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I have been fortunate to visit a good number of ShopBot equipped shops. This has enabled me to compare many setups and implement my favorite “borrowed” ideas into my own setup. Even though I have seen many ingenious vacuum distribution and valve setups I never really saw one that seemed simple. Our previous system had … Continue reading >>> The K.I.S.S. Vacuum Manifold This is my third go around on building a table for our ShopBot. Each one has used a different system to allow us to index our parts on the table for accurate placement. This time I wanted to implement a system that would allow us to align full sheets accurately on the table, accommodate alignment … Continue reading >>> Table Index, Revisited Daylight Method Continue reading >>> The Daylight Method In my last article I explained why we need a toolchange routine, and in this one I will try and show you what it takes to do this and how it works. During this explanation I will give reference to the toolchanger code. Included with SB3 Version 3.6.1 (the latest), in the C:\SbParts\Custom folder is … Continue reading >>> The ShopBot “Virtual” Toolchanger- Part 2 Recently, the Thermwood Corporation and ShopBot Tools, Inc. introduced a new product called “The ShopBot Link”. The ShopBot Link is a nesting and toolpath program that allows us, the ShopBot user, the same ability to cut files on our ShopBots as were previously only afforded to Thermwood owners. These cutting files are generated by Thermwood’s … Continue reading >>> The ShopBot “Virtual” Toolchanger There are many reasons that your gantry can be out of square or plumb. The gantry can be jostled during shipping, bolts can loosen due to vibration, moving parts wear, metal can fatigue, or the machine may have had an impact. No matter what the reason, you should add checking for square and plumb to … Continue reading >>> Tuning Up the PRS Gantry Occasionally when assembling our cabinets we need to install pocket hole screws for a blind screwed connection. Cutting the screw pockets on the ShopBot is a natural progression from cutting the panels and then moving them to a pocket machine. Commercial pocket machines use an angled drill bit that plunges laterally into the material face. … Continue reading >>> Adding Pocket Hole Joinery to your Cabinet Panels While waiting for our shipping date to arrive, my son and I, like most new users, agonized over all the details of electrical, vacuum, placement and layout of all the items necessary to running our Bot. We probably read every post on the TalkShopBot Forum concerning vacuum going back to 2005. After asking a few … Continue reading >>> My 4 Motor Vacuum Setup One of the things that we always had in mind for our ShopBot was to use its automation capabilities to replace some of the operations that we had previously outsourced. Due to increasing lead times and decreasing quality, our first chore was to start in house manufacturing of the solid Maple Dovetail Drawers we use … Continue reading >>> Dovetail and Mortise Jig A plenum is little more than a few slots cut into a piece of material, but there are some options to consider when designing one for the first time. Start out your design with a size that is very close to your finish zone size so that any resizing is minimal before cutting. The general … Continue reading >>> A PVC Vacuum Table Part 2: A little more on Plenum Design… |
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