# could sure use some help.



## neckbone (Oct 26, 2020)

Hi everyone, I thought I would pick up a new hobby during the pandemic and hopefully I didn't get in over my head. I'm determined and love to build things so hoping some of you can help me. I went out and bought the 3018 pro and assembled it and made some carvings which turned out ok to me. The 3018 pro comes with grble/candle and I thought I would try to use easel because it seemed easier to me for what I wanted to do and now things are not going so well. Easel wouldn't cut all the way through the material which was only 1/8 thick. I tried everything without success. I went back to grbl/candle and now when I go to carve/cut something the spindle air cuts. It doesn't go down far enough to the material. I been reading and looking at videos but nothing actually gives me details specific how to fix it.The main purpose I got this machine was to make lure lips. I build my own lures and would like to make specific lips out of lexan that I can't buy in stores. This machine is small and I don't see me doing huge projects on it. Just the lure lips for now. I have the vector images and know how to transfer them over. I looking for a simple software like easel or similar where I can place the settings and hit carve to where they trace and cut through the lexan. As of right now I can't get the spindle low enough or find a software with a good tutorial that will work for what I want to do. Any help would be appreciated. 
thanks in advance 
Derek


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## Marco (Feb 21, 2009)

neckbone said:


> Hi everyone, I thought I would pick up a new hobby during the pandemic and hopefully I didn't get in over my head. I'm determined and love to build things so hoping some of you can help me. I went out and bought the 3018 pro and assembled it and made some carvings which turned out ok to me. The 3018 pro comes with grble/candle and I thought I would try to use easel because it seemed easier to me for what I wanted to do and now things are not going so well. Easel wouldn't cut all the way through the material which was only 1/8 thick. I tried everything without success. I went back to grbl/candle and now when I go to carve/cut something the spindle air cuts. It doesn't go down far enough to the material. I been reading and looking at videos but nothing actually gives me details specific how to fix it.The main purpose I got this machine was to make lure lips. I build my own lures and would like to make specific lips out of lexan that I can't buy in stores. This machine is small and I don't see me doing huge projects on it. Just the lure lips for now. I have the vector images and know how to transfer them over. I looking for a simple software like easel or similar where I can place the settings and hit carve to where they trace and cut through the lexan. As of right now I can't get the spindle low enough or find a software with a good tutorial that will work for what I want to do. Any help would be appreciated.
> thanks in advance
> Derek


Derek, there are some very good, smart and talented CNC people on the Forum and I am sure one or more can get you going in the right direction. I was seriously looking into CNC machines ( the inexpensive engraver type) last year and the year before but for me decided against them. The reason is woodworking itself can be frustrating at times by itself but to throw in various software programs to learn and get frustrated with plus the machine and for the ones I was looking at you had to build them, NO was my answer. I could visualize myself getting frustrated and mad trying to use it and getting so mad picking up and throwing a computer, a monitor, the CNC and tools from around the shop!

I respect the CNC guys and love their work. My hats off to them as I stand on the sidelines.


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

neckbone said:


> As of right now I can't get the spindle low enough


What do you mean by this, you can't get the spindle low enough? Photos always help with something like this, Derek. Got any you can share? 

David


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## neckbone (Oct 26, 2020)

Marco said:


> Derek, there are some very good, smart and talented CNC people on the Forum and I am sure one or more can get you going in the right direction. I was seriously looking into CNC machines ( the inexpensive engraver type) last year and the year before but for me decided against them. The reason is woodworking itself can be frustrating at times by itself but to throw in various software programs to learn and get frustrated with plus the machine and for the ones I was looking at you had to build them, NO was my answer. I could visualize myself getting frustrated and mad trying to use it and getting so mad picking up and throwing a computer, a monitor, the CNC and tools from around the shop!
> 
> I respect the CNC guys and love their work. My hats off to them as I stand on the sidelines.





