People often ask me how accurate my pantograph is. It is not the machine but the guy running it. How you remove the material, the offsets you use for inletting and the amount of finish material to leave are all part of the learning curve. I always leave depth to finish by hand on the inletting and some extra on the outer dimensions. It takes a fair bit of time to run a pattern through my machine, I do quite a few roughing passes and sneak up on my final dimensions. I feel this technique works best to get a good semi-inlet. I also adjust my stylus diameter as I go using a smaller stylus the closer I am to final dimensions. How much I leave is dependent upon how confident I am in my pattern and who will fit and finish the stock. On stocks I plan on finishing myself I usually leave .015" in depth for the inletting and .060" on the exterior. Some stock makers use a steady rest on the pantograph to minimize deflection. I may build a steady rest and see if I like it but with very careful work I am happy with my results. They call stock making an art form for a reason. All of this takes time to develop skills. You can remove material by CNC or a pantograph the trick with both being leaving enough material to get the finished product you desire in a timely fashion.
Last edited by SKB; 01/03/20 09:20 AM.
