I think I will make a new spoil board Monday based on this video. It seems fairly easy to build and straightforward. I have a T slot cutter but ordered one that will allow bolts to be used.

 

Does anyone see any problems that I might encounter? Using this guys method with the table saw and router should make it easy to produce. Then I can skim it once it is installed.

 

 

I recognize that Shark.  Mine also came with a slotted MDF top and white plastic frame parts.  I never had a problem with the MDF tearing out or failing, but I did add an offset center slot to increase the size range of parts I could clamp using the clamps shown in your photo.   Two clamps were never enough though and I bought two extra when I ordered my Shark to add to the two it came with.  They work fine on the Shark but if you'll be using this idea on a Probotix CNC then you'll need to be careful where you put them.  The Z axis rail bracket comes down with the router and can bottom out on high profile clamps or their bolt if they are too close to the back edge of your material where you'll be cutting anything.  

 

If you use this idea on top of the default MDF bed you'll also lose 3/4" of Z axis travel.  More critical on a Probotix CNC than it is on the Sharks. 

 

4D

Gotta really watch the the Z axis rail bracket along with the cutter paths.  I've got quite a few clamps that are "scarred" for life.  Good thing they were either wood or aluminum.  Gets to be just an extra check when setting  a project up.

Got the new board made and installed. What seemed like an easy task, took all day. Actually, it wasn't too long if you subtract the breaks and lunch...and a nap!

 

I did just like the video and cut the waste away with a dado blade on the table saw, then ran the router along the grooves with a keyhole bit. Gee, I didn't know I had such a steady hand. I only goofed up once. If you aren't paying attention, you can easily cut the groove wider because the cutter has a pair of cutters on the shank. Oh well, no harm done.

 

I won't be using the blue metal clamps unless I feel real comfortable with my set up. I have some wooden ones and they are doing just fine.

 

Today, I cut the dadoes for two cabinet pieces and they turned out perfect. And like John warned, the router trimmed the top of two of the clamps as it traveled from one dado to the other. Just slightly, but had it been metal, the result might have been different.

 

I know some of my projects seem kinda mundane, but I am learning, and I don't have a burn pile!

 

Tomorrow it is back to the grind. I have 16 drawers to build. All the parts are cut to rough size so first task will be to cut the grooves for the bottoms using the table saw. Then cut the pieces to final size and begin the assembly process.

 

Not saying I will, but I might get to set up another project on the CNC and let it run while I am building drawers. Yeah, that's the ticket.

13 minutes ago, MT Stringer said:

Not saying I will, but I might get to set up another project on the CNC and let it run while I am building drawers. Yeah, that's the ticket.

 

Nice job, Mike!  And it is a blast to get your 'employee' working on a job while you do the important ones.  Just give an occasional glance over to make certain he's not getting lazy or sloppy, though.

 

David

I'm like 4D in that my first CNC was a CNC Shark Pro with the white plastic and the MDF bed.  

 

Mike I'm not sure if you know it or not but you can set the safe Z height in the software so you will clear your clamps where they clamp your project.

 

Go to the Toolpath tab and click on the Set button for Material Setup.  Then go to the bottom of the form where you see Rapid Z Gaps above Material.  The Clearance (Z1) is your safe Z height and you can set it to clear the clamp ends.  If you clamps stick up above your material .3 you can set this to .35 or .40 to clear the clamps whenever the Z raises and rapid moves to a new location.  If you set it too high then it can add time to your project.  I have one customer that wants it set in his files to 1.00 to make sure he doesn't hit a clamp and he doesn't worry about the extra time it takes.

 

The Plunge (Z2) is how far above the material the rapid move will stop and bit plunge rate takes over.  I usually set this to 0.10 to 0.125 just so the plunge has time to slow down before it buries the bit into the material.

 

Right below that is Home / Start position.  If you don't use an offset then X and Y should be 0.00.  The Z Gap Above Material is where you want the toolpath to start and end.  You can set this high so you can addand remove your dust boot and change bits or lower if you want to.  Just remember to keep it low enough that the safe Z height will not run the Z axis into the top limit and cause you to loose you Z height reading, this is a common problem with small desk top machines with little Z height.  Remember you are adding 3/4" spoil board so you are loosing that in the overall Z height of the machine.  I usually set mine for 0.75 and jog up to put the boot on and jog back below the 0.75 before I hit run.  The toolpath will start, go to the start height then continue with the code.

