That’s encouraging! Another thing to check @G-Stibor. Is your table pretty flat? Definitely recommend the fishing line test. If the machine frame is twisted, then this is a tough problem to solve.
Yes, it is extremely flat. I built it on top of my torsion top work bench and that is where I have been using it. I had it dialed in perfectly (X & Y). I think I’m ready to start dabbling in more intricate stuff such as 2.5D. I surfaced my spoil board…still perfect but saw the foil I had in there was rubbing away so that is when I saw the post about the tramming bolts. If I can adjust it with the bolts and get rid of the foil that would be ideal.
We are chasing the same thing then! Good to hear that’s not the issue.
There’s a pipe inside the feet.
Are you talking about the X-Rails? So, in my case the three x rails on a woodworker with a stiffy installed?
If this is the case, then do the bolts that go through the feet into the rails need to be loosened? I believe I peeked in there and see bolts going through the aluminum feet into the rails. Or are they just going into holes to keep the rails from slipping out?
I may try it again… But even with a dial indicator and starting from all bolts loose, I saw zero movement.
I finally have my machine trammed. It took 30 pieces of aluminum foil and playing with the torque on the router mount but it is trammed. I really wish I didn’t have to do it that way. Maybe this is normal with “hobby level” CNC machines.
Thanks to Onefinity for the replies.
How much did you have to shim it before you were able to fix it with the tramming bolts?
I do not think the tramming bolts are a feature on the X35 with stiffy, only the X50 tubes/mounts.
@TMToronto Tom, I have them on my X35, but only on the bottom rail since I’m not running with the stiffy. I was able to achieve a good tram with just the lower set.
Thank you @Machinist for the information. I had the original x35 then upgraded (fairly) recently to the X50. I don’t remember the original having them - but then I have a hard time remembering many things
Are the newer X35s shipping with these, and the handy hole for easy access to the motor coupler screw? I was wondering how it would work having tram adjustment screws with three tubes, unless the middle rail was centred between the outer two, and acted as a natural pivot point.
I’m not sure on that, Tom. I have an earlier machine and don’t have the access hole for the coupler (I didn’t even know that was a thing). Good point on the middle rail. In theory, the center rail could indeed be the pivot-point. But in real practice, there’s probably enough flex within the assembly to make it a non-issue. When I first learned about the tram bolts, I was perplexed as to why I didn’t have any on my top rail, but then it dawned on me that the stiffy contained the top adjustment screws. But like I said, I was able to achieve a great tram with just the one set of adjustment holes.
Edit for an afterthought: Best practice when using 3 rails would probably be to loosen both sets of top & bottom tram bolts so the 3 rails could find their own centers, then slowly and evenly tighten both front & rear bolts. Then adjust with even turns the diagonally opposite bolts so as to maintain vertical alignment of the rail centers. But again, this is merely a working theory.
It took a little over an hour but I trimmed my machine and got it dialed in perfectly. Left and right was easy enough and only took a few minutes. The Y-Axis I tried a few different ways but finally gave up on the Tramming bolts since no matter what I did it never registered any movement. I took a trip to Harbor Freight and picked up some feeler gauges. Placed a few behind the Z-slider. Changed it a few times until it was 100% level. Ran a surfacing pass on a scrap piece of wood. I can’t see or feel any ridges at all.
Thanks for all the responses. Hopefully they will help someone.
Does anyone know if the “pipes” that Onefinity refered to are actually the X-rails?
If so, how can they move when they are bolted to the feet?
I believe the pipes are the rails, and that they have a small (minute) amount of ‘play’ within the foot - with the bolts holding them fixed in the position you eventually select.