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Thread: Poorman's Board Carrier

  1. #21
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    Feb 2011
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    Nice work Dan ...
    Mans Quest for knowledge,,, means he'll always find a way !!

  2. #22
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    Nov 2008
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    Vancouver Island
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    Thanks Kevin. You know that everything is an ongoing experiment! Here is my latest attempt. I changed to 5/8" MDF for the new measuring method. I also elongated the touch spots since I now realize that the machine may not always stop at the right place and one may need to jog to touch. I thought I would make the target a little bigger. (I have not made these yet myself.)

    Edit: Actually, I am hoping someone else will take over the testing of this. I am back to thinking about the universal version. (The universal version will use the same basic procedure but will hold boards of varying thicknesses.)
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    Last edited by bergerud; 04-03-2015 at 11:21 AM.

  3. #23
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    Jun 2014
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    New Orleans, LA
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    I may give this a go at least with 3/4" material in mind. If I can get my machine back up and running smoothly. I'm more interested in the multi thickness concept as a whole. A lot of the work I do is on 13"/14" boards and vary thickness from the lumbar yard. My planer only handles 12". There's a few other concepts I've been meaning to try as well, I just need to make something happen.
    Paul
    -Paul
    "The secret to getting ahead is getting started." -Mark Twain

  4. #24
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    Dec 2014
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    Kaukauna, Wisconsin
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    Now I will have to look harder. 5/8"mdf will be harder to find. I look to re-purpose things and the 1/2" is everywhere with all the Sauders furniture out there. I would think they used 5/8" somewhere. Gives me something to look for.

  5. #25
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    I just made one out of 5/8 and Opps, I did not make the sliding plate touch hole deep enough. I should have added the extra to the depth. When I tested it I got board may be to thin 0.70/0.75. Here is the file again with a deeper hole, or better yet, calibrate it to your own machine. Go back and read post 16 (with 1/2" replaced by 5/8").

    It is really nice not to have to deal with shims.
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    Last edited by bergerud; 04-04-2015 at 12:34 AM. Reason: Added updated mpc

  6. #26
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    Feb 2007
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    Upstate NY USA
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    bergerud I'm a bit confused on what holds the sides together. Don't they split apart when the rollers start moving?
    " The Hurdier I Go, The Behinder I Get"

  7. #27
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    Why would you think the rails would split apart? The board holds them together. There is sandpaper on the rails and at least one roller keeping the sandwich compressed at all times. Even if they are not parallel and or square, the whole unit would ride together on the belts. I do not think there even are any forces trying to split the rails apart. One does have to hold it all together as the head is clamped down, but once down, it is like one piece.
    Last edited by bergerud; 04-04-2015 at 10:07 AM. Reason: grammer

  8. #28
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    Jun 2014
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    New Orleans, LA
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    keeping this with the "poorman" mentality and just to make sure I understand (sorry if I'm asking too many questions) but he 5/8" mdf is used for a 3/4" board that will be in the carrier? I have a boatload of 3/4" mdf and since it's a glue up job I'm contemplating planing and gluing up the planned/porous surface. If I used the 3/4" mdf as is what size board would I be looking at using in the board carrier? I feel like I'm doing algebra. I can visualize some of the numbers but there is quite a few variables that I can't wrap my head around compounded with the fact that I tend to overanalyze.
    -Paul
    "The secret to getting ahead is getting started." -Mark Twain

  9. #29
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    The only reason for the 5/8" MDF is so the 3/4" boards the carrier will carry stick up 1/8" above the rails. Make it out of 3/4" MDF and shave 1/8" off the bottom of the top halves of the rails and you will be good. The thickness of the rail bottoms does not matter. (You do have to shave off the bottoms of the rail tops or the depth of the touch hole, which is measured from the top down, will be wrong.)

  10. #30
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    Nov 2008
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    Here is my first attempt to write up instructions for using the poorman's carrier:

    1. Put the 3/4" thick board on the carrier against the front stops and slide the board and carrier into the machine until the black sections on the rails line up under the board sensor. While holding the system together and against the squaring plate, lower the head just enough to hold the system in place. (One could clamp all the way down and back off
    the crank 3/4 of a turn.) Move in the sliding plate.

    2. Load the project. Say No stay under rollers. The machine will prompt "Please Load Piece" (since the head is not clamped down all the way.) Slowly crank down the head until it says "Press ENTER To Proceed".

    3.
    Press Enter. No cut to size, … same old. (I suggest using Center on Board before experimenting with other options.)
    Watch to see that the machine measures the actual board edges and not a carrier edge.

    (If you get a clear board sensor error when measuring an end, the head is not high enough and a roller switch did not open. You have to start all over again.)

    (If you get a possible board removal message, the head is too high and a roller switch
    did not close. You can crank it down a little and press continue. )

    4. As soon as the machine finishes measuring the board length and asks to load the bit, clamp the head back down. Do not forget!

    5. Load the bit.

    6. If the touch holes are lined up, continue. If the touch holes are not lined up, be ready to press STOP when it starts the board touch and choose (3) Jog. Jog the x to line up the touch holes and then continue.

    7. The project should now proceed as normal.


    I have not tried all possibilities of project size, board size, project placement, or bits. If the touch holes do not line up and the opportunity to jog is missed, the machine will z stall into the top of the right rail. I suggest changing the user options: 0 – 5 - Jog To Touch to (ON). (Note also that the machine remembers the last jog to touch and will automatically repeat it (until powered off and on)).
    Last edited by bergerud; 04-07-2015 at 09:07 AM. Reason: Changed initial clamping procedure

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