So my first cut with my new C3D XXL was AWESOME! Surfaced a piece of plywood, then just cut some basic shapes I threw at it.
My second cut was a Circle Diamond Square pattern I whipped up in Carbide Create. It looks pretty damn good to me, but I would like to know if I should adjust any settings.
The square is perfect, according to my machinist square. The pocket surfaces are ridge free.
The square should be 4.5 inches and .5 inches deep, both sides are 4.486, but itâs .472 deep.
The diamond should be 2 inches and .125 inches above the circle pocket. One side is 2.000, the other is 2.001. It is .124 above the circle pocket.
The circle should be 4 inches diameter and .250 deep. It is 3.985 on the X, 3.984 on the Y and .220 deep.
Given that the circle and square are shallow about the same, Iâm thinking thatâs due to not having zeroed the bit to the surface close enough, correct? If I have this figured out right, my Z is off by about 0.001. I should have surfaced the wood first to eliminate that difference. Live and Learn!
Both the X and Y is off by 0.015 over 3-4 inches. Is that worth fixing or not? If so, what commands do I need to send?
I use the plastic wrap off a cigarette pack to zero Z. I do tiny little steps down until I canât slide the plastic under the bit anymore. Try that and if youâre still that far off in depth, then start looking for mechanical reasons why itâs that far off. 0.030" over a 1/4" is pretty far out IMHO, I would try to get much closer than that. First place to check is the Z axis stepper pulley set screws, make sure one is on the stepper shaft flat and tight, and the other should be tight as well. I use a very tiny dab of blue Loctite on those (I think itâs Loctite 242/243?). Next would be to check Z axis belt tension, âguitar stringâ tight (like a low E) is where I go on that. Check V wheel eccentrics and make sure they are engaged and your whole router isnât moving around, if adjusted correctly it really shouldnât move at all with the machine powered up. Last thing is to check the plunge rate of your cut, too fast and the steppers can miss steps. Dust boots that move with the Z axis can also foul and cause missed steps (chased this one for awhile myself). If all of those things check out and youâre still losing 0.030" over 0.250" come back here and post again. You can set the steps per mm in the firmware, but what youâre describing sounds too far off to be that.
Also, what size bit, and what feeds and speeds are you using?
Check all of the same with the X and Y axis and re-run your test and see where you end up!
