Hey everyone,
I think I may have created a tram issue on my Shapeoko 5.1 Pro and wanted to get some advice before I go too far chasing the wrong problem.
I’ve been working with J Tech to develop a custom smoke boot for my laser setup. As part of that, I flipped the spindle mount 180° to make room for the design. Mechanically everything still mounts up and runs fine, and I did a quick test to confirm nothing was obviously off.
However, it just hit me that by flipping the mount, I likely lost whatever factory tram alignment I had since I don’t really have a precise way to reattach it in the exact same orientation relative to the X-axis.
Last night I started noticing some inconsistencies in my cuts/carving (slight unevenness that I hadn’t seen before), and now I’m wondering if that’s due to the spindle being out of tram.
So a few questions:
- Is flipping the mount enough to realistically throw tram out on these machines?
- What’s the best way to re-tram the spindle on the 5.1 Pro without specialized equipment?
- Would you recommend a tramming arm/sweep indicator, or are there simpler reliable methods?
- Anything specific to watch out for on this machine when adjusting?
Appreciate any guidance. I’m still dialing things in and trying to build good habits early.
Thanks!
