So…after finishing my shop rebuild my Pro table is up and running again…well sort of…
I have been here for a long time and have hopefully helped others get up and running…but now it is my turn asking for some guidance…
My table cuts perfectly fine…no binding…travels at any speed without issue…couplers are tight as a frogs ass…
I installed laser lights on the THC…and they work great for setting torch up when cutting filler pieces out of scrap…
but I noticed something the other day…I am not getting square cuts in reference between the X and Y axis.
so I did some checking…first I measured all cross table and side to side…WOW…out 1/2"
Then I set a perfectly square sheet down on the table and checked it for square with the 3-4-5 method and with a large frame square…
I set the sheet with the lower left corner as reference “0”
I then lined the sheet up running the Y axis to the top left and set the sheet square to the Y axis.
When I went back to “0” and ran the X axis at 40" the laser was 1/4" below the sheet.
So then I lined up the sheet with the same “0” point and made the sheet square/parallel to the X axis.
When I ran the laser up the Y axis…I found it also out at 30" out almost a 1/4"…again the laser was outside the sheet…
One thing to note is that the X gantry bumps perfectly with the stanchion plates evenely on both sides when front or back…
So I did some searching on the forum…yup…same thing I tell a lot of people…
I loosened the bolts on the riser plates…ran the gantries back and forth…then tightened them…no change
the I tried to loosen one of the couplers to try and pull the X axis to line it up with the sheet…to much to do and the pressure on the coupler was a lot…
with all the moving of the table I have done something…and maybe it was not perfectly square at the start…
At this point here is what I am thinking I am doing…any input would be helpful…
make the table as level as freaking possible
remove/loosen up the bolted shelf I have on the bottom of the table
loosen off the bearings on the gantry, make them loose…
pull the drive screws out
loosen the bolts on the stanchion plates
try to re-square the Y gantry tubes
move the x axis to the front of the table and reload the bearings on the gantry, then check it front to back…making sure the gantry slides easily back and forth
re-install the drive screws
repeat my testing procedure to see if I accomplished the squaring of the table
does this sound like an option…or what other steps would you throw in there…
thanks everyone…
PS…shots of the new shop are coming soon…new drying system…air distribution…compressor set-up…
You are right on the money, loosen your lower shelf and resquare the table and will have to loosen your water table as well if it is screwed down to table. One other possibility would be if one y axis is leading or trailing the opposite y axis, one did not push all the way back to stantion stop?
nope…both carriages bump into stanchions at the same time…both in the front and back
this part scares me…never had a leak…
well the way things are…might as well have this happen and then the locust will arrive…lol
on a side note…my limit switches “were delivered” according to an email…but it looks like there may have been a porch bandit or a false delivery…but I will say that the staff at Langmuir are working with me to solve this…man I am glad they are so helpful…
Based on your measurements, the table is clearly racked. The Y rails can be parallel and still be racked. The measurements say that the right side needs to be pushed back and the left side pulled forward, in order to make the parallelogram into a rectangle.
I’ve never liked the method of using the stanchion plates to square the X axis. Those bolt holes have enough play in them that mine weren’t even on both sides of the same rail.
I say need to loosen up table and shelf and get the cross measurements to be equal and tighten it back down and make sure it is level. I would think at that point should cut square as long at fhe gantry is square as well.
@toolboy I think he is asking if the table is flat and level and does not have any twists or distortions to have the table is sitting. So thst when the X-Y axis moves they are staying in the same plane.
I think this is the only way you will be able to get it square again.
I recently noticed mine has worked it’s way out of square as well. Mine is only 1/8” out across the bed. So far it hasn’t caused me any trouble but I am planning to do as you are and get it all squared up. You may also need to loosen the frame gusset plates.
This thread has gotten me to wondering if shoukd put a set of cables in X pattern with turn buckles so as to get a table square and just as important to keep tension and keep table square over time. This may be even more critical on tables that are moved around and just from the constant shaking of cutting and putting metal on table and so forth.
Something similar as I did to mine. Table sits on roller base not attached to the base. Table levels to the base. I have rolled it out many times to clean under and around it never had an
Because if it’s going to result in the issues he’s reporting.
