Many people set their groove depth by simply applying a specific weight to their cutterhead. While this approach can work, achieving precise groove depth is critical. Even a minor adjustment can resolve issues like noise, tracking problems or stylus wear. Over the years, we've developed a DIY method for accurately measuring groove depth. After discussing this with a skilled cutting engineer friend, we discovered he uses the same approach, but his setup provides a really nice clear image that makes fine-tuning really easy and straight forward. This method has been tested and verified by a leading plating manufacturer, and it’s a reliable solution.
A good groove depth is typically around 50μm, which corresponds to approximately 2 mil. This 2 mil measurement is marked on a reticle ruler. Below, we’ll explain the process, and the attached image demonstrates the quality achievable with this workflow—all for under £50.
Steps to Measure Groove Depth:
- Get a Reticle Ruler
Purchase a reticle ruler and place it directly onto your record over the grooves.
- Get a USB Camera
Capture a high-resolution image of the grooves using a USB camera. We recommend the Jiusion 2K HD 2560x1440P camera (or similar), which is affordable and tested. Send the image to your computer for easy analysis.
Both the reticle ruler and the camera can be found online, costing under £50 in total. We recommend if you are used to weighing your cutterhead with a spring scale, start with 13g, and then measure and adjust accordingly using the simple method above.
Hopefully this helps cutters get even better cutting results without having to spend a small fortune.
