Z+ Z axis and wasteboard

Hey all absolute newbies here. Setting up our Shapeoko xxl with the Z+ z axis. We can’t get the z axis to lower all the way to the wasteboard. Already bottomed out. Don’t want to drop bit further… Can anyone tell what we may have done wrong here? Do we need to add an extra wasteboard and if it needs it why wouldn’t it have been provided? Thanks

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Good question. I had the same experience. I was planning on adding a supplemental waste board anyway, but my 1/8 inch bits are a bit short still. Not ideal. I even installed the adapter sleeve from the bottom to allow me to lower the router just a tiny bit more.

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Not sure about the Z+ install and how far down it is supposed to go as this is quite new, but anyway most people will indeed add a supplementary wasteboard. You wouldn’t want to spoil the bed of the machine, and have to replace it after a while, that would mean taking the machine apart, etc…

The reason they (C3D) don’t provide a supplementary wasteboard in the kit is probably because there are many ways to do it, and everyone is free to choose a solution they like. The most popular option is to cut a square piece of MDF, drill a grid of holes, and use threaded inserts. Myers wasteboard design seems to be the most popular among newcomers.

The other popular option is to use T-tracks, with MDF strips in between the tracks.

FWIW I have written a short section about this topic here

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I saw your ticket and have passed it on to the folks who have actually worked with a Z-Plus.

Adding a suitable spoilboard is probably the best approach — I wrote about doing this at: http://www.shapeoko.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6045 and http://www.shapeoko.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=8332&p=65068#p65068

FWIW, my next wasteboard will have a combination of T-track and threaded inserts, with the latter only getting installed when and where needed (and tracked in a master file).

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Your linked piece on this subject really helped this make more sense. Seems pretty obvious now-hah! Thank you!

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Thanks for this! Helps a ton. I’ll pass it along to my husband (who will be making the wasteboard) :slight_smile: I also have to say, I’m pretty impressed with how welcoming and helpful this community is to newbies. Y’all are great!

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I will add that I’m here for the exact same question…I have my answer now but this might be a good note to add to the addendum. It’s not a big deal for me as I was planning to build a waste board but I would have had the materials on hand if I known this was the situation.

Ok…off to Lowe’s to lug some MDF around…thanks shapeoko :wink:

IMG_5365

Answered my question with this thread here.