I have not received my machine yet but trying to plan.
Obviously the router will not cover all the spoil board on QCW. What is the recommended surfacing way?
Do you tile the boards? Or Just surface and have a pocket in the middle of the boards?
On my machine with the original waste board I just surface what the router can cover and it leaves a pocket. Which I actually like. Itās a visual way for me to see the cutting area and also gives me lips to line up material to the edge of the work area
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Thanks. I guess that should work
The down side to forming a pocket on the waste board is if you every intend to cut something larger the the waste board you will not be able to lay the material flat on the waste board. I tend to prefer making an island that allows me to surface the entire waste board. I often find myself needing to cut an item that is larger then the cut area.
Mike
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True I havenāt cut anything larger than my waste board so I havenāt ran into that problem but good heads up
I simply made my waste board 0.125" smaller than the cutting area. With a 1" bit, it was able to flatten the entire surface using a pocket operation. I guess I could have gone bigger than the cutting area by <0.5" but it didnāt seem necessary since Iāll never be cutting there. I didnāt want an recess incase I have a piece larger than the waste board recess. I suppose if it is bigger it will just be raised a little.
-Tom
Just got my 1F a couple days ago and Iām trying to surface my spoil board. I have the file loaded into the 1F controller okay and it attempts to run the tool path, but the 1" surfacing bit I use isnāt long enough to reach the top of the spoil board. The 1/4" shaft is 1.25" long - the same length as the name brand āWhitesideā several recommend via Youtube. With the Z axis is all the way down and the router is firmly seating all the way down in the holder, I have a little over 1" between the bottom of the router collet and spoil board. I need a 1" bit with at least a 1-3/4" long shaft. So what bit do you use for surfacing, or am I doing something wrong in my setup? Thanks.
And yes, my spoil board is an additional 3/4" MDF board on top of the CNC bench top.
Do you have your Z gantry set in the lowest position?
Thx Nick for your reply. No, I havenāt lower the gantry. I could, and probably will, lower to the gantry, but in all the videos Iāve seen about surfacing the spoil board no one mentioned about having to lower the gantry to accomplish the task. So I was wondering if there was a different setup or bit that they might be using.
Iām still a total CNC newbie. But, from what I have learned, you need your router mounted in the vertical location that allows you to cut all the way through your workpiece.
If you always install a scrap piece of material beneath your actual project piece (to protect or prolong the life of the spoil board), then youāll only need to reposition the router for the initial surfacing operation to flatten the table, then you can move it back up for daily use.
I have the same issue since installing my 1f on the qcw from underneath stand, with the gantry lowered to the bottom holesā¦.did you manage to solve this?
You can either cut the mdf strips shorter than the t track, therefore staying in your pocket, or you can sand/plane them off after. Another option is to put on a second piece of mdf square on top of the t track and make that your wasteboard. There are many creative ways you can go adapt it to your needs.
As you can see, some users like the pocket it gives so they can visually see the cutting area and gives them a āfenceā of sorts, others, who may tile, want the wasteboard completely flat. The choice is yours!
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