Shopbot CNC Router

ShopBot 4' x 8' CNC Router

Member Checkout & Operating SOP

Machine: Factory Two ShopBot, 96 x 48 in. bed, spindle on a Yaskawa V1000 drive (VFD). VCarve's machine profile: PRSalpha 96-48.

Software: You design and toolpath in VCarve Pro ShopBot Edition 12.5 (F2's Makerspace license). The machine runs on ShopBot Control (SB3). You bring a .sbp file from VCarve to ShopBot Control. You never draw in ShopBot Control and you never cut from VCarve.

Prepared by: Zackir Metcalf and Doc Shank. Approved by: Doc Shank Effective: November 7, 2026

1. Who May Run It

Only members who've passed the ShopBot checkout may run the machine. Once you're certified you can run it on your own. The checkout class is supervised; that's where you prove you can do every step below without help.

Minimum age: 18. (pending Factory Two's youth policy)

2. Stop-Work Rule

Stop immediately (space bar, or red STOP if it's dangerous, see Section 7) for any of these:

• smoke or flame
• a broken tool, or unusual sound or vibration
• loose material or a part that moved
• risk of a collision with a clamp, fastener or the dust boot
• unexpected motion
• dust collection quits
• anyone walks into the machine zone

Never reach into a moving machine. Never leave it running unattended, including during the spindle warmup.

3. Before You Start

Required PPE:

• Safety glasses. No exceptions, and no "I'm just standing here."
• Hearing protection, for you and anyone nearby.
• Closed-toe shoes.
• Hair tied back, no loose sleeves, no jewelry, no lanyards, no hoodie strings. The gantry doesn't care what it grabs.
• Dust mask recommended, especially for MDF and plywood.

Know your safety equipment before your first cut:

• Red STOP: right side of the machine, about knee to calf height. Find it before your first cut.
• Space bar: controlled pause in ShopBot Control (Section 7).
• Main power: the red and yellow rotary switch on the control box (O = off, I = on). It doesn't click firmly into either position (repair pending), so never trust it to keep the machine off. Use the interlock key for that.
• Interlock key: the key switch on the control box under the main power switch. DISENGAGED = the spindle can't turn, even when the software tells it to (tested 2026-11-07). The machine can still move. ENGAGED = the spindle can run.
• Fire extinguishers: none within a few steps of the ShopBot. The closest is behind the sanders, and it's hard to get to in a hurry. Know your route to it before you start.
• Fire blanket: there isn't one.
• Dust collection: turned on and off by the remote hanging at the workstation (the "Dust Collection Detonator"). Put it back on its hook when you're done.

Approved materials: Hardwood, softwood, plywood, MDF and other engineered wood, rigid foam, HDPE and similar soft plastics. Ask staff before cutting anything else. Never cut metal, PVC, polycarbonate, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or anything with a coating you can't identify. Never cut stock with nails, screws, staples or unknown hardware in it; check reclaimed wood with a magnet.

Fasteners: nylon brads only (Step 8).

4. Preparing Your File (VCarve)

This is the design half of the checkout class.

There are two halves to VCarve. First you draw your parts (CAD). Then you tell the ShopBot how to cut them (CAM, or toolpathing). The checkout uses a stool because it hits every step members actually need: parts that fit each other, dog-bone fillets, inside and outside profile cuts, tabs, and the post processor.

Shortcuts: Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+Y redo, Ctrl+A select all vectors, Esc deselect, scroll wheel zooms, Delete removes the selection. Drag left to right selects only what's fully enclosed; right to left selects anything touched.

Importing artwork: VCarve needs a DXF, not an SVG. Convert SVG art to DXF before importing.

Job Setup

1. Create a new file. Job Type: Single Sided.
2. Job Size: 96 in. wide by 48 in. tall is the full bed. Set it to your actual material.
3. Thickness: measure with calipers. Wood is never the thickness on the tag. You'll re-measure before cutting.
4. Z Zero Position: Machine Bed for anything that cuts all the way through. Material Surface is for engraving or pocketing that stays inside the piece. This has to match how you zero Z on the machine (Step 12) or every depth is off by one material thickness.
5. XY Datum Position: center is fine while designing; you'll move it before toolpathing.
6. Units: inches.

The Stool Exercise (checkout class)

The exact numbers are here so you can rebuild it at home.

Legs. Rectangle tool, anchored at center, X 0 Y 0, 12 in. wide by 11 in. tall, square corners, Create, Close. Ellipse tool: two ovals, each 23 in. by 6.5 in., centered at X 4.5 Y 6.75 and X 4.5 Y -6.75. Circle tool: 7 in. diameter centered at X -7.5 Y 0. Select the rectangle first, then shift-click an oval, then Subtract (Edit Objects panel). Repeat for the other oval and the circle. Select the rectangle first every time or Subtract removes the wrong thing.

Seat slot in the leg. Rectangle at X 5.7575 Y 0, 0.5 in. wide by 5 in. tall. Select the leg, then the rectangle, Subtract.

Second leg. Select the leg, Offset and Layout, Array: 1 row, 2 columns, Copy, Close. Interlocking slots: rectangle at X 3.0305 Y 0, 5 in. by 0.5 in., subtract from one leg; rectangle at X 14.2516 Y 0, 4.53 in. by 0.5 in., subtract from the other.

Seat. Circle, 10.5 in. diameter, centered at X -12.1539 Y 0. Four slot rectangles: two at 0.5 in. by 1.05 in. at X -12.1539 Y -3.0394 and X -12.1539 Y 2.9584; two at 1.05 in. by 0.5 in. at X -9.1552 Y -0.0408 and X -15.153 Y -0.0408. No subtract needed; the slots cut as their own inside profiles.

Dog-bone fillets. A round bit can't cut a square inside corner, so every slot needs relief. Edit Objects, Fillet tool, type Dog-Bone, radius 0.135 in. for a 1/4 in. bit. Hover each inside corner until the checkmark appears, click. Do every slot corner on the seat and both legs.

Layers. Layers tab, Add New Layer. Move the four seat slot rectangles to a layer named Profile Inside .5 in; name the original layer Profile Outside .5 in. Give them different colors.

Toolpathing

1. Set the datum. Set Job Dimensions and Origin, Datum Position bottom-left. On this machine, VCarve's bottom-left is the machine's 0,0: the front right corner, where C3 homes. VCarve's X runs toward the back of the machine and Y runs to the left (the decal on the front right leg shows it). So your design is turned 90 degrees from how you see the bed standing at the front: the bottom edge of your screen is the right side of the bed, and the right side of your screen is the back. The bed's 96" length runs front to back. (Confirmed with an air cut, 2026-11-07.)
2. Pack the material. Ctrl+A, interactive selection tool, drag everything to the datum corner. Leave room for tabs and for the bit to travel around every part.
3. Outside profile. Select the outside-layer vectors, Profile Toolpath.

- Start Depth 0. Cut Depth: material thickness plus 0.001 in., so the bit just kisses the sacrificial board. - Tool: 1/4 in. End Mill. Check feed, plunge and RPM for your bit. F2 has no chart of its own yet; the workstation has a QR code for the IDC Woodcraft feeds and speeds app, and a fraction-to-decimal chart. - Passes: 2 for 1/2 in. material. Rule of thumb: each pass no deeper than the bit diameter. - Machine Vectors: Outside. - Tabs: length 0.75 in., thickness 0.125 in., at least two per part. Tabs keep a freed part from becoming a projectile. Use them on light or thin stock that has no brads in that piece; ask staff if you're unsure. - Name it, Calculate.

1. Inside profile. Inside-layer vectors, same depth and bit, 2 passes, Machine Vectors: Inside, no tabs on small slots.
2. Bit choice. The stool uses a downcut or compression spiral. Downcut leaves a clean top face; compression does both faces clean on plywood. Upcut clears chips best but tears the top. Anything not covered in checkout, ask staff.
3. Preview every toolpath. If it looks wrong here it'll look worse in plywood. Plan where your brads go (Step 8) so none sits in a path; a cut brad lets the part loose.
4. Save Toolpaths. Machine: PRSalpha 96-48. Post processor: ShopBot TC (Inch) (*.sbp) (what the workstation is set to). Confirm the toolpaths are checked and in the order you want them to run. Outside cuts run last: a freed part can't be cut again.
5. Save the VCarve file separately (.crv is your design, .sbp is what the machine reads).

