Frank CNC

Frank is our beloved CNC that has been upgraded throughout the years. The OG CNC of Pinecone Home who got us off the ground. He holds a special place in our hearts.

Frank uses the software Mach4.

What's on this Page?

Frank & Mach4 Basics
Zero-ing
Offsets & Jigs
MDI Adjustments
Racking

Frank & Mach4 Basics

File Types: Frank accepts ".txt" files.

Products:

Mason Jar Holders
Medal/Key Holders
Trophy Shelves
Harvest Basket Rail Groove

Zero-ing

Attach the alligator clip to the bit, and put the plate underneath (make sure the other wire is still clipped to the plate. Lower the Z-Axis so the bit is just above the plate. Click "Auto Z Touch Plate." Then click the center square.

Clip the black wire to the bit

Move the plate underneath the bit. Make sure the other clip is attached.

Click "Auto Z Touch Plate"

Click the center button. The bit will automatically sense the plate and set the zero position.

Offsets & Jigs

Below are the offsets for each Jig. Go to the "Offsets" tab and select whichever one you need.

**Note** If you change the offset, you will have to close the G-Code file and open it again for it to adjust.

MDI Adjustments

Sometimes the offsets won't be correct, and you'll need to adjust one of the axes slightly. Here is how.

First, when do you need to make an MDI adjustment?

When you load a file and it is making cuts slightly off center of where they should be
The engraving is not deep enough on MJH

Drive the CNC to a place on the workpiece that the software says it will cut. You can tell by where the green lines are.

Take note of this coordinate.

For this example we will do harvest basket rails.

Notice how even though the program thinks we are on the line, which should be in the center of the rail, we are actually off center of the rail.

Now, drive the CNC so the bit is ACTUALLY in the center of the rail.

Take note of this coordinate as well.

Now, you want to find the difference between the two coordinates. In our case, since the ACTUAL center was above the "program center," we will subtract.

That is because we want to move the Y-Axis up in coordinates.

The number for this example is:

Go to the "MDI" tab and type "Y0.xx"

If we had a negative number you would type "Y-0.xx"

Click "Cycle Start MDI"

The machine will move to that coordinate that you typed. Make sure that the bit will not hit anything when it is moving.

Hit "Zero Y" (or whatever axis you are adjusting)

Close and re-open the file.

Now, drive to that green line again.

The bit should now be centered over the rail. If not, repeat the process until you have it in the position you need.

Why did the bit break?

The reasons a bit breaks could be any of the following:
- Screw/other metal in workpiece that it hit
- Not tight enough in the collet
- Dense spot/knot in the workpiece
- The workpiece is not held in place well enough, causing it to vibrate and move around while machining
- The speed of the router is too fast/slow
- The feed rate of the machine is too fast/slow

Racking

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