Refit of old CandCNC Machine

[Dan M]

I'm using number 4) since I have a tool setter and touch plate so I don't know if the macro you are using has any issues. You should have your z travel set to where the collet touches the work surface, or on my machine I have it set even lower since I can cut off the table if I ever need to. Also did you verify that you entered the thickness of the touch off plate? It looks like the one I have and mine is roughly 0.75" thick.

I honestly don't know a lot about offsets since I use a fixed tool setter and a macro that sets the offset automatically. I don't remember if you have to setup the cutter length if you don't have a tool setter. Maybe Marty or someone who has done it manually can chime in on this. I just don't remember what needs to be done since I've had the tool setter for over a year and since I built my router. I'm sure someone will chime in on it and I will look at it tomorrow if you don't get a answer before I'm at my machine.

Dan

[firepilot]

Dan,

Thanks, I'll adjust that tomorrow. I'll also look at dropping the table. I do have the touch off thickness set at .752 or something close.

Phil

[Dan M]

I'm 99% sure it's happening because of the tool offsets. I think that you have to measure your endmill stick out and enter it in the tool offsets in cnc12. I didn't want to deal with measuring every time since it's hard to install them perfect with the type of spindle we use, so I got a fixed tool setter and let the macro do it for me.

Look at the tool offsets tomorrow and read up on it tonight. I seem to remember that in the short time I tested my router prior to getting the tool setter and macro. I had to measure the stick out and enter it in the software and then I could zero off the end of the endmill. If I remember correctly it's a pain in the ass since the bits are removed and then you have to measure it every time you use the bit.

[Dan M]

Watch this video it should help you understand what I was talking about with offsets.

[firepilot]

The question I have with tool offsets is I don't have tool holders. It makes sense if your have 5 tools in 5 tool holders. With just a ER-20 Collet there seems to be no way to make a standard.

I have another NC Switch that I can make it into a fixed tool measurement location.

Headed to the shop in a bit. The above video is more confusing to me. as the whole premise is different tool lengths with holders.

Thank you

Phil

[martyscncgarage]

Phil,
Is your touch off plate working?
Forget the M6 macro for now. Remove it,
Watch this video from Keith. Try F4 auto first

[cncsnw]

Phil,

If your machine provides no way to change tools while maintaining repeatable lengths, then there is no point to pre-measuring tool height offsets.

In that case, it is definitely nice to have a touch-off plate which can be used to measure each tool after it is loaded, while the job is running. It makes little difference whether your plate-touchoff macro is written to set tool height offset values (measured against an arbitrary Z Reference, which may as well be set at Z Home); or whether it is written to set the WCS Z Zero (with G92), with all tool height offset values left at 0.0.

In both cases, the control will have very limited ability to correctly check software travel limits prior to running the job, since it is impossible to know what the tool extension for any given tool is, until that tool is actually picked up and measured.

[Dan M]

Here's what I have going on with my router which I would suggest you using on your's.

[firepilot]

Thanks for posting that.

Can I ask where you got the fixed touch off from?

I would like to set it up that way.

I can drop my table to give me much more Z axis travel so I will do that.

Still mixed up with a setting somewhere I think. I watched Gary Campbell’s video this am and both yours and his show a large Z+ number when it’s up at the tool check/ z home. Mine is at zero and then goes negative when it descends.

Thanks for all the help. I know I’m close and probably a few key strokes somewhere will fire this up.

Phil

[Dan M]

I got the dt02 on Amazon it was cheap and works well in my opinion. My travel is the same homes at the top z 0 in the + direction and moves down in the - direction to a maximum of -11.25" of total travel.

It sounds like you have yours set up properly and it has to do with the tool length in the tool database. When you run the program and it tells you to insert tool #? Have you looked at the tool that CNC12 thinks it's using and verified that the length in the database is set up properly? Post a picture of your tool database and the tool number that is called out in the cnc file.

The macro I use automatically sets the tool length using the touch off plate in conjunction with the tool setter. I don't remember how I set it up manually. But I think I just measured the stick out of say tool 1 entered the value set up my WCS Z0 X0 Y0 made sure the cut file was using tool 1 and it worked. Unfortunately I didn't have time today to look at it. Maybe tomorrow I can look at it if you don't figure it out by then.