Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

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ekparsons
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Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by ekparsons »

Hello all,

I have a 4x4 3HP water cooled precision ground ball screw PDJ and running UCCNC and Aspire 10. What I want to do is cut parts from 4x8 plywood sheets that are longer than 4’. I have the idea of putting in index holes and dowel pins to allow me to rotate the sheet 180 deg and have it cut the top and bottom of the part.

Has anyone done this, is there a tutorial I can read/watch? I am having difficulty finding anything about it because I don’t know exactly what to search for. My machine is pretty precise and I am pretty sure it is doable. I just need some pointers in setting it up in Aspire.

Thank you

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Adrian
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by Adrian »

Look up toolpath tiling. That is the method used in the Vectric software for cutting pieces longer than the bed,

https://www.vectric.com/support/tutoria ... rch=tiling

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Leo
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by Leo »

I also have a 4 x 4 machine and have worked up to 12 feet on my machine with tiling. One REALLY nice thing about tiling is that you can create the tile size to accommodate whatever is on the sheet. For example to make the tile size "between" things like text letters or cutouts.

It works really well.
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ekparsons
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by ekparsons »

Thank you both, I think I can get enough clearance to push it through before I hit the wall or run out of power cord. This will probably work.

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Jim_in_PA
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by Jim_in_PA »

If you are regularly going to need to tile long sheets on a 4x4, then that has to be incorporated into your machine positioning for sure. Most 4x4 CNCs are a bit heavy to be moving around (mine is about 1000 lbs) and those that are less heavy still need to maintain "level", something that in many shop environments requires careful adjustment.

ekparsons
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by ekparsons »

My machine is fairly light (8020 aluminum) and Hiwin Rails, and it can be moved (dragged) out a few feet with one person.

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Jim_in_PA
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by Jim_in_PA »

ekparsons wrote:
Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:26 pm
My machine is fairly light (8020 aluminum) and Hiwin Rails, and it can be moved (dragged) out a few feet with one person.
Be sure to check it for alignment if you move it...the floor matters in that respect!

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martin54
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by martin54 »

ekparsons wrote:
Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:26 pm
My machine is fairly light (8020 aluminum) and Hiwin Rails, and it can be moved (dragged) out a few feet with one person.
Take note of what Jim_in_PA has said here, each time the machine is moved you really should be checking it is still level, checking the spoilboard is still correct & the spindle is still trammed correctly, it is quite easy to put a bit of twist in the frame if the floor is not 100% & even if it is there is the possibility of something getting trapped underneath.

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Leo
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by Leo »

martin54 wrote:
Tue Jan 11, 2022 4:04 pm
ekparsons wrote:
Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:26 pm
My machine is fairly light (8020 aluminum) and Hiwin Rails, and it can be moved (dragged) out a few feet with one person.
Take note of what Jim_in_PA has said here, each time the machine is moved you really should be checking it is still level, checking the spoilboard is still correct & the spindle is still trammed correctly, it is quite easy to put a bit of twist in the frame if the floor is not 100% & even if it is there is the possibility of something getting trapped underneath.
MOST important is that the X-Y axis is parallel to the machine bed. The machine can be level and the X-Y still not be parallel. Off level is not really that big of a deal, but not parallel can ruin a project. A spindle that is out of tram will show up most as ridges in a facing or pocketing operation.

Hiwin rails is good stuff. The 80-20 is a bit flexible.
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by Will Williamson »

Having started with a small machine, I got to be pretty good, what you are talking about.

The easiest way, is to use a 12 foot, straight edge. And slide the sheet 48 inches to cut the second half.
I would draw, a 48 inch square, and cut around the out side of the square.
then use the bottom edge to align the straight edge. and clamp it down some way.

If you want to be more precise. Use the same 48 inch square and inline, 1 inch
Place a 1/4 inch dowel at each corner .

Draw your 4 foot by 8 foot sheet and divide into 2, 4 x 4 Panels
Inline each of those panels, 1 inch and drill a locating dowel hole at the corners
to start the job drill into your spoil board and locate the 4 dowel locations.
I always drill my locating dowels first,
Will Williamson willmade.com
Williamson Lumber & Millwork Inc.
Capac, Michigan

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Jim_in_PA
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by Jim_in_PA »

Even a heavy, welded steel frame can flex with variations in the floor. That's why any machine that is physically moved needs to be checked for proper calibration in all dimensions before proceeding with cutting.

ekparsons
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by ekparsons »

Thank you for all the good advice.

Tiling works but I was on the learning curve, drilling a hole at 0,0 and 0,48 and putting up a "fence" at the zero x-axis works. I also drill dowel holes to index the sheet. It gets very precise.

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Jim_in_PA
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by Jim_in_PA »

One of the keys to successful tiling is to really get the indexing process down so it's second nature to you. It really does have to be very precise as you note and making it repeatable helps with that over time.

ekparsons
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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by ekparsons »

Thanks Guys!

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Re: Cutting 4x8 Plywood on a 4x4 machine?

Post by Leo »

I just did a 4 x 10 sheet on my 4x4 machine.

Imagine the Possibilities of a Creative mind, combined with the functionality of CNC

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