Long Cuts Move Board:

[lootlam]

Has anyone have the situation where the board will move or shift a bit in the X-axis (along the belts) when making a long straight cut?

I made a 1/4" wide 1/4" deep dado along the length of a 12" board with the 1/8" cutter and the board moved almost 1/8" along the X-axis in the minus X direction. It seems to me that the pressure on the board during the cut makes the board slide on the belts. The board is red oak. Is oak too hard to cut this way on the machine?

[Jeff_Birt]

What you describe is commonly called 'star stepping'. Use the 'Search' feature and search for "stair stepping" (with the quotation marks) and you'll find out many. many tips to help you avoid it.

Search is your friend...

[hotpop]

lootlam,


I made a 1/4" wide 1/4" deep dado along the length of a 12" board with the 1/8" cutter and the board moved almost 1/8" along the X-axis in the minus X direction. It seems to me that the pressure on the board during the cut makes the board slide on the belts. The board is red oak. Is oak too hard to cut this way on the machine?

I believe your stair stepping problem is the 12" board. If the dado is running the full length then you are loosing contact with one pressure roller the other as the board passes back and forth. Best bet is to start with a board about 19" long, cut the dado about 12 1/2" long then saw off the ends. OR build a sled thats 7" longer then the 12" board.

I run 3/4" red oak 36" long cut paths and haven't had any problem. BTW: The belts are always in syc because they are both driven by a common gear.