How to Carve 3D Mountains on a CNC Router

[@brianm7058]

Wow. I really appreciated your video on making a topographical map using a CNC. All the information you provided was so useful. I just downloaded an STL file for a map area on Montana and will carve it on my CNC in the coming weeks. Fantastic job and excellent, easy-to-understand, instructions. I'll start watching more of your videos and subscribe to your channel. Thanks again!

[@StudioZ72.create]

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much!

[@danagooding6517]

Thanks StudioZ for this video. I have been looking for a way to import mountains using my VCarve Pro. This is the Ticket!!

[@StudioZ72.create]

Glad it was helpful!

[@doodlesdaturtle]

Cool project! Love the way you teach.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thank you very much!

[@davidcoombs3329]

Nice pace of instruction. Good job.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much!

[@billysmether6237]

Awesome Depth!!!

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

[@branimirturopolski247]

Nice work and good instruction.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks!

[@boomerang-lure-retriever8957]

nice work love it

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks!

[@kevinrich4637]

Will adjusting Mtn height work in Vcarve pro? Thank you for sharing

[@danagooding6517]

Yes it will, I used Vcarve Pro and was able to scale up the mountain size. Turn on the material block and then you have the controls to adjust the height of mountains.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Yes it will

[@flatlanderbackpacking7181]

Very nice. How do you zero your Z once the roughing pass is complete?

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thank you! You only zero it once before the roughing pass, the machine maintains the X, Y and Z until you reset it. I use Bitzero V2.

[@flatlanderbackpacking7181]

@@StudioZ72.create I too use a touch probe for my machine. If you use the probe on the surface of the materials to set Z on your roughing pass, its likely that your next bit for the finish pass will have changed Z home position. Currently, I reset Z after each bit change. On your project, you no longer have a smooth material surface to set your probe.

[@StudioZ72.create]

I only set zero before the roughing pass, there is no need to zero it again after the roughing pass and it would be very difficult because the surface is very irregular. I don't think you understood my comment, I also use bitsetter for when I change tools.

[@thedr4gon]

How do you like the 40 degree angle for 3D work? Do you think you would have less fuzzies? I have only ever done 0 degrees on black walnut to stay with the horizontal grain pattern as per a couple posts on Carbide 3D's forum and reducing fuzzies and there are very few. Thank you for your videos, have learned a lot and enjoy watching your entire workflow and CNC setup!

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks so much! I am still experimenting with the 40-degree angle but, from what I have seen it seems to produce the least amount of fuzz. It always produces the fuzz on the same side of an object and I'm not sure if that's the grain structure. Cutting the piece in only one direction (climb vs conventional cutting) would produce the best results but that would increase the machining time significantly. For me, it's a balance of speed and minimal post cleanup.

[@jeffverdin6105]

⁠@@StudioZ72.create I will save you some time. 40 degrees is not a magic number. Anything but 0 and 90. Ex 15,45,80 etc… going with the grain is not a good idea just as 90 degrees isn’t. The wood and machine are the main factors. There’s also other reason for doing anything besides 0 and 90 degrees

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. I noticed that the grain variation from one board to another also is a factor and climb vs conventional cutting. When running the finishing pass the machine cuts one line with a climb cut and the next with a conventional cut to save time but if it were to only climb cut (cutting one line at a time in one direction) yes it would take twice as long but I think it would come out cleaner.

[@FranciscoAlexandrePaludo]

How many hours did it take to finish on the cnc ?

[@StudioZ72.create]

About 6 1/2 hours

[@cal3201]

New to CNCs, is there a way to program it so at the start and stop of each pass on your finishing pass it doesnt have to raise the Z and lower it?

[@StudioZ72.create]

So, I noticed that for the first time also on this piece. Oddly, it only raised above Z zero on one side and not the other three. I am looking into that to take that out of the process. It also did it a few other times throughout the finishing pass sporadically as if the machine was taking a breather, lol!

[@428Mario]

Takes a hi dollar cam program to avoid that. Even the hi dollar programs create more z moves than you would think necessary

[@k2line706]

6 hours of machining, 2 hours of unnecessary z movements. lol

[@StudioZ72.create]

Just to be clear, it wasn't 2 hours of unnecessary z movements, more like 10 minutes. It only lifted on the short side of the rectangle from the starting point, not on the other 3 sides.

[@marcusXaurelius]

@@StudioZ72.create Is there not multiple 3D machining stratagies available in the software i.e zig zag, spiral outside to in or inside to out? Great idea nonetheless thanks for sharing.

[@StudioZ72.create]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Yes, there are 2 strategies available, offset (spiral) and raster which have about the same machining time. I use the raster at a 40-degree angle because it seems to produce the best finish with the least amount of post work.