V-carve troubleshooting

Letters cut too deep, or right through the board

1. V-bit angle too narrow for the stroke widthMost common
   A 30 degree bit cuts to nearly twice the stroke width. Switch to 60 or 90 degrees, or set a flat depth.
2. No flat depth setCommon
   Without one, the carve follows the geometry as deep as it needs to go.
3. Text scaled up after toolpathingCommon
   Wider strokes mean a deeper carve. Recalculate the toolpath after any resize.
4. Wrong bit angle entered in the tool databaseOccasional
   The software cut for a 90 degree bit and you fitted a 60.
5. Z zero set on the spoilboard, not the material topOccasional
   Everything cuts one stock thickness too deep. See zeroing.

Letters too shallow, or barely visible

1. V-bit angle too wide for the designMost common
   A 90 degree bit only reaches half the stroke width. Fine text carves almost nothing. Go narrower.
2. Flat depth set too shallowCommon
   It is capping the carve before it gets going.
3. Z zero is highCommon
   Often the paper method plus an optimistic touch. Re-zero and check.
4. Bit has a flat tip that the software does not know aboutOccasional
   Strictly this makes strokes wider at a given depth rather than shallower, and the software compensates by lifting the tool, so fine detail washes out. Enter the flat diameter in the tool definition.
5. Material surface is not levelOccasional
   Depth varies across the piece because the stock is not flat. Surface it first.

Corners are rounded, not sharp

1. The bit is dull at the tipMost common
   The point is the part that makes corners. It is also the part that wears first. Sharp bits produce sharp corners.
2. The vectors have rounded cornersCommon
   Some fonts and many traced logos have small radii at every corner. Zoom in and look at the actual geometry.
3. Flat tip bitCommon
   A bit with a 0.03 inch flat cannot cut a corner sharper than that flat.
4. Machine slowing into corners with a rounding setting onOccasional
   Some controllers have a path blending or corner rounding tolerance. A large value visibly softens corners.

Fine detail is missing entirely

The tool physically cannot fit. A V-bit's tip has a width, either a true point that is dulling or a deliberate flat, and any feature narrower than that width does not get carved. The answer is a narrower angle, a sharper bit, or simplifying the detail in the design.

Text looks choppy or the machine stutters through it

1. Too many nodes in the vectorsMost common
   A traced logo can have thousands of nodes per letter. The machine decelerates for each segment and the result is both slow and visibly faceted. See vector troubleshooting.
2. Arc fitting off in the post processorCommon
   Curves output as thousands of tiny straight lines instead of arcs. Enable arc fitting if your controller supports it.
3. Low acceleration settings on the machineOccasional
   The machine cannot change direction fast enough to follow fine detail smoothly.
4. Mechanical slackOccasional
   Backlash shows up most in rapid direction changes, which is exactly what lettering is. See backlash.

Depth varies across the piece

• The stock is not flat. The most common cause by far. Surface the material first.
• The spoilboard is not flat or not parallel to the gantry. Surface the spoilboard. See spoilboard.
• The machine is not trammed. A tilted spindle produces a depth that varies with position. See tramming.
• The workpiece flexed under clamping and relaxed afterward.
• The bit slipped in the collet during the cut, which makes the carve progressively deeper. See collets.

Visible flat bottoms where you expected a V

Either a flat depth is set and those shapes were wide enough to hit it, which is normal and usually desirable, or your V-bit has a flat tip and the shapes are narrow enough that only the flat is cutting. Check the flat depth setting first, then the bit.