Z-Axis Drop During Flattening

While flattening an epoxy sign my Z-axis dropped incrementally during the cut. I retried several times with the same issue. Luckily the sign was narrow enough that I could put it through the thickness planer and saved the project. This issue has happened on other jobs where I was not so lucky.

I have not had this problem with any other bit type. I use a 7/8" diameter flattening bit running at 17,000RPM on the Makita router.

Searching through the forum posts I found similar posts and some possible reasons for the drop. One comment recommended taking the router cord out of the drag chain to reduce any electrical interference. However, this is not a suggestion I find from Onefinity directly, and to me part of the convenience of the drag chain is to use it for this purpose.

I did purchase some ferrite rings and put on on the router power cord and checked all the wiring connections are tight and there are no visible breaks. The bit was secure in the collet as well.

I suspect it is related to electrical interference, there was a small “tick” sound whenever the bit stepped down.

I’m going to do some tests on waste material to see if the ferrite ring made any difference but additional suggestions of what to try would be appreciated. The flattening of pieces is a great feature for the CNC and I need to solve this.




Thank you,

The epoxy is building static as you go and randomly discharging. If you can tolerate things getting wet, I sometimes build a wall of towels around the workpiece and spray the cutter with windex as it cuts. A smaller facing tool makes this a little less horrible. I’ve also had luck with using compressed air to clear the dust instead of suction, but you can imagine what that cleanup is like.

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Are you certain the bit didn’t slip in the collet?

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