“So my X tram is spot on, which is testament to Inventables’ design and build.”
Snicker.
Simpler solve to this. The bit diameter is set at 2" when in reality it’s a 1" bit. Adjust the bit diameter and it should solve your planing issue.
The surfacing bit that the unit comes with is 1.125". It is set to 1.125" in the surfacing step, with a 40% step over.
I did get additional feedback from support, asking that I check the Y1 and Y2 bolt points. There is not any ‘adjustment’ on the X axis, the plates should be completely seated. Even though they appeared to be completely seated, I did loosen and retighten these places. I did see a slight improvement. The very slight ridges are now gone, and even though I still see the lines, that is probably just an artifact of the cutting direction and blades. I think I’m going to look at getting a higher quality surfacing bit, but my issue seems resolved.
I’d still like to see a uni-directional planing option in Easel. There is always one direction that will plane far smoother than the reverse. I need to look into VCarve to see what unidirectional planing options might exist there.
Thank you all for your insights and thoughts!
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This is exactly what my waste board looked like after planing it.
It seems cut lines on MDF is normal, what is important to look for is raised ridges. If there seems to be any ridged areas, then that is a sign of tram being off.
Matt - where did you get your tram gauge? Brand?
I got it from TKCWorxStore on Etsy. He has a YouTube video explaining how to use it. Putting both links below:
There are others that I saw on Amazon, but this one seemed good enough for what I needed. I wouldn’t call it perfect, but worked well enough for my XC and XCP.
Just as a follow-up to this topic…
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve tried a few different surfacing bits. What I have noticed is that the issues I’ve seen are less related to the machine, and more related to the particular surfacing bit that was provided with the XCP.
If I surface a board with the included surfacing bit, it leaves lines on the board regardless of the speeds/feeds. In reality, it is just a really cheap surfacing bit.
For instance, one of the bits I purchased (https://amzn.to/3ymfV3x) is my new favorite. I have been running this bit at 200/in/s in both Y directions without any lines, ridges or burns (except in end-grain, this is not a good bit for end-grain surfacing. If you know of one, I’d be glad to hear about it!). It’s not an expensive bit (~$30 US), and I like that I can rotate or replace the carbide insert bits.
I plan on attempting a spoilboard resurface, but it will have to wait until I finish my current queue of projects. I’ll add some before and after pictures when I get a chance. Maybe I’ll run a scrap board through halfway with the inventables bit and the other half with this bit.
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Ever get any resolution on this? I just set up my pro and noticed the same exact “ridge lines” across the X axis, with smooth buttery flatness on the y axis. Did changing bits fix your issue, or did you need to finagle mount points?
To correct those lines you’d want to tram the spindle properly.
Unfortunately the assembly guide does not correctly cover tramming the spindle.
BUT it look like Matt fixed his issue by loosening and tightening some bolts though
I got the X axis planing better by reviewing the Y1 and Y2 axis mounts and ensuring they were plumb, but my ultimate fix was changing the waste board flattening tool path to Y axis versus X axis. I also perform all of my surface planing jobs on the Y axis raster. I just find it works better than X axis.
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