Alternatively you can seelect the whole contour of the bore and shorten the exit line in your lead in/out paramaters to stop it from cutting too close to the centerline.

Wear the right clothing and protective gear. You should always wear goggles to protect your eyes from any debris that may come off when cutting with a router. Certain materials would require the use of a mask to protect you from inhaling any toxic particles.

Speed:  Speed is important when using routers. The speed you require depends on the material being worked on. A dense wood will require more speed than a light wood. If too much speed is used then the material can become scorched. If it's too slow then the finish will not be smooth. If you are working with different materials then make sure you purchase a router with variable speed settings.

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for a quick fix you could try creating a finish toolpath along the straight bore, and just tell it how many passes at a specified depth you want it to do.

Routers are primarily distinguished into different types depending on the base of the router. Fixed base routers have to start the cut from the edge of the material and can form shapes (depending on the bit chosen) or remove thin layers. Plunge routers on the other hand can start cutting from anywhere on the material, as the router cutting bit is movable and can be inserted into the material. This enables plunge routers to perform more tasks than fixed base routers, such as for making decorative designs in doors or cutting shapes out of panels, although they can often be less compact machines. Further information on router bases is explained in the key considerations section below.

I am with Brendan, we only really use a package of a couple dozen tools, the rest are custom anyway... Even modifying tools from the library gives me headaches.

The use of routers can be further improved when used with a jig. Jigs create a template for a router to follow when cutting, enabling routers to accurately cut specific shapes such as those required for hinges and joints. Router tables are also available that hold the router upside down and then the wood is presented to the cutting or shaping bit, rather than taking the router to the material.

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Collet size: Routers come with a 1/4" or 1/2" tool holder - known as a collet. The router bits that fit into the collet must also be the same size as the tool holder, they cannot be interchanged.

I am trying to bore 1.125" strait bore to a flat bottom. I have drilled with a .500 drill and now trying to send an E06STLPR2 boring bar with a TPGM21505 insert into the hole and bring it up to size. What am I doing wrong. What chain do I have to select (The strait chain, the strait chain and the bottom?) . How do I tell the tool the minimum size I want it to start boring at. DO I have stock recognition on?

Alternatively you can seelect the whole contour of the bore and shorten the exit line in your lead in/out paramaters to stop it from cutting too close to the centerline.

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I dont use the tooling libraries that are built into mastercam lathe. We dont do a great deal of lathe work and we will generally use a range of say 20 tools to machine MOST jobs. This being the case I just went through and made my own tools / library and have never had a problem with tool definitions. For a lot of the tools i just use the standard holders as a base and just modify them without the need to redraw entirely. It doesnt take too long to set up, and once it is, life is alot easier!

Hold the machine with both hands If you are using a plunge router make sure you use both hands. The larger machines create a lot of power and they can spin at speeds of 27000rpm. If it slips it can remove fingers or cause you harm.

Read the manual and understand how it works. Even for an experienced user, when getting a new power tool, it is always a good idea to read the manual. There are a lot of fine adjustments that can be made on routers so familiarising yourself with these will make sure you get the best from your tool.

Power source:  Routers can come as a mains machine or a cordless machine. Cordless options are more common with 1/4" fixed base routers, as they are typically used for light applications. The 1/4" mains machines will do the same as the cordless but will not require battery changes or charging. 1/2" routers are for all types of routing work. Currently all our 1/2" routers come with a plunge base and in mains power, enabling them to be used continually throughout the day.

I draw at least 70% of my tooling and, for the cuts, I draw geo & chain it. Never use lead in/out, always use lathe finish.

Also, why can I not get threading inserts to match up with "grooving bars" I found a E08-NER2 under the grooving tool library but that means i cannot select a NTP2L insert so I can thread with it?

One thing I would do when using Lathe, I would change my drill point angle to 175 degree's and it wouldn't make the boring bar want to start at the minimum bore dia. I haven't ran lathe for years but I have to say, I got pretty good with it and could make it do almost anything I needed. It took alot of trial and error but I finally figured out the best way to get good code and I would pretty much just post and go. I ran V9 lathe so it's been years to say the least.

