USER GUIDE – Portable Handheld CNC Router
Set Up Your Workspace:
- 1. Use a spoil board (½” MDF works well) as a sacrificial element underneath your material.
- 2. Use double-stick tape and/or clamps to mount your material to the sacrificial board, to ensure all parts remain intact with the spoil board when you’ve completed your cut.
- 3. Make sure to clamp your assembly securely to a workbench or to the Shaper Workstation.
- 4. Unplug the spindle and ensure the spindle is OFF.
- 5. Apply ShaperTape in parallel rows 3” – 4” apart in front of the desired cut area. Scan your work area (Scanning Menu), including any reference lines or outside edges of your material. Origin automatically detects and stores your Workspace.
- a. Make sure it is highlighting the markers in blue through the screen.
- 6. Determine the correct router bit for your cutting application (straight bit or engraving). Diameter, length of the cut, and profile will all have an impact on the cut result.
- 7. To swap out the router bit, it is recommended to watch a tutorial, or follow these steps:
- a. Use the hex key on the side of the shaper spindle (half a turn) to easily remove the spindle.
- b. Hold down the spindle lock button, loosen the collet and insert in the router bit you plan on using. 1/8” or ¼” spindle collets may be used.
- c. Insert bit so the length of the shank is inside the collet. Make sure the cutting flutes don’t go inside the collet.
- d. Tighten the spindle nut with a wrench while holding down the locking mechanism.
- e. Put the spindle back into the Origin, and tighten it with the hex
- 8. Safety Pre-Check:
- a. Using the right router bit.
- b. Insert the dust extractor hose into the dust port.
- c. Replace clear magnetic router bit cover to prevent injury.
- d. Your workspace is clear and the Origin has a sufficient work area.
Add Design:
- Easily create or import designs from Illustrator or other vector-based programs. SVG file required. Imperial/Inch dimensions are required. No complicated CNC programming is required!
- Save your file to the USB drive, and open it up on the Shaper.
- Take a look at tutorials online on how to use the AI templates to save you time choosing what type of cut you’ll make
Place files:
- Use registration lines and/or material edges to place your design in the correct location.
Specify Cut Parameters:
- The diameter of Cutter is essential for the correct cutting procedure.
- Determine Inside/Outside/On Line/Pocket cutting operations
- Depth of Cut — you must incrementally cut to your desired depth.
- Maximum DOC = (½) x Diameter of the Bit.
- Z-Probe: This operation determines Z-axis = 0 height parameter.
- Plunge Rate: 10 or 15 inches per minute is a good default.
Start Cutting:
- 1. Switch the spindle on and begin cutting.
- 2. Follow along as the dotted lines direct your cut. Keep the spindle as centered in the guide circle as possible and proceed with a uniform feed rate.
Illustrator Template
About:
- Adobe Illustrator® is a popular program for creating vector designs. Use the template file on this USB drive to automatically create a new Illustrator file that is optimized for Shaper Origin. The template will always open as a new file, so there is no need to worry about saving a new copy of it.
- Note: This template will only work if you have Adobe Illustrator installed. You can download a free trial at http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/free-trial-download.html
How to use the template:
- 1. Open the Shaper Illustrator Template file from the Shaper USB drive.
- 2. Adobe Illustrator will open a new file with the Shaper template pre-applied.
- 3. In the corner of the artboard you will see a guide for creating objects for Shaper Origin. The 5 colored boxes show the different treatments you can apply to various elements of your design. The colors assigned to each part of your design will affect the type of cut that Origin will default to when cutting that part of your design. Use the eyedropper tool to assign colors and cut styles according to your design.
- 4. Save your files in the .SVG file format when you are finished designing.
- 5. Transfer your .SVG file to your Shaper Origin via ShaperHub™ or using a USB Flash Drive.
