Prepare Material for Cutting
1. The material must be held down against the spoil board.
᛫ All pieces which will come loose should be secured.
᛫ Hold down using vinyl nails when possible.
᛫ The dry-wall screws should only be used when vinyl nails are not possible.
2. Material should sit flat against the spoil board in a flat area
᛫ If no flat area is available, the spoil board may need surfacing
3. Soft material may need extra support on the sides
᛫ screw a fence into the spoil board if necessary
᛫ clamp down with wood strips also optional
4. Ideally, material is regularly shaped
᛫ uneven surfaces can be milled flat
Prepare Machine for Cutting
1. Select desired end mill and matching collet
᛫ Larger end mills used for removing more material and faster speed
᛫ Smaller end mills used for detail
᛫ Square end mill used for cuts requiring square bottom corners
᛫ Round end mills used for organic details or curves
᛫ V-bit used for grooving work
᛫ Variety of spiral bits available for different cutting styles
** See Fablab bit table to match the right bit with material.
2. Tighten end mill in collet
᛫ Collet should be clean and free of dust
᛫ Collet should grip smooth part of tool, not the cutter edges
᛫ End mill should not touch the top of the inside of spindle
᛫ For safety, end mills can only be changed when spindle is disengaged (key should be out of keyhole)
***Take precautions to prevent the end mill from falling to the floor and breaking
᛫ Guide spindle well away from the edge of the spoil board before changing end mill
᛫ Turn mill on with red power switch found on control box
᛫ Blue reset button on console must be pressed just after turning red switch to power on the system
᛫ Spindle must be warmed up before cutting anything
** read more about how to operate the machine in the next chapter