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  #1  
Old Mon 25 March 2013, 03:51
Surfcnc
Just call me: Ross #74
 
Queensland
Australia
Ensuring Rails are Coplanar

At 11:00 minutes along this video the "Wood Whisperer" uses two strings to ensure two rails he is setting up are coplanar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtkBZHLJyD0

This method should be quite useful to determine the Mechmate rails are in the same plane (after leveling and straightening of course).
The method could be improved by being a little more particular with where the strings cross the top surface of the rails, that is crossing at the exact same points on each of the rails.

Ross
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  #2  
Old Mon 25 March 2013, 04:22
Tom Ayres
Just call me: Tom #117
 
Bassett (VA)
United States of America
Thanks for the tip Ross, Good info.
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  #3  
Old Sun 25 August 2013, 15:46
erer44
Just call me: Ed
 
Ohio
United States of America
Great idea. I used 4 tubes filled with water, and a common reservoir, to get the 4 corners of my rails on the same plane. Didn't totally trust it.

This method seems much more fool-proof.
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  #4  
Old Mon 26 August 2013, 12:51
zumergido
Just call me: Fernando
 
BS AS
Argentina
i cannot believe that my machine is coplanar.. but if you think, all the metal pieces are calibrated and dont bend. so if you follow the plans your machine have to be " perfect "
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  #5  
Old Tue 20 May 2014, 10:40
Fox
Just call me: Fox
 
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Just for future builders; Metal does bend, especially when welding. And metal is never perfectly straight. So even if you follow the plans to the mm, you have to follow procedures to get things (rails table, gantry, etc) straight and coplanar to each other. Methods are described on the forum regarding the subject.
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  #6  
Old Tue 20 May 2014, 12:24
smreish
Just call me: Sean - #5, 28, 58 and others
 
Orlando, Florida
United States of America
Fox....

Funny, Machine #5 and #28 I got lucky with nice steel.....#58 was a BUGGER to get sorted out.
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  #7  
Old Wed 21 May 2014, 00:08
Fox
Just call me: Fox
 
Amsterdam
Netherlands
If you could only buy a bag of luck at the hardware store.....my life would be sooooo much easier
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  #8  
Old Wed 21 May 2014, 00:18
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
I used 50x100 (2"x4") square hollow section for my 2nd 5'x20' bed... damn it took forever to sort everything out!
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  #9  
Old Wed 21 May 2014, 06:01
lonestaral
Just call me: Al #114
 
Isarn
Thailand
Send a message via Skype™ to lonestaral
I buy lottery tickets occasionally, but they don't come with any luck.
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  #10  
Old Wed 21 May 2014, 06:46
darren salyer
Just call me: Darren #101
 
Wentzville mo
United States of America
Ken, you have a 5x20 bed? How have I not known this or seen pictures before now????
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  #11  
Old Wed 21 May 2014, 12:35
Fox
Just call me: Fox
 
Amsterdam
Netherlands
His plasma cutter is compensensational* ... it's HUGE !






*pun intended
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  #12  
Old Wed 21 May 2014, 22:51
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Here Darren
video
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  #13  
Old Thu 22 May 2014, 03:01
Tom Ayres
Just call me: Tom #117
 
Bassett (VA)
United States of America
Ken, I'll say it for Darren, That's Cool! I want one
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  #14  
Old Thu 22 May 2014, 05:52
darren salyer
Just call me: Darren #101
 
Wentzville mo
United States of America
That is very cool Ken.
I've thought of building one, but I don't know how much use it would get once done.
Of course, when I started #101, I had no idea how much I'd use it.
You are an inspiration.
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  #15  
Old Thu 22 May 2014, 05:58
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Tom, Darren,
surely you can build one for yourself
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  #16  
Old Sat 24 May 2014, 06:14
Tom Ayres
Just call me: Tom #117
 
Bassett (VA)
United States of America
Yep
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  #17  
Old Tue 01 July 2014, 04:04
carcan
Just call me: Carlo
 
Camparada
Italy
Steel is hard to work

My C channels are quite straight, but I want they become more planar and perfectly at 90 degrees, in order to reduce the using of shims.
I have two long and very straight (more than 3 metres) pieces of extruded aluminium (the sides of my trailer) and I want use they to create a long planer. The problem is that the steel is hard to work. If I will glued, on the C channels, two thin floor listels of hard wood, I can easly work it with an hand electric planer or router. After I will put the rail on the perfectly planar wood. Do you think that is a crazy job ?

Last edited by carcan; Tue 01 July 2014 at 04:06..
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  #18  
Old Tue 01 July 2014, 05:10
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
steel C- channel perfect 90 degree? Dream on... Unless you can find someone who can surface grinder 12ft or 4 meter long...

To me, shimming is easier than planning wood. not to mention cheaper.
I can get waste coke cans for free anytime of the week.

Will your wood stay straight with weather changes? Steel will stay better.
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  #19  
Old Tue 01 July 2014, 06:04
Fox
Just call me: Fox
 
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Crazy idea -> use the shims.

Or if you insist use special (extra liquid-/ self leveling ) epoxy resin on top of steel beams (builds dams with clay). Read cnc zone for more on that.
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  #20  
Old Tue 01 July 2014, 07:11
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Which ever method you use, you will still has to shim.
There are no significant difference in the work and cost between a stack of 20 pieces of shims and 2 shim...
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