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Thread: Finally got my spoil board setup...

  1. #1
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    Finally got my spoil board setup...

    Received my machine, played a little, travelled a few days later for Aspire Camp, returned home, played a little, headed to Florida for a week to deal with a family matter...I never got to properly setup my spoil board until the past few days. So now I can get back to playing a little. LOL I had to get a little creative as the tee slots were going to get nicked if I trued up the factory surface, so I removed them temporarily, surfaced, added a 1/4" layer of MDF, cut out for the slot and surfaced, added thin plywood shims under the tee tracks before reinstalling them and then put the "real" spoil board on top, cut the slots for clamp fasteners and then trued the surface. A bit of work but a good exercise in dealing with things like exceeding Z axis limits, etc,. as well as adapting the existing factory drawing and tool paths to meet my specific needs. And I was very happy to cut the first little project yesterday once all that was done.

    Factory table trued up
    IMG_0774.jpg

    1/4" MDF layer added and surfaced
    IMG_0883.jpg

    Tee tracks reinstalled
    IMG_0886.jpg

    Spoil board glued up
    IMG_0887.jpg

    Slots cut and spoil board being trued up...
    IMG_0894.jpg

    Ready to rock 'n roll...
    IMG_0896.jpg
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 05-17-2018 at 8:38 PM.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  2. #2
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    Is your vacuum powerful enough to suck down through that?
    Colorado Woodworkers Guild
    Colorado CNC User Group

  3. #3
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    Looks great Jim. At some point you may want to add a few more t-track strips. You have some long reaches there.

    I'm going to completely redo my set up with the next spoilboard.
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Gonzalez View Post
    Is your vacuum powerful enough to suck down through that?
    I don't have a vacuum setup.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Page View Post
    Looks great Jim. At some point you may want to add a few more t-track strips. You have some long reaches there.
    I thought about adding one more in the middle, but didn't execute on it because of the, um..."fun"...I was having with Z axis limits down that low. I'll work with it this way for awhile and see if it limits me enough to consider retrofitting.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
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    I will have to replace my spoilboard very soon and can't wait to get rid of the MDF. I plan to use PVC sheet this time, if it works like I hope it will I will never have any MDF in my shop again. High humidity areas make using MDF nothing but a pain as it absorbs moisture like a sponge and swells. The fact that you can easily pull a vacuum though MDF is testimony as to why it is miserable material to use in areas that humidity is a problem.

    Jim, sooner or later you will have to use screws in your new spoilboard
    Last edited by Keith Outten; 05-18-2018 at 10:16 AM.

  7. #7
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    I already used two screws in the back side while gluing it down, Keith...I only have two 4' Bow Clamps. LOL But yes, screws will play a roll and I'm fine with that.

    BTW, when you are ready to make your new machine surface. "Make" the surface on top of your existing one first if you need to cut anything into it. The Low-Z thing truly was maddening, but I understand it's just there to insure you don't try and cut into your steel machine. Making the new table up higher solves that. If I do decide to, say, embrace clamping with tee slots a lot more, you can be sure I'll make an entirely new machine base on top of existing first, even if I need to put a few screw holes in it. If you just do a flat surface, you may still want to so that so you can do the holes for the table fastening to the base with the machine rather than manually.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #8
    I'd agree with Keith with the humidity and can imagine it especially on a slotted setup with no vac though your likely air conditioned. Sealing the edges well helps a lot with curling for some odd reason (even when the faces are open) but even with vac and no slots the humid months we have to flip and re-surface often.

  9. #9
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    I do plan on sealing the edges at first opportunity. I had to get a couple of small projects out the door (unrelated to CNC) before I could get back to it. One of those projects gets installed at the client's house tomorrow. I do have AC now and it's primarily for humidity control. But I haven't experienced issues with MDF surfaces in this shop ever...my miter station is original from about 2000 with an MDF top and the only moisture related "blemish" is where something was spilled many years ago on the back side of it. I suspect that I'll be surfacing the spoil board enough times in a year that it will not be too much of an issue. I can consider an alternative material someday just as Keith is doing.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  10. #10
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    A nice thing about living in NM is the low humidity we have - 18% right now. I ran a piece yesterday with a consistent .005 onion skin. I haven't surfaced my spoilboard in months.

    18% isn't good for the nose tho..
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  11. #11
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    AH, the proverbial "dry heat". LOL
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    I suspect that I'll be surfacing the spoil board enough times in a year that it will not be too much of an issue. I can consider an alternative material someday just as Keith is doing.
    Agreed. We use to be able to get 1" LDF and the spoil board would last a while but now were only 3/4" MDF and they dont last long at all especially as Keith mentions in the humid months. When they get thin they want to curl and flipping gets old. A part of me envies the t-track/glue down option lol. I absolutely envy the climate control lol. Some AC for moisture control is on the list for the shop for sure.

  13. #13
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    I lightly surface my MDF spoil board often to keep it flat with respect to the gantry and I change spoil boards fairly often too. I haven't had any problems with flatness even when it really counts - like V-carving fine text and graphic details in hardwood plaques. My shop is not air conditioned, but does have heat in the winter. In the past, I have used a lot of screws to hold the work pieces in place but I am currently experimenting with T-track and the use of more custom fixtures for production type runs. I plan to try vacuum clamping using pods instead of pulling a vacuum over an entire spoil board. That would be ideal for much of what I do.

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