I read one response to another new user about the Leadtime and I guess I may be jumping the gun a little bit but I want to start planning my tooling so I have some questions that I would appreciate some support.
I order to T-Slot set and it is only 36" and the Y axis is 48", are there any resources or recommendations out there for me to reference?
I did find the resource on the site but the issue is that I do not have a table saw to cut the waste board slats so would anyone recommend cutting them out on the machine or any way else to procure them?
There is no reason why you can’t cut the slats with the mill.
As far as other means to procure them - pretty much all home centers that offer sheet goods will have a service for cutting said sheet goods. Out here the first cut is usually free and then it’s a nominal $1 per cut.
I also recommend making them with the CNC.
I used a hand saw and a drill press to make mine for the Longmill, which wasn’t that fun, I’ll be using the machine next time.
I watch to many YouTube videos. I keep seeing different way to set up the table/waste board and since apparently it will take a while to get my order I will get even more confused, not to mention more ways to spend money. I just saw the G control computer and purchased it.
There isn’t any reason that the mill can’t cut your slats. I would use something for a temporary spoil board when doing this to avoid accidentally cutting into your brand new machine.
Taking a look at the AltMill, the table has beams running from left to right so I would use a couple of boards running front to back clamped to the beams. This will give you some room to cut through the material without damaging your machine.
If this your first CNC router I would take it slow as the AltMill is a fast and powerful machine. There’s no harm in running a couple of practice jobs high enough to not damage anything, or even running it without a bit to make sure that you have all the software figured out.
Be safe and congrats on being a future AltMill owner! I love my LongMill and the AltMill is definitely a big step up in performance.
@WLM I’ve moved your question to the “assembly” category as it fits here better.
I suggest that you take the time to search on the forum for topics on spoilboards and table set ups. There are a lot of good ideas right here.
I ordered two sets of T-slots, which was more than enough to cover the entire spoilboard. What I did was place the 36" sections all on one side, then left a 2" gap and sawed a section from some of the remaining 36" sections to fill the remaining area on each row. The photo I’ve uploaded should help you understand what I’m talking about.
The thing I like about having an open slot in each row of T-track is that it enables me to insert a bolt at that point, instead of only at the ends of each row.
