Is anyone in the Nashville area? Willing to pay i need some help! I do believe my software or something is just off. I bought a used machineC i have made a few cuts and different fails on each one. Please let me know
Hello @RyanLocke,
If you can describe what is occurring and/or post some images, we can try to help here on the forum. Normally, people come through very quickly with possible solutions to problems.
What type of machine are you running?
Did you complete the initial setup through Easel?
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Brandon R. Parker
Yes this forum as been amazing, I made one thread about one issue and got amazing results but when i got that fixed and ran into another issue i didn’t know if a i should keep posting there or create a new topic
I am using Easel Pro, and first off i bought a used machine, he said he did some updates and one of them was updating to the makita router. So honestly i truly feel as if my initial download or my set up is off. I uninstalled the machine several times and tried several different methods. I have watch paw paw workshop on how to calibrate i have a MM ruler ordered, but my 101,102,103 i have played with it set up the old way and the new one way compared to the 2 options I had to go off of even took some off of one to see if it would bring my z Axis down because now i have got the X,Y fixed i think, now the Z is cutting air. I have made 4/5 cuts and 3 was just a fail from finishing but the cuts weren’t amazing just did the trick for what i was practicing with. Just started a regular project I had designed but the machine did good except on 4th one i went to do the 2nd pass and it was off. 5th one was completely off to the right. Now i go to cut and the depth is cutting about a 1/16 of an inch above the surface. I physically measured my material with the little hand tool and it made it closer but still not the .06 i was trying to cut. .032 per pass as default. 1/8 downcut bit i adjusted it and checked videos on how to put the bit in the router correctly. I am new at this and followed several videos for half a day today. checked the settings underneath the hood so to speak on my x controller, everything lines up from what i read on this forum. turned off the number 4 on all of them as a few had mentioned to do. I adjusted it the machine with the screws holding the router to it and put it down a little further then it was set up by the person i bought it from.
I was starting out in the left bottom corner, now this one where it’s cutting air i tried doing everything from the center
my terminology is probably not as good as some of these posts but i’m game to figure anything out. I really want to get this thing going as just my 4th and 5th cut fails I ended up finishing decent and now have 10 projects to make for customers but machine is not right to start wasting material but has got to be a user malfunction i hope
Thank you and hopefully this forum will pull thru once again!
The Makita router should not be an issue. All that gives you is a lower RPM which tends to be better than the minimum speed of the DeWalt.
Do you have the default belts? I would probably think so since the machine was not used very much before you purchased it. Upload an image…
The stock X-Carve should not need much calibration from the default settings to achieve a very decent carve out of the box.
Have you been using the touch probe to set the Z-Axis? What is the thickness of your touch probe? Is it set up correctly in Easel? You will find that having a digital caliper will help wonders with the thickness of materials, bits, and all sorts of things. I suggest picking up one either online or at a local store. You can pick up a cheap one at Harbor Freight or Amazon that will serve you very well.
I did see your other post; it seemed like you were on the right track with the X & Y positioning… Is that correct? Have you gotten a grip on that?
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Brandon R. Parker
i am just trying a few different things but i have my collet all the way to my material and its .409
I am not sure what you were getting at with the first two posts, but the dip switches on the X-Controller in your last image are set correctly.
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Brandon R. Parker
I see something of concern in those photos, there’s 2 of the 3 spindle clamping screws missing. Making me believe that it’s possible for the router to move (up) within the clamp… Maybe these were out for your re-positioning and you replaced them and tightened snugly before running the machine, hopefully? Also, I would place your shortest bit in the collet, and ensure that bit can touch the wasteboard. No need to mount the router any lower than that position. Mounting too low with that Z axis can cause the Z to top-out in some instances, hitting the physical limit at the top of the Z axis which can cause failed carves from that issue…
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How are you setting Z zero prior to running the carve? (using a Z-Probe or paper method?)
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What are all of your grbl settings?
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More of an FYI: although the video from PawPaw does show using Metric, it is not necessary. The units cancel out in the equation. So long as the Units Moved and the Units Measured are the same, you can use Metric or Imperial for that process. I say this because the FURTHER the distance used for calibration, the more accurate the calibration will be in the end. So using a 100mm ruler and being 1/32" off (due to the variance when reading measurements by eye on a ruler) will result in a 0.79% variance. If measured out to 24" with that same 1/32" off will result in a 0.13% variance.
I will post my settings, also my z probe i normally go probe it in the center of the material and then zero in the left corner, i tried to do it from the center and it thru my depth off made me cut air
I will be trying to do the calibration soon to check that hopefully tonight.
Using center WILL NOT cause this, if you experienced this than something else in the carve setup was performed incorrectly. Possibly the Position of the spindle too high in the clamp, Z zero not set correctly, incorrect Z probe thickness setting, etc. However my point is that using Center does not cause this outcome, Ever.
In that photo of the Settings;
Your settings are Close to the defaults, I see you have Homing Disabled and Soft Limits Disabled. ($22 and $20) you may want to enable these settings to place the machine back to it’s defaults. That said, it appears that the calibration settings ARE at the defaults and so long as the limit switches are also defaults (they are in the prior photo) than the CNC movement should be extremely close to perfect when you do the calibration test and will likely not need any settings adjustments…
Here are the X-Carve default Grbl settings with explanations of each setting for your reference. X-Carve default GRBL Settings $$ Values – His N Hers Handcrafted
Something to take a look at is Whether the Z Probe thickness in Easel matches your ACTUAL Z Probe thickness. To see this setting go to Machine>Edit Machine and at the lower left you’ll find the probe option and the settings button to see what the current thickness setting is. You’ll want to measure the probe to ensure these match up.
IF the cnc is correctly calibrated, and the Z Probe thickness is entered correctly, AND there’s adequate Z travel for your shortest bit to touch the wasteboard without being so low that the Z doesn’t lift into hitting a physical limit of travel at the top or bottom, than the issue you explained of not having correct depth should not be an issue…
Well unless hardware is loose, like the Belt and/or V-Wheels (See those 2 sections here) X-Carve Instructions: Calibration and Maintenace
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Seth man you are a dang genius at this man! 
Yet i have not gone thru and checked everything you mentioned which i will be doing, i did make a successful cut! It lined up, my depth was still off, i do have a tool to measure my probe and i was able to do that properly. This cut was somewhat successful as my depth was still off but i changed my probe settings which gave me the depth i needed. I do believe you are onto it. I have a complete Z upgrade coming for this. As far as belts go, I do believe i have an issue here and this could be the root. When i bring my machine as frontwards as possible my left side hits but my right (facing the board) i have to keep pushing the button
to bring my right all the way in. What belts should i get and should i go bigger as far as MM go?
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Just to clarify, I know when you said going off the center was what you did, i know just by that there that is not my issue, I had an issue prior to trying that and was just trying to explain all I walked thru so far.
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When you say the left side hits, are you talking about the limit switch? You should have a bolt that sticks out on the left side where the limit switch can contact it and halt the machine. This is what sets the Y-Axis home position.
When you first start working on your machine and before powering it up, slowly move the X-Axis back until the machine makes contact. Do both sides make contact at the same time? If they do not, this might indicate that your machine is not square. If they are very close, one thing you can do until you can re-square the machine is to push the X-Axis back and ensure both sides are making contact. While holding the machine in this position, power up the controller. When the controller boots, it will immediately apply holding torque to the motors which should force them to remain in this position. Then you can go forward and home your machine (after you have enabled homing & soft-limits)…if you have homing switches… Presumably, your machine has the limits switches for homing…?
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Brandon R. Parker
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