Marco said:


> Derek, there are some very good, smart and talented CNC people on the Forum and I am sure one or more can get you going in the right direction. I was seriously looking into CNC machines ( the inexpensive engraver type) last year and the year before but for me decided against them. The reason is woodworking itself can be frustrating at times by itself but to throw in various software programs to learn and get frustrated with plus the machine and for the ones I was looking at you had to build them, NO was my answer. I could visualize myself getting frustrated and mad trying to use it and getting so mad picking up and throwing a computer, a monitor, the CNC and tools from around the shop!
> 
> I respect the CNC guys and love their work. My hats off to them as I stand on the sidelines.


Hi Marco, I've had this machine two weeks and it's getting to me lol. I don't mind troubleshooting but when it goes on for days its very frustrating.


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## neckbone (Oct 26, 2020)

difalkner said:


> What do you mean by this, you can't get the spindle low enough? Photos always help with something like this, Derek. Got any you can share?
> 
> David


Hi David, I don't have any pictures but the problem is lets say i want to cut out a square, just a plain square cut out. I set my material to an 1/8 thick. The spindle doesn't go far enough down to cut fully through the material. Its only carves down half way. Even though my material is 1/8 I tried putting the thickness to 1/2 inch thick, place depth cut to 1/ 2 and it still only cuts around half way, not all the way through. I checked everything even lowered my spindle a bit without success. Here is my gcode maybe you might be able to see something I don't. Thanks for your help.
G21
M3 S12000
G90
G1 Z3.810 F228.6
G0 X36.892 Y13.071
G1 Z-1.000 F228.6
G1 X27.024 Y13.071 F609.6
G1 X27.024 Y4.861 F609.6
G1 X36.892 Y4.861 F609.6
G1 X36.892 Y13.071 F609.6
G1 Z-2.000 F228.6
G1 X27.024 Y13.071 F609.6
G1 X27.024 Y4.861 F609.6
G1 X36.892 Y4.861 F609.6
G1 X36.892 Y13.071 F609.6
G1 Z-3.000 F228.6
G1 X27.024 Y13.071 F609.6
G1 X27.024 Y4.861 F609.6
G1 X36.892 Y4.861 F609.6
G1 X36.892 Y13.071 F609.6
G1 Z-4.000 F228.6
G1 X27.024 Y13.071 F609.6
G1 X27.024 Y4.861 F609.6
G1 X36.892 Y4.861 F609.6
G1 X36.892 Y13.071 F609.6
G21
G90
G1 Z3.810 F228.6
G0 X0.000 Y0.000
G4 P0.1
M5


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## gwilki (Nov 12, 2012)

Derek: How are you setting your Z0?


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## ger21 (Feb 10, 2019)

The g-code is cutting 4mm deep, so if it's not going down all the way, either your Z zero is set wrong, or your steps/unit is incorrect.


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## neckbone (Oct 26, 2020)

Thank you guys for replying. So what I do is when I'm in easel I place the thickness of material set to 1/8 and place slider down to 1/8 full cut. I then hit carve and confirm settings thickness, make sure everything is clamped down, confirm bit. Then in confirm work zero I bring spindle to the bottom left corner of my material. I lower the bit as close as I can to the material using a piece a paper for measurement. Then I click on use new position. Then I raise bit, turn spindle on and hit carve. Hope this helps if guys can confirm with me that is the proper way to do this.
Thanks guys


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

As long as you have your software set to Z zero on the top of the material then that should work. But if you have it set to zero off the spoilboard in the software and then zero off the top of your material on the machine you really only cut air.

David


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## neckbone (Oct 26, 2020)

When I set it I set it on top of my material. Not sure what you mean if its set off the spoilboard in the software. Where would I check that.


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

I'm not sure on your software, but in Fusion 360 it looks like this if you're setting Z zero on the top of the workpiece -









And like this if you're setting Z zero on the spoilboard or the bottom of the workpiece -


















And in Carveco it looks like this when you choose Z zero on the top of the workpiece -









David


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## BalloonEngineer (Mar 27, 2009)

Easel is notorious for changing the the Z-axis steps/mm on machines other than xcarve. That is the reason. Reset the value to whatever is correct for your 3018 and don’t use easel to control the machine. You can use easel for design and creating gcode file just run using candle, UGS, picsender or another GRBL “sender” program.


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## MarkJonesRanger (Aug 14, 2020)

Add a thicker spoil board. Your z limitation is bottoming out on it's limit.


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