Using 1 1/2" spoiler board bit for spoiler board surfacing?

[thomo78]

So I got fancy and ordered the CNC master collection bits for my machine. It comes with a 1 1/2 inch spoiler board bit which is different that the 1 1/4 inch morticing bit that is required for the surfacing program. Does anybody know if I can just execute the surfacing program with the 1 1/2 inch bit?

[gerry]

The 1.5" bit will just hang out 1/8" on each side. No problem. The program only cares where the center of the bit is. It would only be a problem if the overhang hit something, which in this case it won't. I use a 1.5" surfacing bit on my AR8pro+, with the supplied surfacing gcode.

[thomo78]

Thank you.

[johnb]

Put the bit in the collet and manual-move it to the maximum & minimums of X & Y with the controller. If you get a software error (it's Soft 20 on my Hust controller for the AR-16 Elite) before the bit gets to the point of overhanging the spoilboard (top, bottom, & both sides), you'll need to adjust the stops for X & Y before running the surfacing program. Maxium X and Maximum Y are actually a software limit that keys off of the starting point of each, so the stop(s) you would adjust would be the ones for Minimum X and Minimum Y. If your bit is overhanging the "left"* side of the spoilboard (at Minimum X) too much, it won't move far enough toward the right* to skim the entire width of the spoilboard, so you'll have to loosen the stop (on the left* side of the gantry) and slide it to the right* the appropriate distance. The stops on the right* side of the gantry and the upper* end of the Y Axis are to keep the spindle from crashing into the gantry or running off beyond the upper end of the spoilboard. You'll note that, when manually moving the spindle, it will likely stop before "getting to" either of these. This is normal.

Top, Bottom, Side, Upper assumes you are standing at the end of the machine facing the spindle-side of the gantry with the Y-Axis running "away" from you and the X-Axis going "left and right". The "upper" end of the spoilboard would be the one farthest from you etc.

I had to do this to get mine done after running the program and failing to get all of the board skimmed.

I'm posting this in the interest of "education" since your inquiry came in on a weekend (when these things seem to crop up and customer support is unavailable by telephone).

[gerry]

Aug 17, 2019 18:26:49 GMT -5 johnb said:

Put the bit in the collet and manual-move it to the maximum & minimums of X & Y with the controller. If you get a software error (it's Soft 20 on my Hust controller for the AR-16 Elite) before the bit gets to the point of overhanging the spoilboard (top, bottom, & both sides), you'll need to adjust the stops for X & Y before running the surfacing program. Maxium X and Maximum Y are actually a software limit that keys off of the starting point of each, so the stop(s) you would adjust would be the ones for Minimum X and Minimum Y. If your bit is overhanging the "left"* side of the spoilboard (at Minimum X) too much, it won't move far enough toward the right* to skim the entire width of the spoilboard, so you'll have to loosen the stop (on the left* side of the gantry) and slide it to the right* the appropriate distance. The stops on the right* side of the gantry and the upper* end of the Y Axis are to keep the spindle from crashing into the gantry or running off beyond the upper end of the spoilboard. You'll note that, when manually moving the spindle, it will likely stop before "getting to" either of these. This is normal.

Top, Bottom, Side, Upper assumes you are standing at the end of the machine facing the spindle-side of the gantry with the Y-Axis running "away" from you and the X-Axis going "left and right". The "upper" end of the spoilboard would be the one farthest from you etc.

I had to do this to get mine done after running the program and failing to get all of the board skimmed.

I'm posting this in the interest of "education" since your inquiry came in on a weekend (when these things seem to crop up and customer support is unavailable by telephone).

ONLY if your gcode says the bit is over 1.25!!! If the bit was 2", there would not be a problem, as long as the gcode is computed on a 1.25" bit. In this case the bit is larger, but the machine doesn't know it. You are only out of bounds if it thinks 'bit size + xycoord' computes to out of bounds. The physical out of bounds is a mechanical sensor on the gantry. It has nothing to do with the bit. Folks have done this for a long time to clear a spoilboard larger than the physical boundary. 

[joeblow]

I run a two part spoilboard program:

1. Pocket toolpath with 1.5"EM
2. Then to clear the perimeter I run a profile toolpath on inside of vectors. I input a .125"EM in the tool data form but in fact use the 1.5"EM.

Does a nice job clearing beyond the perimeter without moving any sensors.

I've never used Axiom's spoilboard program. Making my own was the 1st program I did in Aspire and ran on my machine.

[johnb]

Gerry

It wasn't the Gcode that was causing the problem, it was the controller software limit in relation to the position of the spoilboard on the table that was preventing the machining of the entire surface. The proof of this was that the controller (in manual mode) errored out before the edge of the bit got to the edge of the spoilboard. The 1210 x 1210 envelope in which my machine will operate is capable of milling the entire surface of the 4'x4'spoilboard with a 1.25" bit IF X-0 & Y-0 are in the "right place"...which they were not. Since I was cutting air at the top and left sides and leaving unmilled strips along the bottom and right, I loosened all the screws and repositioned the spoilboard strips further "up" the table in order to correct the Y axis, and moved the Minimum X limit switch over to the right in order to shift the working envelope to match the actual physical location of the spoilboard.

This entire thought process and solution was confirmed/approved/suggested by Chad McCarty at Axiom