Shallow cuts on right side of project

X-Carve Troubleshooting
1

Pictures here:

I’ve had a few issues where the right side of my cut is quite shallow. In 2 of my 3 cuts, I’ve noticed that the first pass on the right side of a project is pretty much air, while the left side cuts pretty well.

The name (3rd image) was cut separately from the truck, but both items had the same issue that the right side is shallower than the left. The text was one through Easel, so nothing strange in converting text in something like inkscape.

Now, my questions are about machine level versus floor/table level.

My floor is pretty unlevel. My table is pretty good, but because the floor is off, the table is off. That means my machine is technically off level.

That said, I’ve verified that the height between the waste board and the top of the X-axis is the same distance at x=0, and x=900mm. So my X axis is “level” with the wasteboard, even if those and the table aren’t level.

If the machine is level with itself, how much would it matter if the floor isn’t level? I guess gravity might be a factor if the machine is fighting it as it moves along that axis…but I just don’t have enough machine knowledge to know.

Also, the “odd” factor here is that X=0 is the LOW point. So when I set Z home to my work point, I’m technically putting it at a “lower” point. So even if it had something to do with the table, one would think that if the work area was RISING as it moved X positive, that the cuts on that side would get deeper. But it gets shallower.

I’m guessing it isn’t the mill moving in the collet any, as it goes back to the first letter to do deeper passes and continues to cut that side to a decent depth, but when doing a second and 3rd pass at the last letter, it’s still much shallower.

Any thoughts on how to fix shallow cut?

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im having exact same problem. ive tried several things to fix it without much luck.
on my machine if you measure from the makerslide to the wasteboard on the left side and the same on the right side the measurements are different. ive adjusted the makerslide to try to make that measurement even but then if you move gantry to a different location the measurements are again out of sync

im planning on just skimming the wasteboard with a large bit to try to level the surface to the machine. if that fails to fix it i think the thing is going in the garbage. sick of messing with it

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I’m continuing to try everything BUT trash the wasteboard.

I don’t have the want to destroy (quite yet) something that cost so much to buy and ship without eliminating just about any other option I can find first.

4

Yeah i understand that. I didnt buy the xcarve wasteboard and just sourced the mdf locally. Which ironically i feel is probably the problem. Crappy box store mdf is probably so unflat from the store

5

Did you test the hight with the spindle itself?

Zero the spindle on top of a coin, or what have you, and then move the spindle manualy accros the the X and Y axis. Test fit that same coin between the wasteboard and the spindle at different locations.

2 Likes
6

i leveled the waste board but appear to be having the same problem still. test piece was a piece of plywood. need to get a complete flat piece of wood to test on tonight

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Just running my spindle around with a bit lowered to just touching the board at X=0, I found that my wasteboard seems to bow down in the middle like a bowl, creeping back up to touching the bit at X=max.

I’m going to attempt a few things today to try and better reinforce the middle of the board. Apparently the extrusion under the 1000mm board isn’t quite enough.

Could it be the Y axis belts being too tight and pulling up the corners somehow?

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i thought maybe that was my issue as well so i added 2 additional support extrusions for a total of 5.

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Only got the 500mm machine here but my genuine waste board also bowls down by 22/1000s" in the middle. Max x,y is also 10/1000s lower than 0,0.

I’m milling very thin sheet copper, so I’m also looking to sort this out but failing that I can at least probe Z height before cutting but not with Easel. My wife can handle Easel but Chillipeppr etc. is too complex hence trying to get it level.

I think I’m going to mount the genuine waste board underneath the rails and fix another sheet of MDF above, then skim mill that. Will still give similar Z range then.

If that doesn’t work I’ll have to look at an aluminium bed.

10

Latest news - I took the support extrusion off completely and built up the height of the table under the wasteboard with some various bits of wood I had laying around. That seems to have put things into much closer alignment.

the problem is I’m using random 4"x24" pieces from 1/2" down to 1/8", so I’m not getting a good wide support.

I think I’m going to run out to HD and get some 3/4" MDF (stupid table is only 1/2" and I have a full 4’x4’ of that left over…) and cut it to about 31x31 for the work area of the machine and use that as one super solid support for the wastboard an them shim it with some 1/16th ply 12"x24" in like 3 pieces to try and get as much coverage as possible.