Top 10 List

[angus_hines]

Ok so the new ShopBot is due in here in about 2 weeks?

So my questions are this ?

What are the top ten assembly mistakes you made when you put yours together?

What were the top ten mistakes you made when you first started operating it.

Might as well learn these now and get them out of the way so I can make newer, different and better ones !

[bcondon]

Don't even think of lifting that gantry alone... It is heavy and I usually work by myself, but my kids came to help right away.

The best thing that happened is the truck did not have a lift gate, my friends at the local hardware store lifted it onto my trailer which I drove in the garage and empties at leisure.

My unit is a 48 x 96 alpha.

DON'T try to put the rail on sliding clips into the slit... It is too hard...:

Ted thanked me for the suggestion for the install manual:


-> When installing the top rails, it is recommended to install the t clips onto the rails and then slide them into the channel. It warns of pinched fingers


The better method which took less than 2 minutes to install in each rail

Materials: Need a regular yellow pencil, mechanical pencil or small diameter marker

1. Place rail on top of side rails, aligning the end of the rail with the end of the side rail.
2. Using the pencil, mark inside each bolt hole of the top rail and place a mark on the side rail channel.
3. Remove the top rail
3. Slide 11 T clips into the channel from the end, lining one on each line in the channel (where the bolt holes were)
4. Set the top rail back onto the side rail.
5. Look in each bolt hole and you should see a t clip... using the allen head wrench, place into the bolt hole and center the T clip under the bolt hole.
6. Inset bolt into bolt hole AND TURN BACKWARDS 2 turns which will align the theads on the bolt with the threads in the t clip. Leave the bolt loose until ALL bolts are fixed to their tclip. repeat 10 more times.
7. Tighten all 11 bolts once the top rail is aligned.

Much much easier than trying to balance an 8 foot piece of metal trying to slip in the clips by yourself.

Have fun setting it up!

What type of machine?

[dubliner]

Heres some of mine ;
Forgetting to turn the router/spindle on & watching your $50 Onsrud bit chip carve a Baby Jesus... for 2 seconds
Laying out your work well to avoid hitting your hold downs, then going home and hitting a clamp you didn't consider.
Designing with a material Zero, but then cutting with a table Zero.
Unplugging a Zip drive 3/4 way into a 3D file,having not written down your offsets.
I have more, I'm sure

[angus_hines]

Thanks Bob I guess I forgot that part. It's the 48-96-12 model.

[paul_z]

Neville,

I thought I was the only one ... who did each and every one of your listed "oops" (and many, many more).

When I hit a steel clamp at 22,000 rpm and 4"/sec I was too shocked to hit the emergency off switch even though the emergency switch was in my hand. It took about me 3 seconds to shut it off. Amazingly, my bot cut almost all the way through the clamp.

Paul Z

[njandpa]

Congrats on your new machine. Enjoy.

For me....... don't worry about having some extra nuts and bolts in your hardware packs and you may be missing some other nuts and bolts in your hardware packs.

[Brady Watson]

GLUE ---> don't screw <--- your spoilboard down to the support board.

That suggestion alone will make your overall experience much better, now & in the long run.

-B

[toddmaci]

I second Brady's comment. I am in the process of unscrewing and gluing.

[tkovacs]

The collet snaps into the collet nut.

[toddmaci]

Heres the youtube of the collet nut assembly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gMezORPi8M