CNC Shark Forum

Do you have a picture? If you're using a laser on wood, it could be due to the natural differences in the wood itself.

Or, possibly, you need the registration from the large touchplate for the system to recognize it. It's the only thing that stops you from just making your own.

I would expect Z accuracy to be the same between the two. The larger is "better" in that it lays over a larger area of your workpiece, so if you have some subtle variation on the piece it's more likely to find the high z point. If you're happy with the small, just get it. My Z plate is about 2" big ...

VCarve 8.5 is no longer available for purchase, but you can still download it from their site if you've purchased it. Just login and head to your owned products area to download it.

Until two days ago, I was using VCarve Pro 8.5 still. Works great.

Vectric has announced that version 12 is about to be released. They're also hinting at raising upgrade prices after this release, so if you've been on the fence about upgrade from your current version to a new one, this might be the time to do it. When you upgrade, you're guaranteed any new version ...

Just this group. There's not another one I'm aware of.

I have, but using a CO2 laser instead. You would definitely have better luck with the 7W diode laser than I did, but I suspect even then your results wouldn't be entirely satisfactory. The laser gets the powder too hot and doesn't heat evenly.

I ended up making my own dust boot. If you do something like this, you can control the length of the bristles and make them shorter than usual so they won't hit your workpiece when you carve a bowl.

Here's the one I did: http://perryprojects.blogspot.com/2017/ ... -boot.html

Could you create a g-code file that just turns on the spindle without otherwise moving it, then send that? I don't have a spindle, but I would expect it to work. If the Shark controller insists on turning off the spindle after completing the g-code run, just include a long delay in the file.

For a V-bit, 1/8" is a fine starting point. You can go more or less aggressive as you fine tune things.

My rule of thumb for end mills on wood is 1/2 the end mill diameter. Again, you'll fine tune that for your situation, but that's my go-to value.