Support (Admin)
03-31-1999, 04:37 PM
THREAD FROM ARCHIVE
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From: DavidB Date: 23 Jan 1999
My partner, Gene Jaeger, and I attended the last Shopbot Camp and we were very impressed with the people and the machines. We've been keeping tabs on the progress of Shopbot for a couple of years and when the new rack and pinion improved the accuracy we were sold. We take delivery on our twin Z axis"96" the middle of February and are busy researching and climbing the learning curve. I'm learning the beta software on a Mac doing softwindows. Glitches abound, but most likely due to the emulation. Anyone have any "If I'd only known...." suggestions for newbies?
We make musical instruments, and are interested in vacuum tables, drilling set ups, dust collection, sound isolation, etc. All input welcome. Thanks.
New "botters" on the block
From: Jim Turner Date: 23 Jan 1999
David, A couple of suggestions for you.
Vacuum clamping - don't underestimate the porosity of wood, especially thin parts. Make your vacuum hold down box out of plastic or some other non-porous material, or use wood and lay on several coats of finish.
Drilling - to square the drill motor to the table, wrap a piece of wire, (I use copper because it's soft) around the bit and let it stick out about 8-10 inches from the bit, parallel to the table. Bend the end down so it nearly touches the table. Rotate the bit by hand. Then end of the wire should stay the same distance away from the table if the bit is square to the table. If not, adjust accordingly. Also be sure your z-axis is traveling perpendicular to the table by using a framing square pointing up from the table. move the z-axis up and down. The drill should remain the same distance from the blade of the square as it travels.
================================================== =========
From: DavidB Date: 23 Jan 1999
My partner, Gene Jaeger, and I attended the last Shopbot Camp and we were very impressed with the people and the machines. We've been keeping tabs on the progress of Shopbot for a couple of years and when the new rack and pinion improved the accuracy we were sold. We take delivery on our twin Z axis"96" the middle of February and are busy researching and climbing the learning curve. I'm learning the beta software on a Mac doing softwindows. Glitches abound, but most likely due to the emulation. Anyone have any "If I'd only known...." suggestions for newbies?
We make musical instruments, and are interested in vacuum tables, drilling set ups, dust collection, sound isolation, etc. All input welcome. Thanks.
New "botters" on the block
From: Jim Turner Date: 23 Jan 1999
David, A couple of suggestions for you.
Vacuum clamping - don't underestimate the porosity of wood, especially thin parts. Make your vacuum hold down box out of plastic or some other non-porous material, or use wood and lay on several coats of finish.
Drilling - to square the drill motor to the table, wrap a piece of wire, (I use copper because it's soft) around the bit and let it stick out about 8-10 inches from the bit, parallel to the table. Bend the end down so it nearly touches the table. Rotate the bit by hand. Then end of the wire should stay the same distance away from the table if the bit is square to the table. If not, adjust accordingly. Also be sure your z-axis is traveling perpendicular to the table by using a framing square pointing up from the table. move the z-axis up and down. The drill should remain the same distance from the blade of the square as it travels.