Buddy Holddown and Spoil Board

[matt_zawlocki]

Greetings, new Buddy owner here…

I recently ordered and received a Buddy48 for use in the classroom. At my last school, I ran a PRSalpha96 and allowed the students to screw their work into the spoil board. With such a large surface area, I didn’t worry about the many screw holes. With the Buddy, I’m looking for other holddown ideas so I don’t have to constantly replace the spoil board.

Also, those of you with the new version of the table…It looks like the spoil board is nailed and glued to the deck. I would hate to surface the table and hit those nails. Are you adding an additional spoil board to the oak ply that you received?

Thanks for you time and ideas!

Matt

[beacon14]

Here's my solution. Shopbot has even been using some of my cams to hold sample pieces down to a Buddy during the training classes they hold each month. So far I have not heard any complaints.

[zeykr]

You might also search for 'Dr Crumleys Magic Goo'.

[erik_f]

I didn't want to use screws for my BT48 so I went with Brady's set up for vacuum. I have found so far that screws are a pretty good system just for the fact it is simple. I have the aluminum table though. I don't see why it would be that much harder to do the same type of thing for vacuum with the new Powerstick based buddy. What about using carpet tape with the new wooden table to hold your spoil board down and maybe a few well placed screws to make sure it stays down.

[dana_swift]

I like Davids cams enough to get some of them to try for myself. I have a vacuum system, but vacuum doesn't work if the surface is too rough, or I have to cut through the material.

So I may have some feedback in a while-

David - Thanks for the link.

Dana

[matt_zawlocki]

Thanks for the ideas guys!
David, your cam system looks great. That is definitely something I will be looking at in the future. In the mean time, I think I’ll use carpet tape to hold down a second spoil board and “foam glue” our blanks to that.

[beacon14]

Dana, thanks for the order. Any feedback good or bad is appreciated.

[powerlsc]

New 48" Buddy owner here and have only seen the Buddy run at the Austin jamboree. Didn't know to take notice of the details of the spoilboard.

I have a 4' x 8' piece of MDF and a gallon of locktite glue waiting to go and have no idea what to do with either.

Does the MDF only cover the 2' x 4' cutting surface or hang over and if so how far. I'm assuming if it overlaps that 2' x 4' area then support pieces need to be screwed? or glued? down on other sections of the 3.5 x 4.5 table so it would be rigid.

I don't plan to use a vacumn system, just a screw down for HDU signs.

I've looked at David B.'s cam system and it looks like the simplest way to go. Would I have to use something harder than MDF to screw the cams into and if so what material? Do I replace my whole table with one layer of spoilboard?

This raised 2' x 4' panel in the middle is really throwing me off. I have searched the forum back several years to no avail. I can not find any pictures to simplify this for me and am probably over analizing the whole production.

All I want to do is get it up and running!Help!

[erik_f]

You only need your spoilboard to cover you cutting area its ok if it hangs over a little. I like mine to fit nice and even to give me a guide to go by when I set up material. I'm not sure how the new bt table is so I can't really tell you how to put you spoilboard down. On the aluninum table version that I have I counersunk bolts for one layer of mdf to the table and then screwed the spoil board to that (countersunk)

[powerlsc]

Erik,

The bottom board of the PowerStick (3.5' x 4.5') ia a 1/2" plywood. That bottom plywood is screwed down (4 in front and 4 in back) to a large aluminum 'stick'.

On top of that plywood sits another platform of plywood (2' x 4'). It is attached with 3 rows of deeply countersunk screws. They are screwed to the bottom board but I can't tell from underneath if they go all the way into the Powerstick. Top plywood platfoarm is glued to the bottom board.

I have attached three photos in case my discription is unclear. Thanks!
Attachment 3638
Attachment 3639
Attachment 3640