# Carving a bolt slot along a circle

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698>\
**Category:** Modeling Questions\
**Created:** [March 9, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698 "2024-03-09T16:50:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 15\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![keeb123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@keeb123](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/keeb123)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/1 "2024-03-09T16:50:45Z")

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![carving](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/c/6/c6a3bfd6f1dd3b24f5ff8a75386ce88b5bc0d580.png)

Hi. In the screenshot, I want to extrude the selected area, and then carve a slot for a bolt (actually two bolts, one for each hole) to move along the extruded body.

(In the screenshot, if I did it right, then the line in the middle should go through the centers of the two holes.)

Extruding part is easy but I can’t figure out what tool(s) to use to carve a the area in the middle of the new body for the bolts.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to do this?

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/2 "2024-03-09T17:18:24Z")

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> [@keeb123](#):
>
> what tool(s) to use to carve a the area in the middle of the new body for the bolts.

Make a sketch and extrude (in subtract mode) a hole.

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**Author:** ![keeb123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@keeb123](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/keeb123)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 5:23pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/3 "2024-03-09T17:23:46Z")

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That gives me a hole, I want a whole slot across the circle line in the selected sketch area in the screenshot. The idea is that when the two bodies are bolted together they will slide across that bolt slot.

I’m probably not using the right words, sorry if my description is confusing. I will try to come up with a drawing in Paint.

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**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/4 "2024-03-09T17:27:16Z")

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> [@keeb123](#):
>
> I’m probably not using the right words, sorry if my description is confusing. I will try to come up with a drawing in Paint.

You also can attach your current work so I will be able to show the solution on your model.

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**Author:** ![keeb123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@keeb123](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/keeb123)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 5:33pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/5 "2024-03-09T17:33:24Z")

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![carving](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/8/d/8d907d9cc3d6056727e21ee6c672dfbf2269518c.png)

Here’s a poorly drawn sketch of what I want to do …

(1) is the bolt hole. I have two of these.

From the selected sketch I will extrude a body, but I want to carve (2) in the body for the bolt to slide in.

(2) will extend to the other end of the selected sketch (which will be a body).

Does that make sense?

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/6 "2024-03-09T17:35:30Z")

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This is what @Xdrakosha meant on his first post.

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**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 5:39pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/7 "2024-03-09T17:39:39Z")

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That’s right.

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/8 "2024-03-09T17:48:26Z")

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If you like, you can edit the length of the slot.

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**Author:** ![keeb123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@keeb123](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/keeb123)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 5:53pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/9 "2024-03-09T17:53:32Z")

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Ah, I think I get it now. My sketching is not quite right so it doesn’t let me select the area between the two holes, but I think I know how to fix it. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 6:24pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/10 "2024-03-09T18:24:32Z")

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Like so?

[](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEvWRwsDyFI)

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**Author:** ![keeb123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@keeb123](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/keeb123)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/11 "2024-03-09T18:52:03Z")

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I just couldn’t make it work as @TigerMike showed… but I found another way, which is to sketch as in the screenshot below and then extrude the selected area:

 ![bolt_slot_sketch](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/c/7/c70291e2ebedf625c19feb0541b7b15e9a548e09.jpeg)

 ![bolt_slot_body](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/1/e/1e002fda21f4f8cca9e65396fbd0a8b6068797e9.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 7:53pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/12 "2024-03-09T19:53:22Z")

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> [@keeb123](#):
>
> I just couldn’t make it work as @TigerMike showed

That’s why I asked for project, to show you how to deal with exact model

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![keeb123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@keeb123](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/keeb123)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 8:54pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/13 "2024-03-09T20:54:05Z")

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Unfortunately Shapr3D free plan doesn’t let me export a .shapr file.

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**Author:** ![SmokeAndPixels](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/smokeandpixels/32/28017_2.png) [@SmokeAndPixels](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/SmokeAndPixels)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 2:43am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/14 "2025-01-14T02:43:27Z")

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How are the two initial circles connected? Thanks.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 3:36am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/carving-a-bolt-slot-along-a-circle/30698/15 "2025-01-14T03:36:21Z")

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The two circle sketches are connected to the arc’d bolt slot sketches with the **Tangent** constraint.