiled, the file will be saved as "T-1 ProjectABCD.CRV" and so on. I discovered this by accident and was furious I could not find my file.
Good point.
Another helpful video. I haven't tried it yet with vcarve pro yet. Thanks for exploring the advanced functions of the vectric software. You make it look it so easy!
+The Hamlin Woodshop Thanks. Vcarve will tile, also.
I can't stop watching this video!!!! Thanks for helping me understand this process!
You are welcome, Lyle.
mytoyca thank you Andrew hope I can help you some time
Thanks.
Great video Sir. nice little feature
+Patrick Melchior Thanks!
Great job
+David Joy Thanks!