Tolerances for misaligned parts

X-Carve
1

Im really not sure what to call this thread.

I bought a used X Carve 1000 fairly brand new, i used it a few times and find some depth variations around the spoil board.

I used a metal yard stick to check the diagonal and found that from corner to corner there the spoil board seems to me lower in the middle.

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Now I used the longest steel carp square I have to take the same measurements, now this square isnt as long so it doesn’t go all the way to the corners, but does cover most of the center area of the spoil board.

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Is this an illusion? Is my spoil board not the same thickness across the board? Is the support bar under the sb out of alignment just a bit somehow?

Next question,

I used the same steel square to check the Y rails to the spoil board and found that the right rail near line 20 is not square on the bottom part of the rail. As if its tilted inward.

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Is this enough to have an effect on the cutting?

This same tilt is on the Z gantry on the right side but it is slight.

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The left side of the board does not have these same gaps.

Now with the spindle at dead center of the sb, the spindle is perfectly square with the table

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No light showing under the square on the sb

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But, putting the square on the vacuum attachment bracket and there is a significant gap at the bottom, meaning the whole thing seems tilted forward. That same tilt found on the right side of the Z gantry.

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I am tempted to disassemble and get things perfectly square but I dont want to chase my tail for something that doesnt matter if the spindle is square.

Thanks for reading this far down.
Thanks for any advice

Cheers
Ryan

2

I just had the same issue with my x carve. The only answer I was able to find is to shim under the waste board to get it level. I used Formica samples from Lowe’s to shim under my waste board. In some places it took 5 stacked up to get it level.

The only other option is to flatten/level your waste board by machining it down. I didn’t want to do that because it would destroy the silk screening.

I also Trammed my router. Look this up on PawPaws Workshop on YouTube. To adjust the level on front to back I loosened the bottom two screws holding the router to the gantry and shimmed it with Formica pieces. Little pieces.

3

Thomas, thanks for the reply!

4

Dude at Lowe’s is thinking “man, this guy really likes his Formica counter color picking!”

1 Like
5

Hey Thomas might you have a link to that video from Paw paws workshop. I look through em I can’t seem to find it.

I did however watch some other videos about tramming the router, question I have is similar to the chicken in the egg… do I resurface the spoiled board or do I try trimming which one comes first?

6

Actually, if you do a skimming operation first using a wide bit (like 3/4") and 70% stepover and out-of-tram issues will appear in the ridges of the skim cut :slight_smile:

So I´ll suggest you do a partial skim cut, them try to adjust/tram the router and finish off the skim cut :slight_smile:

7

Thanks Haldor