How do I do a manual tool change?

I have written a trivial G code program that requires a tool change in the middle. I have defined 3 tools ("no tool", tool 1, tool 2) I manually start my machine with "no tool."

the program issues an M6T1, and the manual tool changer window pops up. I dutifully install tool one, but I then have no way to touch off: neither MD5 nor manual control is possible until I hit the "continue" button in the manual tool changer window. My question is very simple: how am I supposed to touch off my new tool? I tried adding an "M1" to pause the program, but it is ignored. M0 explicitly locks out changes, and M60 is effectively undocumented. I must be missing something obvious.

My machine is a simple hobbyist XYZ mill using a wood router as the spindle, so I really do need to touch off after each tool change, right?

so I really do need to touch off after each tool change, right?

If you have set up your tool table with the correct offsets and you can load your different tools in the exact same height each time in the spindle then no you would not need to touch off again when changing tools.
If however you install a different tool (router bit) and do not have a way to make sure it is loaded exactly the same then you would need to touch off again.

In this case I actually find it easier to break the program into seperate programs, one for each tool.

You may also want to look here...
wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?ManualToolChangeMacro

Rick G

Thanks! This is exactly what I needed to know. I have already realized that I could use two programs, but this seemed to be inelegant. Since I am using a wood router, each "tool change" involves removing a bit from the router and installing a new one, and this is not precise enough to do without a touch-off. I guess I thought that this must be a very typical application, but I now see that the very low end mills are not a huge part of the user community and therefore stuff like this is sometimes done as a add-on.

This is an important piece of information: I can quit beating my head against the wall looking for the "right" solution, and simply implement the correct add-on.

Hi

You may also want to look here...
wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?ManualToolChangeMacro

As per a recent discussion on the users list, this script is now out of date and will not work 'as is' due to changes with the NML file requirement.

Attached is a modified version I made which does work with v2.4 and higher, albeit it is still a little quirky and you need to play with it to get used to it.
(just remove the .txt extension )

regards

OK try again, didnt like the .py extension

Manual tool change is designed around machines that have tooling that can be preset and use the tool table for offsets. It's far more elegant to run two programs as you have to be there to change the tool and set the Z offset of that tool.

John