I am fairly new at all of this but I keep running into a consistent problem and I am not sure what I am doing wrong.
I use the bit setter and the first 3 times I’ve tried to use the machine I cut into my table. I measured multiple times and my depth is accurate. The difference in thickness is 0.2".
This last project I tried had a depth of .70". In carbide create I set it to 0.50" and when I ran the program it worked perfectly.
I haven’t tried it on a second project yet to see if it’s consistently off this much. However, it seems like this is some sort of calibration issue.
Can anyone help me figure it out? I appreciate the help and support.
If you jog Z manually by 1inch, how much does it actually move?
One possibility for a wrong Z calibration is selecting the wrong Z axis type when initially sending machine configuration. It’s easy to make the mistake of selecting HDZ when you actually have a Zplus, or vice versa
So the proper procedure to set your zeros are as follows.
Initialize and you can put in any bit just as long as you put in a bit. I try to put in the first bit I am going to use or my #302 because I typically center my zero for X and Y.
After initialization jog your machine to the approximate place you want to make X and Y zero.
Some use the lower left. If you have a BitZero then make sure that the BitZero is placed with the lip over the lower left corner of the work and the Z with a bit is 12MM which is .472" so a little less than half an inch. Depending on which Bit Zero you have v1 or v2 you will begin the probe in the jog screen and you tell the probe what size bit you are using. This is important because the probe uses half the bit size to calculate your X and Y coordinates. If you are probing all 3 X Y and Z then the machine will job and test all 3 positions to set you up. I use the center more than the lower let corner so I job to the center and use masking (painters) tape to mark my center so I dont leave pencil marks on the project. I job the Z down low and visually set X and Y. Then I jog up and put my Bit Zero under the bit with 12MM or less above the BitZero. I then initiate a Z only probe. The bit size does not matter for a Z only.
If you do not have a BitZero then follow the same instructions but jog to the approximate centering point and set your X and Y. Then jog over to the middle of the material and use the paper method to set the Z. That method is put a piece of paper under the bit and lower the bit slowly while wiggling the paper until you feel the paper is stopped from wiggling. Then set Zero for Z
The BitSetter then is used to compensate between different bits in a multiple bit job. The BitSetter only knows where you set zero and when the BitSetter is triggered it calculates the difference between the Z zero last set and the depth of the bit measured and sets your Zero based on the LAST time you physically set Zero with paper or the BitZero…
If you power off your machine the X Y and Z zeros are remembered and are still set. So after a power cycle you do not need to reset X Y and Z if you are going to use the same X Y and Z coordinates. After a power cycle you need to set new X Y and Z zeros if you are starting a new job.
The BitZero has a lip around 2 sides of it. You set the lip around the corner for X and Y zeroing on the corner. You set the lip on top of the work for a Z only. The .2" is about what the lip measures so make sure you are using the correct position for how you are setting Zero and X and Y and also for Z.
After researching the ZPlus vs HDZ. They look similar so I think I thought it was the same, but I reviewed my purchases and it wasn’t included in my purchase. I’ve been running it one Shapeoko 4 HDZ. I appreciate the help. Sorry to be such a newbie at this. Thank you for your reply.
There is no reason to be sorry. Everyone on this forum had to learn what you are learning. Be sure to ask your questions and get answers. All failures lead to success. You will have many failures but ultimately it will lead to success.