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I’m a total noob to CNC and this forum so apologies if I make a mistake or have posted in the wrong area. I’ve searched the forum and Google but can’t seem to find a good answer for my problem. My machine is a 2020 X Carve and I have it fully assembled. The Y rails are square and so is the X carriage. But I can see that my router is leaning slightly forward and I’ve tested it with a square as well and it’s off a bit for sure. I squared up the router side-to-side and I’m ok there, wheels seem ok per what I’ve read (V wheel tensions and all that), but I still can’t figure out what the problem is. I also can’t loosen the Y rails and twist them enough to get the router to pitch back and I don’t think that’s wise anyway. And when I say it’s leaning forward, I’m thinking maybe 1/8” off or a little more. The router is also correctly installed and snug. Does anyone have any insight on what the issue might be?
any upgrades, you have 4 button screw on each end of master slide.
lower your dewalt to the waste board and then some, tighten up the four-button screw on each end of master slide.
can you share a photo. I’ve seen shims from soda cans added between the router clamp and the Z axis to take up like 1/32" , but 1/8" is a lot enough to think something is assembled incorrectly.
this button to upload (some ppl have trouble finding the right one)
@SethCNC Thanks. Attached are some pics I took. It’s actually 1/16 off on the carriage plate surface behind the router. But as you see in the two angles of me using the @Ken4 suggestion, I lowered the router to the table and put some of the material that comes with the XCarve package and lowered the collet nut by hand just a little bit until it just touched the material and I could still slide it around with very little effort. I took pics 180 degrees from each other and I can’t see any daylight under the collet nut. I also can’t fit a standard piece of paper under the collet. I’m a perfectionist and I’m wondering if I’m over thinking this?
Oh, you can’t tram to an unsurpassed board like that. The glass would need to be atop surfaced board or the data is invalid because the board is not a parallel plane to the spindle movement and that it what tram needs to be perpendicular to…
Check out the next 30 seconds if this about the wasteboard, and u might want to make one of these tramming tools
you have something going on there. Try going off the spindle mount instead of the X carriage.
possibly you might need to do so shimming like Seth mentioned before.
@SethCNC Gesundheit! LOL. Sorry, I’m not used to the lingo, but I think you’re telling me I can’t level to a surface that hasn’t first been totally flattened level in some way? I’m pretty sure the machine is put together correctly, but the Y transit isn’t off by much, maybe 1/32, if at all? Is there and recommendation to get that plate in alignment without twisting the Y transit? Also, I put 16 layers of tape on the test piece, raised the router, brought it down and the impression in the the tape seems even all around. Should I just try to carve my first small test piece like the one in the pic below? Thanks again!
Correct, flattened using the cnc itself. You can clamp down a piece of mdf and surface it flat using the cnc, and then make a tool like Peter in that video, or Chris in this one… sorry there aren’t any really good ones showing an xcarve, but the process is the same , surface an mdf board and then make one of these rotating tools and the tool makes the angle of accuracy of the tram a ton closer than using a speed square.
Seth has been providing the information you need to resolve the issue you have; I’ve been pointing point you in the right direction also.
Well, it looks like you never even surfaced your waste board once with that said.
did you ever put a straight Edge like a metal yard stick from corner to corner? From Y1 front to Y2 back -and fromY1 back to Y2 front. maybe need to dig out some shims after you surface from the low spot.
I would start at .05" to start with, you will need one of these.
CNC Spoilboard Surfacing Router Bits, 1/4 inch Shank 1 inch Cutting Diameter, Slab Flattening Router Bit Planing Bit Wood Planing Bit Dado Planer Bit by BINSTAK (Carbide)
Or this, depending on how much you would like to spend?
CNC Spoilboard Surfacing Router Bit, 1/2" Shank 3" Cutting Diameter, Carbide Insert Slab Flattening Router Bit Planing Bit Wood Planer Bit Woodworking Tools by BINSTAK
@Ken4 Yeah, the Y rails are all squared up perfectly (tThank you, Pythagoras). That was the first thing I went after. That said, I loosened everything up and brought the carriage down to a new piece of 1/2” MDF just under the router holder without the router in it. Everything is now square with that slight bit of pressure on the bottom of the router holder. I’m actually looking to sell this thing because I’m getting into another “thing” and CNC won’t be part of my future endeavors. I’m basically just looking to prove to the buyer that it works and let them take it the rest of the way. But I do want to make sure it’s at least square enough to where I’m not hosing the person who is buying it. I have a feeling the key to the issue is the eccentric nuts. @SethCNC Just letting you in on my thoughts so I’m tagging you as well. Thanks, to both of you!
I found this page earlier while trying to show someone else the differene between tramming and surfacing, while it shows a shapeoko, the concepts are applicable across every model of cnc… > > > Squaring, surfacing, tramming - Shapeoko CNC A to Z
in this photo you can see that IF one was to tram to the wasteboard in the photo, then the tram is not actually perpendicular to the X,Y instead its perpendicular to the wasteboard that hasnt been surfaced yet… So IF you’re placed a “new piece of 1/2” mdf" under the router clamp, and are using that to verify tram, then you’d need to surface it using the CNC first, before using it to set/check tram.
I think a degree of this issue (top surface is not parallel to the X and Y movement plane) specifically in the Y direction is the root cause of initial problems.
