board measuring oddity

[Dhaffner]

Machine runs like a champ...but noticed something odd this weekend.

I put in several boards from the same length of red oak...and the first 2 measured and cut fine. The last one kept getting measured incorrectly. It was 18" long and it continued to read 11.162. So I did what you all generally recommend..I taped the edges and down the middle with yellow masking tape, cleaned the board sensor (carefully), and generally gave the machine a good cleaning. The O-ring seemed fine on the brass roller and it's rolling smoothly...Still measured wrong.

Then I decided to try something. I went outside of the project I was trying to get to work and went to the main menu and asked the machine to measure the board..it hit the width and length dead on accurate. Went back to project...same thing 11.162 instead of 18 when it measures during the project...asked if I wanted to scale (no).

any ideas?

[Jeff_Birt]

Hmmmm.....Let's see 18 - 7 = 11. So perhaps your board in Designer was 18" long and your real board was 18" long and you selected 'Stay under rollers' on keypad. So the machine knew it would need the extra 3.5" on each end to stay under rollers so it reported to you the usable length of the board while staying under rollers.

[Dhaffner]

Let me put it this way: doh!
Doug

[koehler]

Okay so I buy in to the 7 inch difference in measured length, I was having this same issue. Maybe its a fundamental rookie mistake. Because boy am I a rookie!

So my take away is that if you craving a piece that will (based on your lay out) have the necessary 3.5" at each end you should not answer yes to the question about keeping the carving under the rollers. Otherwise the machine will subtract off 7 inches from the length of wood you are working with and ask you if you want to scale to the new length. Which really messes up your plans.

Put another way, cut your wood to be 7 inches longer that what you have set up the project to be if you want to answer yes to keep your carving under the rollers.

Is that correct?

[hotpop]

koehler,

You got it. Add 7" to the length of your "Designer" board.

Your other option is to build a sled with 3.5" blocks on each end.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Yes, that is correct... Select Stay under rollers and the machine WILL subtract 7 inches from the real world board. If it is less than the designer board it will ask you to scale the project to fit the short board you placed in the system.

What will really mess up your plans..... It's late Sunday Night, your finishing a project for the wife, last board.... You select to NOT stay under the rollers and use a short board, your LAST BOARD and at the end of the project when only one roller is holding down the board and the infeed or outfeed table is not adjusted correctly and the board tips up and the bit gets jammed and something breaks....... And the project and board is ruined and Home Depot just closed....

AL