SFA: What's the Answer?
Pieces Moving While Mitering
Josh Lingofelt
We have a job coming up that I will need to cut a miter on. I've been practicing on some scrap pieces that we have laying around the shop (one yesterday was 41 1/2 x 25 1/2) and I go to cut them on the Park industries Titan Fab center. I draw them up in alphacad and click the sides I want mitered by selecting the "apron" tab and applying it to the desired sides.
I try maxing out the full size of the scrap with little left over on the sides for waste material. The material is face up, so its applying a undercut. After I select which sides I want the apron to be cut for I go to the Auto Tool Path tab and select my entire top and sides and apply.
The problem I am having is the pieces are moving on the table as it's cutting and of course cutting the pieces incorrectly because they are sliding around as the blade is making passes. Do you have any tips? Should I lay large scrap pieces on all sides of my material being cut? Or do i need to be cutting more within my material, even though that would result in more waste?
Anyways, thanks for your help, have a good day!
Josh Lingofelt
Countertop and Stone Lead
HANSEN & COMPANY WOODWORKS
St. Joseph, Minn.
Joe Durfee
SFA Director
I don't cut on a Titan, but the logic should be the same.
Cut the miters like a loaf of bread. See the attached picture.
Click screen capture to enlarge
I wrote 1,2,3 and 1,2,3,4. This is the order we cut these pieces. By not cutting the miter first, I still have the apron connected to the piece so that the apron doesn't move.
If this doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll see if I can explain better.
Joe Durfee
Production Manager
American Floor Covering
Cell: (860) 338-9632
Team Motorboat
Dave.Scott
SFA Member
Joe's points are well-taken, and at the risk of being obvious, forgive me, have you dressed your blade? Maybe also slow down your feed rate?
Dave Scott
Slabworks of Montana
Bozeman, Mon.
NSI, SFA, USGBC
"What we leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others" -Pericles
Mitch@ASW
SFA Member
If possible with your setup, I would clamp your pieces to the table as well.
Mitch Korth
Production Manager, Austin Stone Works
Austin, Texas
Mitch@AustinStoneWorks.com
"If you don't know where to start, go back to the beginning" - Alphonse Soady
Josh Lingofelt
Thanks guys! I ended up switching up the order of my cuts from the outside to inside and worked very well! I also dressed the blade. Turned out very nice!
Dave.Scott
SFA Member
Great to hear.
Maybe consider joining the SFA, best $100 ever spent.
Josh Lingofelt
Yeah, I'm going to do that. Seems like money well spent for sure!