shims to tram machine

[MarkJohnston]

I'm getting ready to tram my machine and trying to decide what to use for the shims.

I Goggled shims and got a bunch of choices. Is it better to buy the shim stock sheets and cut the shims out or buy some shims that already have been cut out to fit the bolts? There seems to be a lot of choices. They also have a lot of different thicknesses to choose from. What thicknesses would be good to get? I see shim stock sheets that come in a packet from Grainger that range from .0015 to .015 with 11 thicknesses in-between. I'm thinking that I should use steel shims, is that what's recommended?

What have you guys used?

Mark

[dhellew2]

I've used steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel, brass, aluminum, oak, maple, etc.

Most of the time I use brass shims because they are easy to find, can be easily cut, holes punched, and not too expensive. I usually buy a variety pack, currently the ones I have are a six pack sampler 2" x 6" item 27k0750 from Lee Valley Tools $8.95

For thicker shims I really like aluminum because it is so easy to work with and uniform in thickness

Drilling brass shims use a brad point bit, sandwich the shim between to pieces of wood/plastic etc. or if you have them a bullet point bit. Thin stock can easily be punched with a leather punch

Hardwood has been used for centuries because of their resistance to wear on heavy machinery

I don't think it matters, just use what is convenient; once bolted they all will remain stable

NOTE: when using wood it needs to be acclimated to your climate then seal it with a water resistant coating [oils/grease/acrylic lacquer etc.]

Dale

[MarkJohnston]

Thank you Dale for the information.

I have it on order.

Mark

[dhellew2]

Mark, You are more than welcome. Dale

[martin54]

If you think about it a selection is really what you need anyway, until you check you have no idea what sort of thickness you need so a selection of different sizes will allow you far more flexibility. You should be able to get pretty close by adding different thickness shims together.

[MarkJohnston]

I'm doing some pretty heavy maintenance on my machine right now and I want to get everything back to as perfect as I can. I've replaced some bearings and want to replace a few more. I noticed after resurfacing my spoilboard that my large spoilboard bit had a gap between one side and the next so I know that I need to adjust it. This probably happened when I replaced the X bearings and had to take everything apart.

I bought the "pro tram system" from http://www.edgetechnologyproducts.com/ that someone else recommended and it should be here in a few days. I know I could have just bent a rod and used it but I like the way the system looks.
I've had this machine since 2010 and have used it a lot so it's time for some good maintenance.

This forum has helped with so many things and I really appreciate how generous and quick the people are to help.

Mark

[IslaWW]

Mark...
To go a good job of tramming the spindle, follow these steps:

Securely fasten a piece of scrap (MDF) to the table
Profile a circle .030-.060" into the scrap that is the diameter of the center distance of the Pro Tram Indicators at conservative speeds. Use a 1-1 1/2" bit spiral down. This removes any error caused by an out of tram spindle
Spindle should be trammed in the center of that circle
Follow directions to calibrate in the Pro Tram
Shim the Front to back (Y travel direction) first and lock it down
Proceed to the Left to Right (X travel direction). There should be play in the mounting bolts for this.

[MarkJohnston]

Thanks Gary I will check it out.

Mark