D2418 Plenum marking plans?

[MarkEMark2]

Hi All:

Just got our company's D2418 Desktop SB up and running this week, and have completed my first assignment with it. Nice machine!

I have attached a spoilboard to the alumi-strut base and want to mark it with a grid pattern to make things easier.

I am wondering what you all are using for a base (if any). I will be cutting parts out of thin sheets of aluminum and thin plywood most of the time, so I need a spoilboard, and would like to make a grid to align stuff quickly.

Anyone else done this? Ideas?

Thanks all!

Mark

[bearcat]

I've used nylon dowel pins pressed in a series of 1/4" holes along the the X and Y axis for registration on a 3/4" spoilboard. As the board gets chewed up, you can drill new holes offset on one axis to expose unused spoilboard.

Ed

[shilala]

I used a v-bit to make a 6" grid pattern in my spoilboard and it saves me an incredible amount of time and effort.
I simply created the pattern in Aspire and ground it into the top, very shallow, maybe 1/16". I then sealed the dual layer 3/4" birch ply spoilboard with waterproof deck stain. (My machine is a BT48 Buddy.)
I found that I can stay out of my spoilboard 100% of the time if I just hold my profile (cutout) passes up .006 from the deck, I zero from the top of the material.

[MarkEMark2]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Where do you get the nylon dowel pins? Good idea!



I've used nylon dowel pins pressed in a series of 1/4" holes along the the X and Y axis for registration on a 3/4" spoilboard. As the board gets chewed up, you can drill new holes offset on one axis to expose unused spoilboard.

Ed

[bearcat]

The dowel pins are actually Acetal and available from McMaster-Carr www.mcmaster.com

Ed

[MarkEMark2]

Thanks again to the both of you. I'm off to order some Deleon pins...

Also Scott, great idea about holding the bottom to .006 from a total cut through. I will try that!

Mark