All the enhancements to Lamination PRO are now complete and I'm just putting some finishing touches on it. It has a new Help file which has been sorely needed. One new View that I started on about two years ago but didn't have time to finish it is a Southwest View. It will take the current board (1st generation, for example) and cut it horizontally and then reassemble it by flipping the thin strips edge-to-edge. With the new graphics engine in the software, this process became much easier to implement.
It allows you to specify both the width of the strips and the width of the center strip. Since a multi-generation board has 'ears' on both edges, cutting it perfectly through the center can be difficult. Instead, it is easier to not worry about hitting the dead center and instead cutting the board two times - first with the ears from one side next to the fence and then from the other side. This will make sure that the center has been cut uniformly. Because of this, though, the center cut will not be the size of a single kerf. This becomes a design opportunity and so you can specify the width of the center cut as well.
As with all the Views in Lamination PRO, once you are looking at your design, you can change any of the parameters of any prior generation and see the change in real-time. This lets you change an earlier angle, flip/flop, width of cut, etc., and immediately see the change without having to leave the current view. As with all the Views, you can either export a single element to a file or directly into Woodturner PRO.
When I get the chance, I'll make a video tutorial of this. In the meantime, here are three pictures of feature rings, all made from the same laminated board. The first two made from a 1st generation board and the third from a 2nd generation board.
It allows you to specify both the width of the strips and the width of the center strip. Since a multi-generation board has 'ears' on both edges, cutting it perfectly through the center can be difficult. Instead, it is easier to not worry about hitting the dead center and instead cutting the board two times - first with the ears from one side next to the fence and then from the other side. This will make sure that the center has been cut uniformly. Because of this, though, the center cut will not be the size of a single kerf. This becomes a design opportunity and so you can specify the width of the center cut as well.
As with all the Views in Lamination PRO, once you are looking at your design, you can change any of the parameters of any prior generation and see the change in real-time. This lets you change an earlier angle, flip/flop, width of cut, etc., and immediately see the change without having to leave the current view. As with all the Views, you can either export a single element to a file or directly into Woodturner PRO.
When I get the chance, I'll make a video tutorial of this. In the meantime, here are three pictures of feature rings, all made from the same laminated board. The first two made from a 1st generation board and the third from a 2nd generation board.