Waste Board Dimensions

[WillAdams]

height of the unit?

http://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/ ... 3#Overview

Footprint
Metric: 725mm x 600mm (616mm incl. fasteners and end plates); 370mm high[12] (add 30mm if DWP-611 is mounted to top set of holes)
Imperial: 28.5" Wide x 24.25" Deep; ~14.5in high[13][14]

ISTR someone asking if 20 inches would be a reasonable interior height....

[CNCLife]

I'm not sure if this has already been answered, but what do I do if my waste board isn't level, and is causing my z axis cuts to be off? Thanks

[WillAdams]

If the machine is on a flat and level surface, the frame and rails are level and square, and the spindle is plumb, then my suggestion for the Wasteboard would be to tram it flat w/ a surfacing operation:

http://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/ ... e#Tramming

[CNCLife]

If the machine is on a flat and level surface, the frame and rails are level and square, and the spindle is plumb, then my suggestion for the Wasteboard would be to tram it flat w/ a surfacing operation:

http://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/ ... e#Tramming

Thanks, I guess I just need to spend a little more time squaring up my machine!

[RawIndDesign]

If anyone wants the files for the wasteboard I'm fabricating. . .see below. Intended to be laser cut from 1/4" 6061 Aluminum, Tapped & Threaded for M6 Helicoils. For those without access to equipment like that, take the .dxf to the nearest pen plotter or import to a .pdf/.jpeg file @ 1:1, print @ Staples, glue to your wasteboard, and go to town with a drill press. Email Chris.Fern@RawIndustrialDesign.com if you have trouble downloading the files or want the .stp file.
-Chris

[JoshL]

I am new to the board, I wanted to get the misumi extrusions but the spacing for the tslots will only work on the side with slots for M6 squarenuts which would require me to remove the PEM nuts and drill larger size hole (wasteboard is secured to frame with M5 bolts). Regardless I wouldve also had to drill additional holes to framing to secure the extrusion since it doesnt span 4 bolt holes. I wouldve really preferred to have the extrusions because of flatness and efficient workholding

So I will be going with a secondary piece of mdf with milled grid patterned holes and ez lock fasteners that I saw on one of winstons videos on youtube. How do you guys typically secure the secondary mdf? Would it be a good idea to locate the 2 mdf boards with dowel pins to ensure all 4 sides are parallel then screw together?

[WillAdams]

I drilled though holes w/ a hand drill and added T-nuts to the bottom of the MDF and fastened w/nylon bolts. Next time I fire up the machine I'll countersink them.

[FabricatorCraig]

....the wasteboard I'm fabricating. . . Intended to be laser cut from 1/4" 6061 Aluminum, Tapped & Threaded for M6 Helicoils.

Chris,
Any updates on your fabrication of this piece? Also, if this is intended to be cut from .25" 6061 Alum, how do the holes for attaching the stock SO3 base rails work? For example, in the design there seems to be a 5.5mm hole all the way through and then a 90 degree (countersunk) 12.5ish hole to accommodate the PEM nut/bolt being below the surface. In the original dimensional drawing from Edward, this countersunk hole goes down 6mm into the stock. Of course, the stock THERE is 12-13mm (1/2" MDF), so there is room for a 6mm deep hole. With the aluminum, 6mm (1/4") is ALL we have to work with in total depth. Am I spacing out and missing something really obvious here?

Also, while I've used assorted threaded inserts over the years, I'm not as familiar with the ones intended for metal usage. Are there any guidelines or tips on threading aluminum sheet to accept the Helicoils? Finally, and maybe I missed this, there seems to be quite a lot of holes in this layout. Beyond maximum flexibility, are all these holes really necessary to create a surface with viable clamping options or could the pattern be reduced (saving both fabrication effort and material cost) while retaining roughly the same clamping coverage?

Thank you!

[RawIndDesign]

FabCraig,

I think you may be confusing Countersink & Counterbore. The original wasteboard had 12.5mm Dia X6mm deep Counterbores to recess the M5 Pan Head Hardware. But Pan Heads don't offer much alignment. By using countersunk hardware the wasteboard will better square the machine. Dimensions for the countersinks are 12.5mmX90 Degrees to accommodate M5 Oval Head Machine Screws. I'll post a picture of my wasteboard tonight. I have not yet installed it. I am not using the wasteboard holes for clamping directly but rather for a mounting a vast array of eventual jig/fixture/vacuum plates to.

I think that I will probably need to slot the four mounting holes on the right side 1.72mm because the mounting spacing provided by Edward's wasteboard print are not evenly spaced about the center of the board. I cant figure out why that was done, when designing a machine from the ground up you can make the numbers work out perfectly. But then again I can't figure out why only two under-equipped springs are all that is holding my z-axis up (barely) when the power is turned off or I hit a Z limit switch. Or why the cover plate for the controller board doesn't have notches to allow the cables to pass smoothly to their respective connector without passing over a sharp edge. Or why a cable drag chain wasn't already incorporated in the design. My list of gripes is growing for a machine that could have been plug n play. I guess I just wish the design wasn't pushed out the door before some more thoughtful evaluation was done.

-Chris

[WillAdams]

Most of those probably come down to financial considerations.

One may be addressed here though: http://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/ ... .2F_bottom

(the top / bottom includes cuts which allow one to route the wiring w/o touching metal)