II’m wanting to cut, say, a 3/4 circle with a straight line connecting the two places where the arc of the circle terminates using simple trace. I can’t get the accuracy I need tracing with the stylus. Is there a way to have simple trace draw the circle and after I add the line edit out the part of the circle I don’t want cut. Or is there another way to do this. Thanks.
Cut the circle then straight cut on the chord you want removed.
If I do that I get a circle cut out and there is nothing straight to cut. I need to wind up with a squared off circle that will go over a mostly round shaft with a flat surface on part of one side. This prevents the piece I’m trying to cut from rotating on the shaft. Sorry I wasn’t clear earlier
So you want a round hole with a flat…. and a perfect fit with no slop? What is the diameter of the hole and how thick is the material your cutting?
You;ve got the shape right. Perfect is a relative term as is slop. It needs to fit well enough that it won’t rotate. The size is not relevant. Let’s say it’s a four inch diameter circle. I can always use the scale feature to increase or decrease the size to whatever is needed, The material could be anywhere from one eighth to one half
setup snap-to-grid to make point placement easier based on whatever resolution you require. Draw a temporary guide circle of the required diameter. Draw a straight line across the guide circle as the cord length you wish for your part. Then just use the 3-point arc tool to draw a full semicircle arc over the guide circle from one end of the cord. Do the same to the other end of the cord. Yes, the semicircles will overlap, but just ensure your entry points are not in the overlapped section. Then delete the guide circle you created. So long as your kerf is not excessive, the plasma arc will sustain in the overlapped section. If it doesn’t…. Even better because it’s already been cut.
Ensure your objects are not “closed,” or lines will be cut from the unterminated ends of your lines/arcs.
Also, if snap-to-grid is messing you up on the guide circle, turn it off and zoom in make your points. You’ll be so close plasma variance alone will be the greatest error.
Thank you.. I’ll give it a try
If you need help drawing a semicircle on the guide circle, lock the drawing angle to some multiple of 45°. Set the first point on the end of your cord line. Draw a 45° line to intersect with the circle from there and set your second point. Lastly, draw another 45° line to the last point intersecting the circle. This ensures a perfect semicircle. (Thale’s Theorem)