Autodesk Inventor

[#1]

I would like some tips on how to cut the coil feature out of the block.  I have included the file.  I thought the split command would be it but was not able to do anything with it.

[#2]

You are going about it all wrong - you have a single solid.
What about the voids between the strands?

This will give you a bit to think about for your next try.

[#3]

Give it an honest try before looking at this file to see what changes I made.

[#4]

I figured it out for the shape of the cable and fixed that to coil from one-piece sketch.  When I click on Combine command, it comes up with a message: "Could not combine bodies. The part must have at least 2 solid bodies." But it does: a coil and a block... although when you highlight the coil it looks like it is just surfaces still..

[#5]

Attach the file here.

The Combine isn't needed - the only reason I used it is because you were going about the problem the hard way.

All you really need is a block and then Coil-Cut.  One Extrude feature, one Coil feauture, in that order.

As I said originally - I would do it differently.

But since I did trick you with your original file, what I did was

edit the extruded block and select the New Solid icon.

This made two solid bodies in one part file - your Coil as a solid body and your Extrude as a solid body.

Two solid bodies - that is why Combine-Cut worked.