SandBuoy
03-15-2008, 08:21 PM
As I stated in one of my first post after getting the machine, I had problems with my machine head right out of the box. I Have the machine running right now after some tuning of the screws and gears. I wanted to post something I found out the hard way for those of you that do head screw adjusting.
I made a jig in a sled to hold 5" x 7" pieces of corian. It nothing more then a triangle cut a little over 1/4" to allow for the 2 sided tape. I was really impressed with the tolerances the machine hold on the sided. But when I went to insert the 1/4" x 5" x 7" piece into the jig I found out that the machine cut the box on a slant.
Apparently I still need to adjust the screw on the far side out a little. The machine follows the rail when its cutting. So right now my machine is cutting about .030 deeper on the near side (handle side) then the far side. This will definitely effect your carving and especially lithopanes.
So if your lithopanes are coming out a little out of wack or maybe darker on one side then the other you might want to check the accuracy of your head. I just put to small strips of wood (about 2"x2"x15" under each side and cranked the head till it touched the wood. Sure enough, the near side hit and the far side had clearance under it. Something to check out when your doing your cleaning, lubricating and preventative maintenance.
I made a jig in a sled to hold 5" x 7" pieces of corian. It nothing more then a triangle cut a little over 1/4" to allow for the 2 sided tape. I was really impressed with the tolerances the machine hold on the sided. But when I went to insert the 1/4" x 5" x 7" piece into the jig I found out that the machine cut the box on a slant.
Apparently I still need to adjust the screw on the far side out a little. The machine follows the rail when its cutting. So right now my machine is cutting about .030 deeper on the near side (handle side) then the far side. This will definitely effect your carving and especially lithopanes.
So if your lithopanes are coming out a little out of wack or maybe darker on one side then the other you might want to check the accuracy of your head. I just put to small strips of wood (about 2"x2"x15" under each side and cranked the head till it touched the wood. Sure enough, the near side hit and the far side had clearance under it. Something to check out when your doing your cleaning, lubricating and preventative maintenance.