A while back I put some shallow grooves into my spoilboard with a V bit to help with alignment of work pieces. I’m probably at the point of needing to resurface my spoilboard and wondering if I should - and if so how to - align those grooves with the Home position of my Pro 4.
So, first, is it worthwhile to align the grid such that there’s an intersection right below Home (X,Y) position? For some projects I could just design them with that known (0,0) point and then only have to set Z depth. And for multiples, it would assist me in laying out those multiple pieces on the spoilboard and then cut them with one operation.
I thought about that, but then aren’t I at the mercy of Carbide Motion keeping its Rapid Position points exactly the same through different versions of the software? I suspect there’s no guarantee of that, but might be OK as spoilboard grids aren’t a true permanent thing.
The rapid positions are easy to use, but you can re-create your own using Quick Actions. The only real drawback is that the Quick Actions are on the Run page instead of the Jog page.
As you noted, not only could CM move the Rapid Positions, they already did! The Rapid positions moved when the 6xx series started, and they moved to be way less useful.
Instead, I carefully chose where an origin would be most useful to me, then I used a Quick Action to record that as a zero. You can also easily create a Quick Action that just moves to that location without changing the X-Y zero.
As you say, the spoilboard isn’t a permanent thing, but you can easily get into a situation where CM has changed, but the spoilboard is almost new. Feels bad throwing it away, but otherwise you’re stuck on an old version of CM. It’s even worse if your spoilboard has fixturing, since recreating that is not just ‘Fasten a piece of MDF and mark it’.
Once I had my Quick Action that set the zero to my origin, I then edited it so that not only would it set zero there, it would move to that location at the same time. Rather than probing, I usually just directly edit the X-Y zeros, and I find that easier to do when the machine is at the current X-Y zero.
If the grid system works for you then make it. However I have two suggestions. The first is to make a long L bracket you can attach to your spoilboard. Once you set X and Y they are persistent over power cycles. The Z is also remembered but in the latest versions of CM you have to have a bit hit the Bitsetter for the Z to be remembered. My second suggestion would to use bottom of material instead of top of material. Using the bottom of material your spoilboard does not get marked up as much as using top. Plus you usually dont leave an onion skin you have to remove. The material should always be carefully measured but using bottom your first cut would only cut slightly deeper if you are a few thousands.
Here is my version of a long L bracket. You would have to modify it for your spacing on your machine. The existing hold downs are for a 2" spacing on my spoilboard. When you attach it to the spoilboard jog with a bit and get the bit against one end. Then jog down and make sure it is touching on the other end. Then job back and forth to make sure you are square with the router. Then tighten and you wil not need to adjust it unless you remove it. There are cam clamps in my design which may not be useful if you are using the C3D hybrid spoilboard system but they are there if you want/need them.
A question related to the grid is: What’s the best way to know and identify the XY limits of my machine? I have just a Standard size, so bed size is an issue at times. I have one part that I’m going to be making quite a few of that’s too long for the bed unless I angle it. But, knowing the limits both in terms of the physical spoilboard as well as the co-ordinates would be useful.
The way my Pro 4 Std is setup I have some overhang in Y in the front of the machine. I actually put some biscuit slots in the ends of hybrid table and clip on another horizontal piece of MDF using plastic biscuits, so I can remove it in case I ever follow through on cutting into the ends of boards vertically attached to the front. Yeah, the bitsetter could be in the way, but it’s all the way to the right so it would have to be quite wide boards to have interference. I haven’t yet done a vertical board, so maybe my next spoilboard will just extend the MDF forwards a few inches to get the most XY room I possibly can.
I thought about jogging, but I believe at some of the physical limits (eg X to the left as much as possible), the stepper motor will “skip” and so I’ve lost co-ordinate accuracy. But, I don’t know any other way to do this except go a small amount at a time when near the border, and when it skips use the previous X co-ordinate as my limit. I don’t recall Y skipping, but it probably does, at least towards the front where there isn’t a sensor.
Maybe CM knows, but I don’t think it prevents manual jogging too far - unless that’s in a new version since I tried it last (admittingly some time ago).
Where’s the configuration file located?
That is a .json file which may be accessed by clicking on the version number in Carbide Motion, then in the “About” dialog, using “Open Data Directory” and finding the file therein.