Practical advice for tramming after upgrading z slider?

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Can anyone share some useful tutorials or examples of how they have successfully trammed their onefinity?

I have a gen1 x-50 woodworker and I recently just upgraded it with a few new toys. I have a new stiffy third rail, z20, redline 220v spindle and HMI and a set of three airweights qcw slats. I would like to add an ATC as well if I can get this thing dialed in better.

I never really had much of a tramming problem with the old makita router and z16 slider so I don’t think I had to do much beyond putting a combination square up against the z slider.

That method does not seem to be getting me as close as I was, I do have a stupid simple tools tramming gauge, but the reality of using it to actually dial in the spindle eludes me.

The only adjustments I seem to have are the four socket head cap screws that mount the z20 to the gantry. I know there are also tramming adjustment screws on the x axis gantry blocks but until I get the z axis closer to correct I’m not sure they are too useful.

How in the heck is anyone else actually making adjustments in the range of .010” or even .100” with those z mounting screws?

To make any changes I have to go through so many steps,

  1. I can’t actually access the bolts unless the z axis is in exactly the right position, so I have to raise the spindle up off the bed so the tramming tool is no longer providing a reading when I am actually able to loosen any of the bolts.

  2. Further complicating things the weight of the spindle means I have to support it entirely with one hand and attempt to keep the z slider tight to a combination square while “hoping” manual adjustments are going to result in the tram readings improving?

Am I missing something? Is there even a real way to effectively tram these machines beyond “thoughts and prayers” and wishful thinking?

I’m not trying to be flippant but I am very frustrated. I love this machine and the build quality is fantastic, but I have scoured the internet and YouTube looking for anyone with a similar setup machine that has actually succeeeded in dialing it in with a tramming gauge and I’m coming up short.

I have tried a combination of 1-2-3 blocks and spacer blocks to attempt to get the z20 on the gantry squarely but the best I’ve been able to accomplish leaves the dial indicating a significant difference from one side of my airweights slat to the next in both left to right and front to back.

Because I have the airweights system I have the added complication and stress of having to run the vacuum pump the entire time I’m attempting this so that the fixture plate I’m testing off of is actually sucked down flat to the slat.

I honestly have a little buyers remorse over the full qcw slat system I purchased. I do like the airweights and I think they will serve me well, if I can get them dialed in, but they do make tramming more difficult. I think this would be a slightly simpler task if it were on an mdf spoilboard like I previously used and definitely quieter without the hot noisy pump running under the table the whole time.

If you have successfully trammed your machine I would love some practical tips or better yet a tutorial.

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I started with an original woodworker when they first came out many years ago, then upgraded the to an x50 and 3rd rail, then made my own Z assembly for use with my ATC spindle.

Like you, tramming was a necessity, and here are some thoughts and opinions based on my experiences over time…

  1. I always do my best to dial in my machine ‘before tramming’, which includes checking and tightening all table and machine fasteners, making sure the X and Y axes are coplanar (I use a fishing line method), making sure the X and Y axes run perpendicular, making sure my spoil board is stable over its area, and checking that the gantry rails have no angular deformation end to end.

  2. For tramming, I too purchased a dial based tramming tool and used it with both a small granite block as well as a sheet of glass. Although tedious, I found it worked…that is until I started machining at which point I noticed the tramming was not what I expected. So I only now check the success of my tramming by inspecting a machined surface - I machine mostly aluminum so even the slightest ridge is felt.

  3. I choose not to use the gantry adjustment screws for tramming, rather only to correct and angular misalignment - highly unlikely especially with the 3rd rail. I only tram using metric (what I work in) steel shims - usually 0.1 mm increments result in real world change on the work surface. I loosen whichever pair - top or bottom - of Z assembly screws that allow the needed correction.

  4. I test by facing large aluminum plates tightly secured to my table surface - initially trammed with a small endmill.

  5. I use my widest cutter - in my case a 25.4 mm insert cutter - making sure to take like cuts/stepdowns so that initial deflection (if any occurs) does not impact the results. It then becomes a shim and retest exercise. This is for nod, as tilt adjustment I have rarely if ever needed.

  6. I don’t have AirWeights but they look to be a well thought out and built system. I think for you the reality is you have invested in this solution, and therefore both the machining and tramming need to happen using this system. To that end, I would use the largest stock size you typically will use for your tramming, and like you are currently doing with vacuum on. I make my own vacuum fixtures, and one thing I always do is add extra gasketing withing the vacuum area to fully support my stock, particularly in middle areas. I am not sure if this is relevant to your system, but the goal is to keep the stock as stable as possible for not just machining but also tramming.

  7. I am also careful to find an appropriate depth of cut when doing my tram tests - this will vary by material, endmill, and machining parameters. Shallow enough to avoid deflection with the large diameter cutter, deep enough that the cutter does not end up rubbing/bouncing on the surface.

Happily I have always ended up with spindle tram that met my expectations/requirements.