Troubleshooting your carve
Every file is built for your exact machine, bits and board. When a carve goes wrong, the cause is almost always the machine setup or the material. Work through the problem below before re-cutting.
- Deep on one side, shallow on the other
- Too deep or too shallow everywhere
- Carve shifted or doesn’t line up
- Clearing pass doesn’t line up with the V-carve
- Ridges or steps in the cleared floor
- Fuzzy edges, tear-out or chipping
- Burn marks
- Carve runs off the board or into a clamp
- Broken bit
- Machine stops with an alarm or error
Deep on one side, shallow on the other
The carve depth changes across the board. Letters on one end are bold and wide, and on the other end they’re thin or barely there.
Likely causes
- Warped, cupped or uneven board
- Spoilboard isn’t flat
- Router isn’t trammed (square to the table)
- Board isn’t sitting flat on the spoilboard because of chips or debris underneath
How to fix it
- Lay a straightedge across the board and check for gaps
- Touch off Z at all four corners and compare the readings
- Surface your spoilboard and tram your router
- Flatten the board with a surfacing pass, or use a flatter board
Too deep or too shallow everywhere
The whole carve is evenly off. Everything is too bold, or everything is too faint.
Likely causes
- Z zero set on the spoilboard instead of the top of the board
- Wrong touch plate thickness in your software
- Bit slipped in the collet during the cut
- Board thickness on the intake didn’t match the real board
How to fix it
- Re-zero Z on the top of the material
- Check your touch plate thickness setting
- Clean the collet and tighten the bit firmly
- Measure the board with calipers and send us the correct number
Carve shifted or doesn’t line up
Part of the design is offset, leaning, or stepped sideways partway through the carve.
Likely causes
- Lost steps from binding: chips or dust on rails, wheels, belts or screws
- Loose belts or pulley set screws
- Board moved during the cut
- Feeds pushed beyond what the machine can handle
How to fix it
- Clean every rail, wheel, belt and screw
- Tighten belts and check pulley set screws
- Clamp the board more securely
- Make sure your machine’s motors and wiring are in good shape
Clearing pass doesn’t line up with the V-carve
The flat areas are off-center from the carved outlines, or the clearing bit cuts into lines it shouldn’t.
Likely causes
- X and Y were re-zeroed during the bit change
- Board moved between bits
- Lost steps during the first pass
How to fix it
- After a bit change, reset only Z
- Mark your X and Y zero before starting so you can check it
- Keep the board clamped until both passes are done
Ridges or steps in the cleared floor
The flat areas show lines, ridges or a scalloped pattern instead of a smooth floor.
Likely causes
- Router isn’t trammed
- Spoilboard isn’t flat
- Dull clearing bit
- Chips packed under the bit
How to fix it
- Tram your router
- Surface your spoilboard
- Replace or sharpen the clearing bit
- Run dust collection during the cut
Fuzzy edges, tear-out or chipping
Edges look hairy or chipped instead of crisp, especially in softwoods like pine and cedar.
Likely causes
- Dull bit
- Upcut bit used for clearing
- Soft or knotty wood
- No sealer on the surface
How to fix it
- Use a sharp downcut bit for clearing
- Seal the board with shellac before carving
- Lightly sand or brush the surface after carving
- Pick a tighter-grained wood
Burn marks
Dark scorch marks inside the carve or along the edges.
Likely causes
- Dull bit
- Machine paused or dwelled in one spot
- Router speed too high for the wood
How to fix it
- Replace the bit
- Don’t pause the job mid-cut
- Lower router speed one setting and tell us so we can adjust the file
Carve runs off the board or into a clamp
The toolpath starts in the wrong spot or runs past the edge of the material.
Likely causes
- X and Y zero set at the center instead of the bottom-left corner
- Board rotated the wrong way
- Board size on the intake didn’t match the real board
- Clamp placed in the toolpath
How to fix it
- Zero at the bottom-left corner on top of the material
- Check board orientation against the setup sheet
- Jog to the corners of the job before every carve
- Keep clamps in the clear zones on the setup sheet
Broken bit
The bit snaps during the carve.
Likely causes
- Bit hit a clamp or screw
- Z zero was set too low
- Different bit used than the one listed on the order
- Bit not seated deep enough in the collet
How to fix it
- Jog to the job corners or run a short air cut to catch clamp hits
- Double-check Z zero before starting
- Use only the bits on your order
- Insert the bit at least three-quarters of the way into the collet without bottoming it out
Machine stops with an alarm or error
The job stops partway through, or the controller reports a limit or soft-limit alarm.
Likely causes
- The job is larger than your machine’s cutting area
- Zero set too close to the edge of travel
- Limit switch triggered by debris
How to fix it
- Make sure the carve fits your machine’s cutting area
- Set zero far enough from the edge that the full job fits
- Clean around your limit switches
Still stuck? Email us your order number, a photo of the carve, and what you’ve already checked. If the file is the problem, we’ll fix it free.