Angle Snap

[Gary Puckett]

Can anybody explain how to use angle snap?

Gary

[Rick Palechuk]

Hey Gary, in Contour mode if you want to draw a line to a known angle just enter the amount, and the line will only snap to that degree.

[Gary Puckett]

Thanks Rick

Gary

[Damon Nabors]

One thing you might want to keep in mind. It will not snap a 1/2 degree like 22.5. So your measurments will not be exact if you try this.

Damon

[Rick Palechuk]

I think that might work now Damon, I just tried 90.5 and the line snapped askew.

[Damon Nabors]

I think it will snap the line but it will not be correct, That is unless they have fixed it. I have a hard time keeping up with what is working and what is not working. Maybe Dennis or someone will chime in this morning and give us an update.

[Damon Nabors]

Re: Need an angled lower!
by Dan Voges on Fri, May 02 2008, 6:46AM

You aren't imagining things. eCab will not do design on the 1/10th degree. When you try to design with a 22.5 degree angle snap, it is round it to the nearest whole number, 23. This is something that is pertinent in the Contour Mode of Part Editor, as well as Shape Manager. This can easily be overcome by designing the angle you want in AutoCAD or some other CAD system, and importing that as a DXF onto your part or into Shape manager as a tool (for designing tools that miter). When you do that way, it does indeed machine out as a 22.5 degree angle.Dan Voges
Thermwood Corp.
Training InstructorDan Voges
Thermwood Team

Posts: 34
Joined: Wed, Jan 23 2008, 1:56PM
Private message

This was a response to my finding this out in May of this year. I hope they get it fixed but for now I am able to draw it up in another program when needed.

[Rick Palechuk]

I do remember the post. Short of digging out the slide rule and checking the angle of the dangle it seemed odd that with only the angle snap on, set at 90.5, it would snap askew . Yes Cad is the way to go.

[Rick Palechuk]

Second cup of coffee...Does it draw correctly, yet machine to the whole number?

[Damon Nabors]

It will cut the angle wrong. I cut some templates one day to set some angled cabinets and found the numbers to be off when placing the counter tops on the cabs. The counters were 22.5 deg. and my cabs got set at 46 deg.

[Dennis Englert]

A 22 1/2 degree line can be drawn in eCabinets in an indirect manner. There is a full explanation of this in "The Nearly Complete Guide to eCabinet Systems", but the short of it is:

For example,
1. Create a horizontal line and a 45 degee line that are of equal length that intersect at one end.
2. Draw a circle at the open end of each line. The circles should overlap.
3. Trim the circles so that have only the nearly elliptical or football shape remaining.
4. Draw a line from the intersection of the 45 degree lines through the endpoints of the arc.
You should have successfully split the two lines and now have a 22 1/2 degree line.

This method comes from the old mechanical drafting (pencil) techniques.

So while a CAD system does have more tools and capabilities, a lot can still be accomplished without making that purchase, particularly if you are on a budget.


Dennis L. Englert