i use the Surfacing tool to flatten stock more often as I use it to resurface my spoilboard.
That is a last resort tool. It’s much better to handwrite your own code for doing that or draw it out right quick in Vectric. I’ve used it a few time but don’t really like the way it writes the code (toolpaths are goofy)
What works for me may not work for you. I was just pointing out how I use that function. The machine that runs my CNC is not in the same building as my design PC. The tool paths that are generated always make perfect sense to me.
Thanks for the editing the response about not knowing anything. Let’s keep this civil.
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I guess you mis understood, I’m happy to help anyone and 99% of what I do with my machine is for educating others THAT as a matter of fact know next to nothing about this stuff, A moderator edited that, it wasn’t meant to be rude just like the word IGNORANT just means you don’t know much about the subject, not a degrading word at all just the definition of what it means. By the way that surfacing tool can and does move outside the expected toolpath area and it’s really hard, even as a advanced Cnc machinist to predict where it may end up traveling to without reading ever line of gcode. Please reach out if you ever need help, I love it actually. Larry R.
I’ve never experienced movement outside of the intended range.
Sorry if I sounded rude or defensive. But, don’t assume that someone who just started out in a forum has less experience or knowledge than you.
James.
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I’m like jmckeand. My main computer with Vectric etc. is in the house and the CNC and its computer is in the workshop.
100% of what I do is making things and I nearly always will surface a board when doing inlays or detailed patterns. Its so easy to use the gSender Surface program on the computer in the workshop after locking down the board. This saves me a couple of steps/trips and time is money.
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My design software is on all of my computers, in the office, at the machine & on the one running my 65" TV in the Cave, I use them all as needed. I have used the Gsender surfacing program some but I’m just saying you don’t have near the control with it as you do by either manually typing a quick code or creating an array of lines to profile it with Vectric. I normally do whatever is quicker or whatever mood I’m in I guess. Nice to have all the options.
Shouldn’t there be a surface-to-whatever-remaining-depth first pass in your main program then, if it’s such a critical part of your toolpath?
My point above is that the Sienci team has commented elsewhere that gSender is not the right place to do a lot of things, and generating toolpaths seems like one of those things. The upstream CAM apps are 100% toolpath generator softwares (independent of wherever you keep all of your various computers) and gSender is/was supposed to be a focused “sender” software, not a toolpath generator, not a motor controller etc. If it is now those things that’s fine, but that changes the definition away from “sender” to “do it all hobby 3-4axis CNC router software package” which makes it more like other systems and far less appealing to me.
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I like it. I use it almost exclusively to surface my work. I just jog the machine around to get the work XY size and a few clicks later I’m done. It’s great for occasional users like me. Keep it.
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