Tips for a clean carve
Your file is built for your machine, but the machine and the board still have to be ready. These 20 habits fix most problems before they start.
Surface your spoilboard
Flatten it with a surfacing bit before your first carve and again every few months. Every depth on your carve starts from this surface.
Tram your router
Make sure the bit is perfectly square to the table. An out-of-tram router cuts deeper on one side and leaves ridges in clearing passes.
Square your gantry
Check that both sides of the gantry move together and sit square to the frame. Out-of-square machines make crooked carves.
Check belts, screws and wheels
Belts should be snug, pulley set screws tight, and V-wheels adjusted so they roll without wobble. Loose parts cause skipped steps.
Calibrate your steps
Cut or jog a known distance and measure it. If 10 inches comes out as 9.9, your carve sizes will be off.
Pick flat, dry wood
Sight down the board before you buy it. Cupped, twisted or wet boards cause uneven depth. Let new wood sit in your shop for a few days first.
Measure with calipers
Check thickness at several spots and give us the actual number. Nominal sizes are almost never exact.
Flatten warped boards first
If a board rocks or measures uneven, run a surfacing pass on it before carving or pick a different board.
Hold it down solidly
Use clamps, screws into waste areas, or painter’s tape with CA glue for thin stock. A board that shifts even slightly ruins the carve.
Keep clamps out of the path
Place clamps where your setup sheet shows clear zones, and leave room for the router body, not just the bit.
Use sharp, quality bits
Dull or cheap bits burn, fuzz and chip. Replace V-bits when the tip rounds over.
Clean your collet
Wipe out dust and resin every time you change bits. A dirty collet lets bits slip, which changes your depth mid-carve.
Zero Z with a touch plate
Use the same bit you’re about to cut with, and make sure the plate thickness is set correctly in your software.
Only re-zero Z after a bit change
When you swap to the clearing bit, reset Z on the material and leave X and Y alone. Re-zeroing X and Y shifts the second pass.
Seal before you carve
A coat of shellac or sanding sealer before carving reduces fuzz and keeps paint fill from bleeding into the grain.
Check the path before you cut
Jog to the corners of the job to make sure it fits the board and clears your clamps. For extra safety, lift Z about an inch and run the first minute or two of each toolpath in the air.
Test on scrap
Try new bits, woods or settings on a scrap piece of the same material before cutting your good board.
Clean the machine after every job
Vacuum chips off rails, belts, lead screws and wheels. Built-up dust causes binding and lost steps.
Use dust collection
It keeps chips out of the cut, protects your lungs, and keeps your machine running smoothly.
Stay with your machine
Wear eye and hearing protection, keep a fire extinguisher nearby, and never leave a running machine unattended.
Carve didn’t come out right? Check the troubleshooting guide for the most common problems and how to fix them.