Hi

I have a question that I was unable to locate. I have a few jobs coming up that require me to machine posts that I have had intention of using the rotary wrapping feature in Vcarve Pro to do, but I am not sure how long it is going to take to get the indexer that I have up and running to do those parts and since most of them are going to have to be cut in half for my projects, I am wondering if there is a way to just machine a half post on a flat table without the indexer instead using the same Vectric software.

Yes, you can, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. One is the thickness of your posts. On the sides of your posts, the depth of cut is at its maximum. If your tool is not long enough, you can hit the workpiece with the collet on your spindle or router. The other is that the design on the sides of the post will be distorted by the fact that the cutter has to come straight down from the top and can't really cut in from the sides (except for very simple shapes that can be cut by a side-cutting bit). However, if your design only covers, say, a quarter of the post, then you can get reasonably nice results cutting it flat.

A three sided post could be done by rotating the post and running the file 3 times. Run left side rotate the post 90° run front side rotate the post 90° and finish by doing the right side.

You can cut 4 sides by making your own indexer. Cut a tight fitting open topped square in two upright pieces for both ends of your post, and fasten those to the table so they are perfectly lined up along one axis. Then set each end of your post into that square 'slot' and clamp it down, machine one side, take the post out and rotate it 90 degrees and machine it, repeating for all 4 sides. You'll just have a short piece on each end of the post that will be waste, and need to be cut off (unless you need a square top and bottom for the post).

Hi Guys. Thanks for the responses. So this can be done in Vcarve pro that way then without a separate CAD program?