Making a Spoilerboard for my Stinger

[Mick A Martin]

I finally got round to making a spoilerboard for my Stinger CNC router. I cut 3 pieces of ¾” MDF and screwed them down to the Stinger top, leaving the “T” slots open so I could use them for clamping later on. Then I draw a rectangle the size of the spoilerboard in Aspire, created a tool path and sent it to WinCNC ….. and that’s it. I machined the end and side of the spoilerboard parallel to the axis so I can align my work piece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7_sYnQiQA4

Mick

[james mcgrew]

excellent, i do believe you can run the bit a bit faster on the feeds as the heat of slow may cook some carbide!

[Joey Jarrard]

Mick the video looks great the only thing is the feed speeds. Here is a video showing some settings. Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5G5498j030

[Keith Outten]

Mick,

I am about to undertake the same task. I haven't decided yet how I want my spoilboard to be installed but I hope to get it done this weekend if my health improves. I have been sick since the day after my Stinger was delivered so I haven't been able to make any chips yet but I have the Dust Collection hooked up and everything ready to go except the spoilboard.

Mike Null and I have spent a considerable amount of time discussing Lithophanes both CNC and laser engraved. Mike is the only one I know of that has ever made a laser engraved lithophane. I expect there will be several new threads here on the topic in the near term :) I have about 20 pieces of 1/4" thick Cameo White Corian in my material rack that are 30" by 60" so I have plenty of stock for Lithophanes and some new name plaques I am making for CNU.

Nice job on the spoilboard, I would suggest that you be careful machining MDF without serious dust collection because the stuff is nasty to breathe.
.

[Joey Jarrard]

Keith do get better. I will be working around the house this weekend if you need any thing just call.

[Mick A Martin]

Mick,

I am about to undertake the same task. I haven't decided yet how I want my spoilboard to be installed but I hope to get it done this weekend if my health improves. I have been sick since the day after my Stinger was delivered so I haven't been able to make any chips yet but I have the Dust Collection hooked up and everything ready to go except the spoilboard.

Keith,
Hope you are feeling better soon, I understand your concerns about the MDF I just received my new Wynn dust collection hose but I didn't have time to install it yet.
excellent, i do believe you can run the bit a bit faster on the feeds as the heat of slow may cook some carbide!

Jim & Joey,
You are both correct, I should have bumped up the feed rate a bit. Also this was a new Camcorder I was using so it was blur here and there and the video was too long. Well I gave it a try better luck next time.

Mick

[Keith Outten]

I still feel bad but I am trying to start moving about some. A week in bed is more than I can take.

I have decided to replace the stock spoilboard with a first layer of 3/4" plywood, screwed permanently to the frame, and glue a 3/4" piece of MDF on top. This is how my other CNC Router is setup and what I am used to and it allows me to place screws anywhere on the table. I use hold down blocks fastened with screws most of the time.

I will probably install threaded inserts in locations I use to clamp sheets once I confirm where they should be. This will allow me to use my clamp blocks or the clamps that came with the Stinger for repetitive jobs.
.

[Mike Heidrick]

Some advice I recently got was to surface a 3/4" piece of MDF and then cover that with 1/4" MDF from home depot. That way the surfaced parallel piece is protected and the sacrificial piece is easier and cheaper to replace. May save you some time not having to surface teh next piece.

[Keith Outten]

I like using 3/4" thick MDF for a spoilboard because it allows me to machine the table flat many times. Here in Eastern Virginia the humidity is often high and spoilboards will swell often. Because of this I tend to machine my spoilboard before I start a large sign, when I am machining full sheets of Corian and sometimes once per week depending on humidity and my work schedule. The cost of MDF is insignificant when you are machining commercial signs.

I used to dread installing a new spoliboard, the four by eight sheets can be difficult to handle when you have just spread 32 square feet of glue and need to get the new board down quickly. I recently started using two wrought iron scrolls that fit over the end of the sheet and act like sled runners. I can lift the end of the sheet by myself and slide it the length of the table easily now, barely disturbing the glue.

I will take a couple of pictures later today when I install the new spoilboard on the Stinger. The spoilboard will be smaller but the procedure is the same for large tables.
.

[Keith Outten]

Keith do get better. I will be working around the house this weekend if you need any thing just call.

Joey,

Thanks, it looks like I am all set for now and I don't expect any problems today. I may try to run the wire extensions for the zero plate and the emergency stop button while the glue is drying on the spoilboard this afternoon.

Thanks for the tip about extending the wires.
.

[Joey Jarrard]

No prob starting with the next one it will be standard. Glad to see your among the walking again.

[Richard Link]

Joey,

Nice and fast. How much material depth are you taking off during the surfacing operation?

Richard

[Mick A Martin]

Joey,

Nice and fast. How much material depth are you taking off during the surfacing operation?

Richard

Richard,

I used screws and countersunk them 3/8" into the MDF. I then checked to see how parallel/flat the MDF was to the gantry it was spot on, so I only machine off .010" leaving me more spoilerboard.

I would find the lowest point on the spoilerboard over the whole table and machine to that depth plus a little to clean it up.

Mick

[james mcgrew]

a fellow posted about using nylon screws and attaching his to the tracks!!

[Mick A Martin]

Jim,

I did us nylon screws to screw down the MDF board. I use the tracks that CAMaster installed that's why I have 3 separate boards rather than one large spoilerboard.. When I machine thicker material I have longer clamping bolts and still able to use the standard tracks, this was not my idea, one of the CAMaster crew told me at the IWF in Atlanta this year. :D

Mick

[Joey Jarrard]

Richard to make it ez I just go down .050" it works well for me as I can use this same file to resurface when needed. I set my through cuts to be mat thickness + .005"