Wondering what the minimum Z position is (as measured from the plane of the bottom of the feet to the tip of the collet) when the Z slider is in its lowest position? i.e. dimension D on this image:
Obviously in that diagram, D is specified as 4 3/2" - 5 7/16", but I am not clear where in the Z-axis travel these measurements are taken - at the top or bottom.
I am trying to figure out if it is possible to mill below the depth of the table.
according to the picture, “D” does not seem to be measured from a point on the Z-Axis travel but from the bottom of the Z-Slider. The Z-Axis mechanism as a whole is itself located on the Z-Slider, the latter seems to be fixed with screws onto the X-Axis Gantry Block to a choice of 2 (or 3?) mounting positions (see “mounting holes” on page 12 of the Assembly Instructions) with a resulting choice of distance “D” measered from the bottom of the Z-Slider (4 3/32″ – 5 7/16″).
However, the measurement that is missing in that diagram (and that I’d like to know too) is:
a) What is the distance between the bottom of the Z-Slider and the bottom of the Spindle Mount, when Z-Axis is moved into the lowest position ? (seems to be a few millimeters)
If you have that measurement, then you can proceed to find the answer to your initial question (“how low can I go?”) by adding:
b) the amount with which you insert your Spindle into the Spindle mount (or: how much your Spindle protrudes the bottom of the Spindle mount)
As I casually read through I’m also curious about the Z travel distance. In that picture above it’s 4", but in the “Woodworker” model it’s listed as 5.25".
Going back to the root of my original question… has someone confirmed that the machine can cut below the level of the legs?
On the onefinity home page it says “Feel like carving an intricate inlay into your dining table, no problem”, so I assume that is correct, but I would really appreciate it if someone can confirm this. I don’t know if the page has changed much from the pre-production days.
My machine has done this, on accident and on purpose. The length of the endmill or tool is also a factor to consider. You might find that nominal length 1/16" ball endmills will not reach, and you either need an extension (I’d be dubious) or a special order ($$$, and hey it might break). I’ve read tapered endmills help solve some of these deep pockets + small cuts situations, but I’ve never used them.
Excellent, thank you very much for the confirmation.
I don’t expect to need to do this often, so I am fine needing an extra long endmill or something, but I want to have the capability if needed. Having an open ‘bed’ has a large appeal to me.
I mounted the machine to the CNC table top, mounted the Z-Axis at the lowest position on the rail, then used the machine to bore mounting holes into the table top that would later be used to install the wasteboard. Once I was done, I moved the Z-Axis to the center mounting holes as suggested on the initial setup video from Onefinity.
I’ll second what @AdamsLeatherWorks said, and this may be helpful to some other folks too:
I mounted the feet of my Onefinity on 3/4" MDF blocks, making it the same height/level as my wasteboard. I was able to engrave a line around the perimeter of the maximum cutting area with a V-bit (so the tip of the V bit was 3/4" below the level of the feet). I also machined the whole spoilboard with the CNC in this configuration, so I was able to drill pockets/holes at least 3/4" below the feet level.
The main thing to keep in mind is the endmill length. The inexpensive pack of 10 1/8" diameter endmills that you can get on Amazon are only 1.5 inches (38.5mm) in length, and those are too short for this job. With the Z Slider mounted as far down as possible, you have about ~1" (~25.4mm) gap between the bottom of the router collet nut and the mounting plane of the Y Rail feet. You also need about 3/4" (19.05mm) of shank insertion length into the router chuck to fully engage the collet. So those details should help you choose the minimum bit length to do the job you want to do.
FWIW, when I flattened my spoilboard, I had to use an extension adapter since all of my spoilboard bits were just a bit too short. I used the Amana 47642 1/4" to 1/4" extension adapter and it was fantastic! Very little noticeable runout and my spoilboard was quite flat after a single pass (about .02" to 0.06"). I won’t use it often, but it’s a nice addition to the arsenal.