Surfacing a Spoil Board

[Mavrick20002]

Being new to this machine I was advised to surface the spoil board to make sure its level to the router? Suggestions on to do this? I simply created a large rectangle to represent the board and then went to my "Toolpaths" to create a pocket the size of the top of the board. Figured I would drop the surface by 1-2mm. Any better idea's out there?

[McBuster]

Some thoughts ...

Make certain the tool is perpendicular to the bed. There are a couple links on the forum that show how to do that with the adjustments NWA provided.

Take as little as needed. You can do some simple measures across the bed to see where the hi/lo spots are.

Make certain all your nuts and bolts are tight. Especially he socket screws on the jackscrew to servo motor adapters. All three of them.

And, the bed underneath the make certain the Y Axis guide rods is flat and strong. The gantry will flex these if, the bed is not supported all the way across.
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[norseman]

I like McBuster’s idea of going through the machine and making sure nuts and bolts are secure. Many users become concerned about doing this by stating “I paid $xx and everything should be perfect”. I would disagree with this assessment as these units are shipped through UPS and in doing so they can become hot or cold, they get bounced around etc…. I wouldn’t buy a table saw and expect it to be perfect; I know I would have to work with it, setting the fence, the table, and most times the trunnion adjustment will be out. So this advice, about simply checking nuts and bolts goes a long way.

As for surfacing a spoil board or sub-base, you got it right… programming a rectangle is a good way to do it, taking only what is needed off of the board. I’ve also done it by just jogging slowly (no programming required) which is a quick and dirty way to get the job done.

[Consultingwoodworker]

The short answer is yes. I created my spoil board 22" square and made the rectangle 22 1/2" square so that the bit covers the entire board.

I created a video that shows the entire process I use for making a spoil board. You can find it in the show off your projects thread.

Ralph

[Mavrick20002]

thank you everyone for reading and responding. all of your idea's I will take to heart and get that spoil board done over the 4th of July weekend. All your recommendations are spot on. Glad to know I am in good company and can get some good idea's.