Pretty much as the title suggests- for a 1000 x 1000 model X Carve, in easel or Illustrator?
This strikes me as something Inventables should have already done… Is it somewhere and I just can’t find it?
Thanks community!
You can get it from GrabCAD:
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Thank you! That looks like something I can work with.
Maybe we need a pinned files repository on this forum somewhere for stuff like this…
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the thing is, it all depends on where you place your limit switches. as they dont have a fixed position, it would be increadibly hard to make the area the exact same on multiple machines. if you have a dust shoe you may find that you need to move your limit switch a little further forward so the show doesn’t crash into the rail.
im two days in to a functional xc1000 and i have been trashing my waste board. definitely a topic ill be interested in soon! Learning is fun!
My take on the wasteboard field is that the the holes drilled are “potential” mounting points, so in some ways they’re somewhat arbitrary. As a result, they don’t have to be located specifically relative to any fixed or moving parts on the X-Carve. If you take this logic to an extreme for illustrative purposes, imagine carving a design into the middle of a long board. Your mounting points could be several feet away on the workbench, on either side of the X-Carve.
The holes are spaced to optimize mounting clamps, etc. for a wide variety of work pieces that fit within the X-Carve’s x-y range. You could easily argue for more or less or a different layout pattern (i.e. radial vs. Cartesian) as long as you don’t undermine the structural strength of the waste board. If you specialize in small pieces (e.g. cutting out silhouettes from coins), your mounting locations may need to be seriously customized.
My $0.02 on the subject…
Chris
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Not to belabor the point, but an additional thought is that if you add another “tool” to the spindle that isn’t concentric with the bit (e.g. engraving pen, laser, Sharpie, etc.), then you’re already skewing the mounting holes by that offset vector.
Chris
Whilst I do completely understand what you’re saying in regards to the mounting holes, and somewhat agree, it really depends what your doing.
For example if you were doing two sided machining, using the wasteboard grid as a reference or even better using the mounting holes as locating holes, then your work would be off if you flip the work to mill the back and realise that the board wasn’t square to the machine. This also applies to making specific holding fixtures. If you make and Install them to be in a specific point and you twist the gantry a little you’re buggered. The same goes if you want to remove the fixture and replace it, if your limit switches move you’re figure will be off.
The machine is very very easy to put out of square, especially when pulling the gantry by hand.
Great points, especially about the double-sided machining, but that’s a special case. I think those challenges can be addressed by creative jig-making and a strategic approach to zeroing your work. Thanks for the thought-provoking discussion! 
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