Hi Everyone,
When doing a tool change, I’m having an issue where I’m moving the spindle while trying to get the collet nut loose.
If this happens, what do I do?
Cheers,
Spence
Do you mean you’re moving the machine against the stepper motors?
Are you using two spanners to release the collet nut? I find that using them almost together so that I can grip them both in one hand and squeeze avoids pushing the machine around.
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I was moving the machine against the motors, yes.
Nope. I was using the little button on the carbide router like an idiot.
I just tried using the two together like an adult and it works much better.
That said, is there a way to recover from a goof up using carbide motion should my motor skills fail me?
On a brand new XXL.
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Good, that’s one bit sorted then, you’re not the first to do that 
Once the machine has been moved against the motors you need to re-home the machine so that it knows where 0,0,0 is again. There is no feedback on the steppers so it doesn’t know you moved it.
It’s probably worth sending the machine to rapid “NE”, then powering the shapeoko down and then slowly and gently rolling the X beam to the back of the Y rails in case you got the two Y motors out of step with each other in the unintended move.
EDIT - from there you can test if the zero is still correct by sending it to “current XY” on the jog page. It might still be OK. You could then re-export the job from this tool change and go on from there.
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you need to re-home, or at least re-zero.
Which means you need to stop the current cut…
And later continue with the next toolpath. Which you can either regenerate with the tool you use to create toolpaths, or you can split the existing gcode file up into pieces with
https://fenrus75.github.io/FenrusCNCtools/javascript/gcodesplit.html
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We recommend the button only be used to hand-tighten so that the endmill will stay in place while one fully tightens with a pair of wrenches.
A pair of good quality wrenches is a huge quality of life improvement — for the Carbide Compact Router (or Makita) you want a 13mm low profile (McMaster-Carr has a nice Made in U.S. one), and a 22mm stubby wrench (I use a vintage Made in U.S.A. Craftsman, but SK Tools current production is more available, might be that they were making them for Craftsman, but was probably Western Forge).
I have a Dewalt router that only has a button to hold router shaft while tightening collet with wrench and have never had movement of router against stepper motors. I do use a short wrench so I don’t over tighten the collet.
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