X and Y precise zero point?

[JBcarving (James Bradley)]

Newbie here…
Thanks to a post by (Tod) in another topic I was able use his dowel method to square up my project board…THANKS!

So I cut a 1/8" x 1/8" cutout on the front edge of a 1x4 pine piece. Perfectly even cut down the whole length.

But I zeroed the 1/4" endmill with the center of it over the corner of the board. This seems rather clunky and inaccurate as the endmill doesn’t really have a center and I just have to eyeball it.
If I were to run this all the way around the board I’m concerned that I will have different widths of cut either side to side or front to back. Am I missing something about how this is done accurately?

Thanks, Jim

[WillAdams (William Adams (Carbide 3D))]

This is what the BitZero is for.

Is that not an option?

[JBcarving (James Bradley)]

I would suggest that for $4500 it should be included with the machine- its barely usable without it…

[WillAdams (William Adams (Carbide 3D))]

Folks used machines for years without probes.

See:

https://carbide3d.com/hub/courses/running-shapeoko/movements-zeroing/

Or, chuck up a V endmill and use that:

Making a guitar bridge for Carbide Create Pro

To cut this out, create or download the file in question and open in Carbide Create: [image] and verify the 3D preview: [image] select and mark a piece of stock for center and secure it in place on the machine: [20231129_2027531] power up, connect to, initialize, and allow the machine to measure the tool and then set zero relative to the stock to match how the origin is defined in the file: [20231129_2034201] [image] Load the file and verify the cut in the G-code preview: [image] …

[Tod1d (Tod (with 1 'd'))]

If you used the dowel method your XY zero should already be set.

Move the 1/4" dowel to position 1. Butt the stock into the dowel & clamp directly across.
This allows you to rotate the stock for position 2 without changing the Y position from P1.
Move the dowel to position 2 and rotate the stock so it’s just touching the dowel.
Clamp anywhere else.
Set the Y position to -0.125
Touch the dowel to the stock at position 3. Use the fine jog to move it in until you can’t see the light between the dowel & the stock. Put a flashlight behind it if necessary. This is MORE accurate than the paper method.
Set the X position to -0.125

So now your XY zero is set to the corner of the stock.

Now put the 1st tool in & zero that to the top of the stock. I move the tool around the part & check several spots to sanity check the flatness of the stock.
Now with each additional tool, just reset the Z zero.

CAVEAT: Your stock in the design should be the EXACT same size as the actual stock.
Unless you are cutting the outside profile, then your actual stock needs to be the same size or a bit bigger.

[Redlander (Tim Jones)]

@JBcarving

LOL! Barely usable without it?? I think not.

You can always use the center of stock for alignment if you feel it would give you better results.