and on step 4.5 (pg 25) i cannot get rid of a tiny gap - about the size of thin cardstock - between the left endplate and the gantry.
When I tighten the front right shoulder bolt the gap gets a little worse.
Any tips? I’ve ensured all the necessary parts are still loose and i’ve slid the gantry back and forth, roughly tapped the corners to try to square it… but it seems like a losing battle.
When I squared up my machine, just holding the gantry forward didn’t apply enough force to really straighten things out.
So, I ran a small rope along the long diagonal (so, from your gap to the opposite corner). Tightening that pulled things straight, and when I tightened up the bolts for the base board, it stayed straight.
Thanks Michael. It’s good to hear the gap isn’t necessarily a sign of a larger issue. I’ll give the rope trick a try, or maybe some small ratchet straps.
An update for anyone else who comes across this thread: I used ratchet straps to square it per Michael’s suggestion, and tightened everything down, but when I removed the straps it went back out of square again.
I think it may have helped slightly, but pulled itself back creating a gap again.
That said, Carbide support said a gap this small isn’t a concern on the XL so I’m going to keep going with the build and assume it’ll be okay.
Not that it should be necessary on a Pro, but on a regular Shapeoko, shimming the ends of the X axis was one way to get rid of any residual gap while squaring the machine: