Making a spoilboard and tramming your spindle - FoxAlien Masuter Pro 

***ALIGNMENT GRID*** Not covered in the video but in the download ZIP, there is a file for engraving an alignment grid and the instructions on how to do this

I modified my MP to have extra working area, the belt tensioners waste a lot of potential movement, you can flip them upside down and install longer belts. Mostly I n the x axis (nearly 50mm gained in left to right travel) and about 30mm front to back as well! This does require new mounts for the x limit switches and flipping the y limit switch actuators. If you search Masuter on printables, someone has designed the x axis limit switch extenders. I now have 17 7/8” in X travel and about 17 1/2” in Y travel. I plan to extend the Y axis to 48” soon with the control box mounted in the middle of the Y axis to keep the wiring length.

James, it would save newbies like me a lot of time if you pinned a note at the top of this file to check that the standard spoil board is installed in the correct front-to-back orientation.

Thank you for sharing this with us today from Henrico County Virginia

Another fantastic Masuter Pro video. Thanks James! Also, thank you for the spoilboard files. I was just getting ready to create some for mine and you saved me the trouble.

To anyone following this. I didnt pay much attention to the mdf boards that come with the machine. Apparently they are NOT symmetrical. When i ran the hole job they were lined up in the x direction but off in the y about 1.125 inches. Make sure the front of the machine has the holes closest to the edge of the board.

I appreciate the files James. I did some mods to the saves though. Shallowed the cut depth to0.1 mm and increased speed to 600 mm/m with my 3/4" end cleaning bit. Appreciate the work you put into them.

Excellent video and thank you for taking the time to share the files :) Craig

1" surfacing bit works just fine on the 4040 with a 60watt spindle.

Just did this and it was 30mm off on the y-axis. You need to set it at 70mm from the edge with the current file it seems. Using the standard spindle that comes with it. Edit: upon further reading in the comments, make sure that the precut holes in the MDF that comes with the unit are correct, the MDF needs to placed into the unit so that the holes closer to the edge are in the front.

Great video!!! Thanks for sharing

Hi James, Great Channel and really helpful for a complete novice like me. Quick question though please. The files for the spoil board holes amount to a total of 20 holes, when the offset I have with the Makita Router with the offset that reduces that down to 16 holes. Please enlighten me. Many Thanks Matt 🙂

I only had 13mm ply. Which art of the code do I tweak to change the depth?

Hi James, Love your totorials. My question is reference Makita, I have a Vonhaus palm router which fits like a glove into the larger mount should I follow your Makita instructions for the spoil board creation. Thanks Carl, Derbyshire UK

Thanks for the videos. I have a problem when surfacing my spoilboard. The file you supplied shows a 800 mm/min rate; according toe my maths it should take 30 sec to do one line but it takes 2 min. Am I missunderstanding something or is there a problem with the offline controller I use. Thanks in advance for helping me.

Thanks for a nice Masuter Pro video. Where can I finde the link for the 3d printed tramming jig?

Nice, bless you for these videos!

James - I have the Masuter Pro with the extension in my hallway waiting to be set up - My question is, do you have a file for a spoil board for the extension? This is my first CNC engraver, and I want to make sure I don't destroy it first day out or ever. Thanks

I have tried multiple times and the CNC Masuter Pro stops after the first pass in the top left corner. I figured out the CNC is hitting the back limiter switch and stopping. I tried start further forward from from the bottom left corner and it still contacts the limiter switch and stop. Please help.

My spoilboard is 8mm so the hole wont cut through, how can i change the gcode? Thanks

With the range of movement from home being only 377 x 377mm, how can you surface a 400 x 400 spoil board. I tried your files and they did not work as it hist the movement limits on the machine.

Thanks for all of the information that you supply to us new guys. I would like to make a spoil board out of 1/2" MDF (actual thickness = 0.509") What do I need to do to change the G-Code in your spoil board file? I also have upgraded to the Makita. Again, thanks

Hi James. Excellent video series. I'm new to CNC and have the Mauster Pro. I'm trying to make the spoilboard, but when I run the gcode file to make the holes, i trip the back limit switch (Y+) when I run the check size option in OpenBuilds control. Not sure what i've done wrong.

Does anyone know how to remove stripped screws? The screws at the end shown at 15:19 Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi James. Having a bit of an issue with your grid file for surfacing. I'm loading the spoilboard surface file in UGS and setting the spindle to zero on bottom left corner. Running the file and it starts fine and gets to the bottom right corner and hits the y axis stop. I put it back to zero and nudged the y axis forward and reset zero and ran it again. This time it did a full outside run and started another outside run again and then hit the y axis stop on the bottom right. I returned to zero and it's not the zero position, it's behind it by around 3mm and it has the y axis Micro switch on. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Do you have a link to the 3d print file to make the tramming jig?

Hi James, love the content. I have an issue with the masuter pro not cutting all the way through my material, I followed step by step, tried z-probing on the factory spoil board, the 3/16" spoilboard I added, and on top of the material. I am wondering if there is a specific height my spindle should be set at in the mount? My spindle's top surface is flush with the top of the mount, I noticed yours is raised about an inch or so above the mount, could this be the cause?

I am new to CNC and i have purchased the Masuter Pro. I want to make a spoil board, I have seen your files and downloaded them. My question is how do I add the surfacing bit into easel. I do not see any bit option that is specifically for a surfacing bit.

Hello James I'm watching this video because I'm just about to put together my Masuda Pro CNC which I just purchased. My question is will easel control the CNC or is just for designing what do you suggest in the software to control CNC thank you

Do these files work for the 3s aswell? Is it the same size of spoilboard for both?

James, I watched the video and downloaded the files, they wont go directly to Easle need to convert them to .scg, my question is this spoil board big enough for the 30 inches required for the Mauster PRO 4040 or am I off course?

would you do a review of the new Shapeoko 5 pro? I realize it's on the higher end of the benchtop/hobby machines but I would like your opinion of that machine.

Great video James! I have a YoraHome Mandril 3036 and this file exceeds my work area. I was hoping to edit this file to fit my machine but I only see GCode in the files. Is this just a series of rectangles??

Using the Makita, what size bit for the holes? Great video Mr. Dean! Thank you for sharing the files. Huge time saver.

Can the size of the holes be changed to 19mm for dog holes?

Hi James - thank you for the video - I have just received my Masuter Pro - I am following your instructions but have a simple question : what size timber did you use to stop the original bed bending and also how did you fix the timber to the underside of the original bed? - TIA

I tried to run the UGS program for the spoilboard holes and part way through the very first hole i get an alarm and it appears to be hanging up on a line of code - it is nowhere near any limit switches and hasn't hit the actual bed yet, so I'm not sure what i could have done wrong. i also tried to open the gcode in Easel to view but that gave another error... Invalid G-code Line 40: G3X72.5000Y12.8875I5.4125J-0.0000F600.0 The file contains invalid G-code syntax. Any suggestion?

How can i adjust this for a 1/2 inch spoil board?

How long should it take to surface the spoilboard?

I am new at this and have taken great care to ensure the bench my cnc sets on is very level. Is this procedure necessary if the workbench is level?

James, you dont bolt the spoildboard down? your design suggests to tape it down cause i cannot see mounting holes on the spoilboard, am i missing anything?

Hi, In previous videos for making a spoilboards you have cut two sheets of MDF, for the Masuter Pro you only cut one board, is there a technical reason you cannot cut two.

Does Makita RT0700CX4/2 240V Router/Trimmer suitable with this machine?

Vwey informative

hi James can you point out the link for your tramming jig thx... got this cnc yesterday .. I ve found a issue ,, after homing... the 2 Y axis are skewed ,, about 2.5 mm on one side .. measure from the front plate with a caliper .. i can reposition the axis so they are parallel .. i ve tried to loosen the belt seem a bit too tight ,, the frame is square ,, but still useable after tweakin the Y axis .. every time I shut the cnc off ,, I need to do this .. takes 1 min but still .. i m not impressed by this .. I have 2 tronxy x5sa pro 3d printer .. that i need to do this ¨leveling¨ once a while àbut not every time I home the machine.. sorry my bad writing .. I live in Québec french Canada... thx you for your video .. i ve learned a lot from you .. new to cnc.. i ve tram the spindle using a 1inch surface bit .. it s not perfect but kinda worked ... has place for improuvement

After the mdf board is surfaced I have noticed is the tape tends to come loose causing the board not to be level anymore, any thoughts on this? Thanks.

How do I change the width of the scan for the surfacing? I'm using a wider bit and the scan from your file, using a Makita router only using half of the bit. Thanks

I really like your videos, but have a question on this one. Is there a reason you tram the spindle after bed flattening? I would think you tram first with a glass plate or something which you make parallel to your machine's X axis, then flatten the bed.

I just ordered Masuter Pro with 300W spindle. Can I use same files as you use with 60W spindle? Thank you in advance!

hi i have FoxAlien Masuter Pro and im new in cnc how i add in the use machine configuration post in the fusion 360

Hi James, I have a dewalt router instead of the makita. Could I still use the makita file to surface my spoil board?

Hi, Further to watching most of your videos and based on its footprint, (limited room) I am going to purchase a Masuter Pro, it will be used for DIY projects only, mostly text engraving and once I get the hang of it a small amount of carving. I have two questions, should I upgrade to a 300w spindle, and does the machine come with any basic software built in or do you have to purchase it, I ask this because I own an XTool Diode Laser which came with Xtool's own software, which I later upgraded to Lightburn

Hello James. I have a Fox Alien Masuter 4040 (not pro) - I've dowloaded the files and using USG I begin to cut the holes in the spoilboard. About 1/2 way through the first hole the machine stops and I get an error message. It says that a hard limit has been triggered. I've checked my limit switches and I'm not even close to anything that would trip them. Any idea what I've done??

James I know you are a fox ailen associate, but I would like to ask you about the sansmart 40 x40 maturse pro. It's very much like the fox alien but cheaper. I have been using a 3018 for a while and feel that I need to move up to a more capable machine. It's a dollar thing , but as I am retried I have to watch the bottom line. I want to thank you as you have been very helpful with your videos and your insite.

Hi James, thanks for the great video. I just ordered the Masuter Pro, I mainly want to use it for making home décor as well as engraving some cutting boards. Do you think with the Trimmer Router it could cut through harder would... lets say a guitar body :) Thanks

Why would you do a spindle upgrade on this machine using the Makita or dewalt. Surely going for a 1500w spindle makes more sense?

Afternoon James, hope you're well man. In one of your vids you mentioned a Facebake group which is a must join for us novices. I have re-watched your vids and for the life of me can't find it. Can you tell me what it is? I've even created a Facebake profile after decades of avoiding! Also, I'm 100% new and going to go for FoxAlien Masuter Pro. I'm looking for a powerful enough spindle (300w?) and a laser strong enough to cut through 9mm pine (and - epoxy, plexi and to engrave metal). Thanks for your vids and all advice is welcome and much appreciated :)

Did you remove the file for cutting the holes in the spoil board?

Hi. I tried sending a message on your website but the send button wouldn't work

I tried to run you hole file but I get the message invalid gcode, please let me know what to do with this? Thank You