 

Mike you will find that you start out your day looking to see what you can setup and run while you do other things.  When that finishes you set up something else to run while you keep working on other projects or cleanup what was just cut.  It does help if you have run the file before and know that it runs good so you don't have to worry as much about watching what it is doing while you do other things.  I you really don't trust a file it is best to make sure it works properly before you go work on something else because you won't be paying attention to what you are doing and that's not a good thing when power tools are concerned.  If in question watch the machine.

On 8/19/2017 at 3:22 PM, 4DThinker said:

I recognize that Shark.  Mine also came with a slotted MDF top and white plastic frame parts.  I never had a problem with the MDF tearing out or failing, but I did add an offset center slot to increase the size range of parts I could clamp using the clamps shown in your photo.   Two clamps were never enough though and I bought two extra when I ordered my Shark to add to the two it came with.  They work fine on the Shark but if you'll be using this idea on a Probotix CNC then you'll need to be careful where you put them.  The Z axis rail bracket comes down with the router and can bottom out on high profile clamps or their bolt if they are too close to the back edge of your material where you'll be cutting anything.  

 

If you use this idea on top of the default MDF bed you'll also lose 3/4" of Z axis travel.  More critical on a Probotix CNC than it is on the Sharks. 

 

4D

I'm with you 4D that Z bracket should not go below the bottom of the gantry, that makes it really hard to do some jobs that require deep cuts close to shallow cuts like doing decorative face cuts on corbels.  You would need to redesign your files to make sure you do not run the bracket into the material and sometimes you might have to split a project up and glue pieces together after machining.  That is one of my big concerns with the Probotix machines.  It may never be a problem for me if I did get one but I don't want to spend that kind of money and find out I made a mistake and have to start modifying the machine, been there, done that, and now I'm ready for a new one.

Edited August 23, 20178 yr by MEBCWD

8 hours ago, MEBCWD said:

I'm like 4D in that my first CNC was a CNC Shark Pro with the white plastic and the MDF bed.  

 

Mike I'm not sure if you know it or not but you can set the safe Z height in the software so you will clear your clamps where they clamp your project.

 

Go to the Toolpath tab and click on the Set button for Material Setup.  Then go to the bottom of the form where you see Rapid Z Gaps above Material.  The Clearance (Z1) is your safe Z height and you can set it to clear the clamp ends.  If you clamps stick up above your material .3 you can set this to .35 or .40 to clear the clamps whenever the Z raises and rapid moves to a new location.  If you set it too high then it can add time to your project.  I have one customer that wants it set in his files to 1.00 to make sure he doesn't hit a clamp and he doesn't worry about the extra time it takes.

 

The Plunge (Z2) is how far above the material the rapid move will stop and bit plunge rate takes over.  I usually set this to 0.10 to 0.125 just so the plunge has time to slow down before it buries the bit into the material.

 

Right below that is Home / Start position.  If you don't use an offset then X and Y should be 0.00.  The Z Gap Above Material is where you want the toolpath to start and end.  You can set this high so you can add and remove your dust boot and change bits or lower if you want to.  Just remember to keep it low enough that the safe Z height will not run the Z axis into the top limit and cause you to loose you Z height reading, this is a common problem with small desk top machines with little Z height.  Remember you are adding 3/4" spoil board so you are loosing that in the overall Z height of the machine.  I usually set mine for 0.75 and jog up to put the boot on and jog back below the 0.75 before I hit run.  The toolpath will start, go to the start height then continue with the code.

 

Mike you will find that you start out your day looking to see what you can setup and run while you do other things.  When that finishes you set up something else to run while you keep working on other projects or cleanup what was just cut.  It does help if you have run the file before and know that it runs good so you don't have to worry as much about watching what it is doing while you do other things.  I you really don't trust a file it is best to make sure it works properly before you go work on something else because you won't be paying attention to what you are doing and that's not a good thing when power tools are concerned.  If in question watch the machine.

 

Thanks Mike. I changed several of the settings. I appreciate the info.

Thanks