Head Level... How level is level??

[dbfletcher]

I decided would check my machine for head level tonight. Using advice from forum members, I inserted a 15" board, cranked the head down and used sensor check to check the z data from the keypad side to the far side. I'm .013 off from one side to the other.

With that being said, should i go thru the leveling process... or is that with the tolerances of the machine that it isnt worth worrying about?

[Digitalwoodshop]

The Deciding Factor is the Pitch of the Gears..... I think that anything .013 is a Excellent Reading.....

The Trick would be to slip the head gear one tooth and see what it reads then....

The Cross Gear is very Course....

AL

[spalted]

I think that a board could easily vary .013 across the width, just a thought.

[dbfletcher]

I should have mentioned my board was "MDF". I'm assuming being an engineered product it would be much more consistent. Also, I did do the measurements twice.. flipping the board to isolate board variances from machine variances. It was .013 either way. The only other thing I should mention is that I used a 60 degree v-bit from RJustice installed upside down (point up in the chuck) so I have a flat 1/4 "bit" to eliminate peircing the board at all.

[carlbeck]

I just got my machine and yesterday on the second project I tried MDF. Not Good. MDF has a paper surface and small ridges tend to break off. The output looked ok if you held it about 5 feet away. Today I bought some select Pine and am in the process of trying that. I also bought a piece of Popler.

[dbfletcher]

It may have been the design of your MPC. I've had very good results with mdf but proper use of height, depth, draft, bit optimization and other design elements can make all the difference in the world in any medium you choose to carve with. As many others have stated, make sure youhave a good dust collection system when working with MDF. My DC is fitted with a 1 micron filter.