On another note, why not just drill the hole bigger? We use Ingersolls Quad Drills and they leave a fairly flat bottom, but even a bigger HSS drill (assuming that's what you're using) would make things easier.

Ensure the device is switched off. Remove the battery, if applicable, or unplug the tool when changing the router bits or the tool is not in use.

for a quick fix you could try creating a finish toolpath along the straight bore, and just tell it how many passes at a specified depth you want it to do.

I ended up taking Brendan's suggestion and chaining the main bore and the back wall and then shortening the contour by .250. It seems to work pretty well now. I just have to learn all the workarounds I guess.

The MC Lathe is not that hard, but I think most people are "Mill People" and just don't know what is going on. When I started programming the lathe, I was a mill guy that got thrown in because our lathe guy quit. I had to go to my reseller and get a crash course on the lathe and then start trying to program with it. Our "Lathe Guy" didn't use MC, and instead used some antiquated software from he 80's that we had to have a special super old computer to run. After I got a decent post and a little trial and error, I was programming some pretty cool lathe parts. Its pretty easy to use, but you can't program it like the mill.

I also really don't quite get why you can only use look up tool and inserts that are used for a specific operation. That just seems soo counter intuitive to me. They need to make the holders for Top-notch inserts available for both grooving and threading. :wallbash:

Almost every person who works with wood will benefit greatly from a router in some aspects of their work, given their versatility. Routers are frequently used by carpenters, joiners and cabinet makers to trim, cut, edge and engrave materials such as wood, plastics, laminate or Formica.

We've recently had a discussion about how to improve boring in Lathe. It was suggested that we think about creating a specific "Boring" toolpath that would have more intelligence. Thanks for the feedback, I'll run the suggestions up the chain...

Base:  The main two types of router base are fixed and plunge. As the name suggests a fixed base cannot be moved. It is a hard base that is designed to cut the material at a set depth that remains constant throughout the cut. This also means that it has to be used at the start of an edge. A plunge base router can be moved within the base - up and down. The height can be set and locked so that when you push down to make contact with the wood it will create a perfectly even groove in the material and cut to the preset depth. This enables the user to lower the router bit into the material to make a cut which means that work can begin in the middle of an item and not just the edge, You can also purchase fixed offset bases which enable the router to work close to walls or doors, or routers that have the ability to add or remove the base. 1/2" plunge routers are only available with a plunge base that is not removable.

Extras:  There are hundreds of different cutters for routers. These router bits cater for all shapes and sizes of cut so you can usually find what you require. The main consideration, once you've found the part that you need is selecting the bit that fits the collet on your router (1/2" or 1/4"). You can also get tables for routers, and jigs which create a template for cutting certain shapes, such as dovetail joints or simple treads for steps. All these accessories make the router very useful and one of the most versatile machines. View our router accessories

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What was happening was boring rough was recognizing the drill point angle and wanted to clean it up even though the tool cannot handle a bore that small without crashing. I was playing around with stock definitions and other such things to tell the tool where to start. I ended up having to rough the bore with 1 finish pass telling it how many passes to take and then take a second finish pass with the bottom taken into effect so I can do a clean up pass.

Draw the ID and back of the hole. Break the line at the back of the hole at the drill size. Chain the ID and back of the hole down to the drill size for roughing. Use the stock for the stock. Make sure you leave some stock in X & Z for cleanup. Chain the finish pass to the center.

Do Brendans second suggestion, go to lead out page, click to enable "Adjust geometry" and then shorten up the geometry by 1/4" (assuming you have the bottom of the bore drawn to X0, remember MC works radially on lathe dia's so 1/4" radially is 1/2" dia). I prg. equal amounts of milling and turning so lead in/out options have become my friends .

On the threading make your own tool export grooving tool to a level and the threading tool to a level and make your own tool.