Steps to Get Up and Running

Community Discussion 📄 General
1

Hey Gang,

I’ve had an interesting time getting up and running. Life curveballs etc.
I’m hoping those of you with some experience can help me get unstuck.

I have a LongMill MK1 that I bought used around Christmas.
Just getting around to getting it going and I found out that one of the Y channels on the Longboard had failed.

I was in Waterloo so I swung by Sienci Labs, had it tested and bought a Super Longboard.
(FYI - VERY cool place and wonderful people.)

Before I get flamed for these questions yes, I have been all over the Wiki. It’s very thorough but almost to the point of being too much. I’d love to see a simple quick start guide.

My machine is assembled…
Are the next steps:

  1. Verify it’s square
  2. Surface the spoil board
  3. Make test cut(s) ?

Some newb questions…

  • Home Position - is this supposed to be the back left or the front left?
    (I hit the home button in GSender and it made a God awful noise returning to home)

  • Z zero - is this when the bit is just touching the top of the spoil board, or do I just use the probe and let it do its thing?

  • Jogging diagonally - it makes a pretty nasty noise when moving diagonally. Is that normal? (I’ve checked all fasteners to tightness)

Thanks!

2

@immikemurphy Welcome, Mike. You won’t get flamed here. I am the resident fireman. :grinning_face:

  1. This is a good start. If the machine if not square, nothing much good will happen later.
  2. Surfacing the spoilboard is always recommended before you get into projects. If the spoilboard is not flat and parallel to the X and Y axes, again, projects will not be optimal. gSender has a built-in surfacing module that is easy to use.
  3. You can make test cuts at any time really.
  • You said that you have a LM Mk1. Have you or the previous owner added limit/homing switches. If not, homing is not an option or issue.
  • Z zero is where you set it in your CAD/CAM application. It can be either on the surface of your project material or on the surface of the spoilboard. There are pros and cons to each. Just be sure to set Z0 in gSender to the same location as you set it in CAD.
  • Jogging diagonally should not make a nasty noise. Ensure that your machine is square and that the X gantry is perpendicular to the Y gantries. Then, re-check all your fasteners. Be especially critical of the v-wheels and the anti-backlash nuts. Too tight is as bad if not worse than too loose.