If you have a T-Slot tabletop, obviously you can't plane the aluminum, so the best option is to plane your sacrificial tabletop (a sheet of mdf, or other material, placed on your tabletop to prevent cutting into your table.)
If you have a Vacuum Hold Down table, you'll need to use .mdf as its porous nature allows the vacuum to pull through it to hold down your stock.
First, make sure the sacrificial material is attached securely to the tabletop. I recommend double sided tape on the underside. This is to make sure that when you plane the surface, that sections won't lift up, because the planing made the material lighter.
First, make sure the sacrificial material is attached securely to the tabletop. I recommend double sided tape on the underside. This is to make sure that when you plane the surface, that sections won't lift up, because the planing made the material lighter.
For Vacuum tables, you can screw or bolt the mdf to the tabletop at the corners. (just make sure your bolts are outside the vacuum zone areas)
You'll then want to insert a fly cutting bit. (note that bits bigger than 1.5" become unbalanced very easily)
In your BobCAD program, make a rectangle the size of your sacrificial sheet and tell it to "pocket" the inside.
Post the G-Code and open it in your Mach 3 to surface your table.
Keep the file somewhere easy to find as you may want to run it again when your sacrificial board gets worn with use.
You'll then want to insert a fly cutting bit. (note that bits bigger than 1.5" become unbalanced very easily)
In your BobCAD program, make a rectangle the size of your sacrificial sheet and tell it to "pocket" the inside.
Post the G-Code and open it in your Mach 3 to surface your table.
Keep the file somewhere easy to find as you may want to run it again when your sacrificial board gets worn with use.
No comments:
Post a Comment