Consistency on cutting the same shape over and over

Technical Details
1

Hellooo,

Does anyone else have this predicament of cutting the same shape twice and it shrinking or growing some of the dimensions? The dimentions have changed by about 1-2.5mm on diffrent trys. I have cut the same shape 12 times all but 3 are diffrent dimensions slightly. Also im only cutting rectangles with slots, not a difficult shape to get accurate i thought

Im only cutting 5" x 6" peices does the smallness of my cuts affect the accuracy?

Can i expect that cutting small will never be as consistent and accurate as i want?

2

In my experience, small parts are not more or less accurate. That is because the Maslow has shown excellent repeatability and is thus very precise.

There are several sources of errors that you can control:
a) frame and sled stiffness
b) warping of the workspace area due to 12 O’clock and other machine details
c) router bit retroaction forces

You might want to look at the zipper three challenge and follow thread links to see how to improve your Malsow setup.

5 Likes
3

Thanks! @c0depr1sm

Thats a relieve, I was beginning to think that maybe since Maslows claim to fame is its ability to cut up to a 4’x8’ that it would lose accuracy on smaller cuts.

I will start with the easy fixes and work my way down the list, confidence and hope is high!

Thanks again

Thomas

4

Also, are you cutting the parts in the same spot, or in different areas of your work surface? Dialing in the calibration to be accurate and precise over the whole work area is a process, so if that calibration has not been completed, different areas of the work area will see different variations in dimension.

5

Yes @Keith , im cutting within a 2’x4’ box in the middle of the work surface. Is there anywhere you recommend that i start to dial my accuracy and precision?

6

I would search “calibration” in the forums. There are several threads with lots of information and a few different techniques. Some people are getting 1 mm accuracy over the whole cutting area.

As for your case, it sounds like it has something other than calibration as a cause, since you are cutting in the same spot each time (unless you are talking about cutting in different areas of that 2x4 foot box).
Which dimensions are changing? Is it always a vertical or a horizontal dimension? Does it have to do with the direction of cut? Is the wood (assumption) knotty, or otherwise have large density variations? Are you able to see any changes in path during the cuts? how deep are the passes you are taking?

The list of questions goes on, but the bottom line is that troubleshooting takes a little information and time to zero in on the cause and then fix it. We’re here to help, so feel free to give us as much info as you care to.