Shapeoko XXL Job Home question

I have CAM’d a simple 3-tool job for the XXL (F360). The blue spot (A) shows the CAM’d origin.

Where should I set the XY zero for the Shakypoo job home? Do I set it at the CAM’d job origin (point A), or the outer extent, i.e., point B? TIA.

1 Like

Think of this as a sheet of paper which has left, right, top and bottom margins. The sheet is your workpiece material. The margins are your intended space to write in - in otherwords your project.

So given this analogy, your x/y origin (g54) is typically point B. it literally doesn’t matter how large the material is. You have selected a point within the confines of that material to cut out your project in your CAM where you define your material block first and specify the point (corner or center) from which all toolpath calculations will be generated. once the program knows the start of your page it should calculate the cutting point starting at the margins (your project).
.
To test, You can raise your Z initially to do a dry run and not cut into the material. If satisfied, set it to the top of your material and rock and roll. cheers!

3 Likes

Sorry to be dense. Do I use the same XY zero when I start the subsequent “layers”? They don’t have the same extents as the first program.

guess I’d have to see it to correctly tell you. I will be there sometime tomorrow morning and later on Thursday.

1 Like

@John_Marlow Chris, I could show you what we’ve done with the Multicam to help locate job origins. It’s easier to show than to explain on Talk. I’m not sure how much it will help and despite being signed off on the Shapeoko, I’ve never used one and remember nothing. But there might be something that would help.

2 Likes

I would recommend adding some positioning points to your jigs. They could be as simple as step drill holes in wood, but one would use carbide motion to jog around and reset the x, y, and or z home independantly. Conceptually you would use a blank, or an old smaller endmill and manually position it.once it is “over the crosshairs” of whatever new frame of reference you want to use, you can tell carbide motion to “zero” that axis, or all of them. Gcode has multiple “home” or job start positions available, but Carbide create and carbide motion only use the primary.

1 Like