Home all axis at start of every job?

LowRider CNC Advice
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Curious how everyone tends to use their Lowriders. When I was using the MPCNC I always homed all axis (well, I guess only X and Y…Z was probed) at the start of every job. I was using the adjustable endstops though so I could set my “zero” where I needed it.

Wondering how people use your Lowriders. Do you home X and Y or do you set your router wherever you need it to be for the material you’re running and zero X & Y? Is any way better or worse than the other? Right now I have Estlcam 12 setup with the X/Y dimensions of the LR32 and Estlcam 11 setup with the X/Y dimensions of the Bumble dual core so I can place my artwork pretty much exactly where I need it to be in-software based on where the material will be loaded which for me is quite standardized.

I also have a “best practice” I’ve used for quite some time in that I have a perimeter trace at zero depth of cut before the cutting actually begins on the artwork. I do this so I can ensure my material is lined up properly under the router with plenty of time to abort having not damaged the target material if things weren’t quite right. This was a practice I started employing when I was using the MPCNC where 0,0 wasn’t always the same spot on the spoilboard.

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I always home X and Y before starting any file. You never know when/if you might have skipped a step on a previous cut job, or if the gantry got bumped when the motor hold current was timed out.

From there, I may or may not move the gantry and use G92 to set the locations, depending on the stock. Sometimes I move the stock to fit the machine, sometimes I move the machine to fit the stock.

2 Likes
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I always also home Z to ensure that is leveled as well. That at least will go out of level when turning off the power. So, home all, jog to starting position, and then start my gcode file which will do the G92 X0 Y0 and probe Z.