How to flatten long wood surfaces?

LowRider CNC Advice
1

While my CNC is under repair at “Stupid3dPrinter and User” I have a question, how would one flatten a board that is longer than the cutting area?

My cutting area is the size of an EU pallet, 80x120cm but I just received several long boards with size around 30x400cm. Obviously easiest would’ve been a bench top wood planer but none exist so I need to somehow plane 120cm, slide it along the Y axis and continue where I left off.
I’m using estlcam 11.

2

If you have space before and behind the LowRider, sliding the board through is the best idea. If they are cut straight already, you can just make a jig with two parallel boards 30cm apart, mark yourself a starting point and then feed the board through in stages.

3

I do have space before/behind. Some boards are cut straight (LDF boards) and some are “straight-ish” (rough pine wood boards with tree bark), so I could end up with a jig as well as slide them trough.
I’m not sure if it would be the best but would it be good/possible in estlcam to just have:

  • flat end mill go left to right one pass and it stops
  • move the board forward a bit, press start
  • flat end mill go right to left one pass and stops
  • move the board forward a bit, press start
    and it repeats again

or better, to just have it flatten 120cm at a time, move it and restart the same program.
Since I don’t have the knowledge yet, I’m wondering how I would set the z height so it always is the same to get the board as straight as possible. (should this thread be moved to software->estlcam instead?)

4

I’d do just that. If you don’t mess with the router in between, you don’t need to worry about Z. It does the program, flattening your 120cm, then it goes back to the start (or, if it does not automatically, you drive it there). I don’t know about your software, but Estlcam remembers the coordinates (0/0/3) it ended at, so I’d just have to restart the program after moving the board. Maybe yours does the same, then it is as easy as hitting run again. :slight_smile:

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5

Sweet! Looking forward to this then…thanks once again for your help Philipp :smiley:

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6

@Tokoloshe has it on the ball. If you want to watch some youtube videos on the method it is called Tiling

7

If you are flattening a board, it’s important to keep the underside “flat” while you are tiling it too or you will end up with a warped finish that mimics the underside of the board.

This article is one of many which will explain.

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8

cool! thanks for the tip!

9

that was already in my head :smiley: but good to know I’m not alone

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