This is a follow-up to my original post (Shapeoko not level/flat (or potentially square)?). I hadn’t posted in over a month (can’t believe it’s been two months!), so I did have to start a new thread.
I ended up having some back issues, so I had to wait, but finally was able to remove the feet and put the entire CNC on to an inch thick foam. I’m going to tram and surface my wasteboard (hoping this weekend), but needed some help. Since the router doesn’t go all the way to the back, what is the best way to surface that back portion? My two initial thoughts were to either surface by hand so it is somewhat even with rest of the wasteboard or to unscrew each MDF slat, flip them, and resurface. Any ideas or am I overthinking things?
Also to clarify, by flip I was thinking of unscrewing them and rotating them 180 degrees so the front is now in the back and the back is in the front. That may have been a horrible description though…
Why flatten the portion that the bit wont reach?
I have the same machine. When I do the spoilboard, I surface what the bit can reach and leave the rear as is. If I find later that I need to place material that far back, I use a circular saw and remove the very rear 3 or so inches, but I have needed to do this only once. I have also placed a 1/4"flooring board on top of my spoilboard at times to raise the working material when needed.
In other words, that rear few inches does not make much difference, and if it does, cut it off…
just my 0.02c.
The big reason to keep the entire MDF surface level is to allow tiling — if you’re not doing that, then it’s actually convenient to have a consistent lip at the back to register against.
I have an SO3 XXL. I have the factory base board and put a threaded spoilboard on top. I purposely made my spoilboard smaller than the maximum cutting so I could flatten my whole spoilboard. As @WillAdams suggested you could remove your slats and reverse them and flatten the part at the back now at the front. If you do any tiling jobs then you need the back of your spoilboard the same height as the rest of the spoilboard. If you dont do any tiling just leave it because you cannot cut back there anyway. Tiling has only been around for a while but when you need you need it.
The only issue with flipping the slats is will your level change? As long as the base is level they should be good . Sometimes good enough is enough.
