Stumbled on a trick for zeroing tools faster after 8 years on the job

I've been running CNCs for over a decade now, mostly doing production runs for a shop in Grand Rapids. For years I'd always touch off each tool the standard way, using paper or a feeler gauge, and it took forever on a job with 12 tools. Then a few months ago, I decided to try using a single edge razor blade for the initial Z setting, since it's exactly 0.009 inches thick and doesn't compress like paper. It saved me about 20 minutes per setup, and I haven't gone back since. Has anyone else tried something weird like that for tool setting, or am I just late to the party?

2 comments

2 Comments

anderson.spencer2d ago

Tried using a feeler gauge once and it bent the second it touched the part... been scared to go near them with anything sharp ever since. Guess I'm sticking with my paper shims and taking the scenic route.

jason_fisher42d ago

...anderson.spencer you should've seen my buddy try that on his truck, thing folded like origami.