Quote Originally Posted by asteude View Post
I didn't tighten the step motors yet. I may still do that if I run into problems down the road. For now, I'm a little worried about overtightening them.

The first cut I tried was perfect... until the part broke loose because the material thickness was off and I cut all the way through the material.
If you are running a PRS - it is impossible to overtighten them. On a PRT the correct tension is 3.5 turns on the buckle just as the spring starts to get some tension on it.

Also, flatness of your spoilboard is paramount. It will haunt you forever and mess up jobs etc if it is not glued down to the plywood support board - with zero screws in the lamination. It should be machined flat with a large diameter bit so that table is true to the tool. This will remedy the 'cutting deeper here and shallow over there' condition. - Provided that the parts are being held down correctly.

Flatness is very important. A few cutter kerf tracks here & there isn't.

-B