Designing at home: F2's VCarve is the Makerspace Edition, so you can design at home for free. Since VCarve 11.5 this runs on Vectric accounts, not a shared ID:

1. Find F2's Vectric invite link in the email you get when your ShopBot cert is granted, or any time under Assets on your member dashboard. Use it to make a free Vectric account (or join with one you have). Use the same email as your F2 membership. The link is for certified members; please don't pass it on.
2. Install the free VCarve Pro trial from Vectric on your own computer and sign in. That makes it F2's client edition. It may still say "trial" in places; that's normal.
3. Design and toolpath at home, save your .crv.
4. At F2, sign in to VCarve on the ShopBot computer with your own Vectric account (Vectric may email you a one-time code), open your file, and save the toolpaths. If someone else is still signed in, sign them out first. Files from a client copy only cut at Factory Two.

5. Operating Sequence

Do the steps in order. If a check fails, stop and get staff before you continue.

Step 1: Walk-around and power on

Fit PPE and secure hair and clothing. Clear the bed, the gantry path, the floor and the stop controls. Clear the whole table, not just where your material goes; the gantry travels over all of it. Look over cables, dust parts, the spindle area, the spoilboard (debris, old fasteners, gouges) and any maintenance notice. Then turn the machine on with the side power paddle.

Don't unplug, replug or "fix" any cables or the control box. If the computer can't see the ShopBot, stop and tell staff.

Step 2: Open ShopBot Control

Open ShopBot Control on the machine computer. If it asks you to press Reset on the control box, do that and click OK. Read any warning; don't click past it.

Step 3: Spindle warmup (C5)

Run it unless you know for sure it's already been run today.

1. Spindle empty: take out any bit and remove the collet nut. Never run the spindle with a collet nut on and nothing in it.
2. Head clear of the bed and anything on it, glasses and ears on, interlock key to ENGAGED.
3. Type C5 and Enter (or Cuts, then C5 Spindle Warmup Routine). Read the prompt and click OK once.
4. The routine runs itself: 9,000, then 10,000, then 12,000 RPM, three minutes each. You'll hear the tone step up at each change. When the file ends, the spindle shuts itself off.
5. Stay in the room. About 10 minutes of spinning; plan on 15 the first time, with getting connected. Don't enter speeds by hand or try to skip a step.

If ShopBot Control says "USB Control Box Problem" when it opens, the machine isn't on or isn't connected. Turn on main power and pick Retry Control Box, not "Preview Only." If it still can't find it, get staff; don't touch the cables.

Step 4: Start the compressor

Get the hose from the box near the machine and connect it to the compressor in the dust-collection room. Switch the compressor on and let it stop on its own at pressure. The compressor is not the dust collector.

Step 5: Home X and Y (C3)

Clear the whole travel path. Type C3 and Enter, or Cuts, then C3 Home X Y Axes Using Proximity Switches. Stay out of the path and watch. C3 is the machine's reference; Jog Home is a different command (Step 9).

Home is front right as you face the machine, the machine's own default corner, nearest the computer. Don't reconfigure it and don't teach another corner: every step below, and every file, assumes C3 lands front right.

Step 6: Move to the loading position

Use the keyboard or the yellow box in the Position window. The local setup is X 48, Y centered, with Z raised about 2 to 4 inches if the head is close to the table, which leaves you a clear spot to load and work from. Watch the whole move.

Control layout warning: the jog keys at the workstation are rotated 90 degrees clockwise from what you'd expect. Page Up and Page Down jog Z. Ctrl toggles jog speed. Tap keys one at a time; mashing them makes the machine stutter and can lock the software.

Step 7: Place and align the material

Check material type, measured thickness (several spots), orientation and defects. Lay it flat on a clean spoilboard and square it to the datum corner (see Step 5). If the measured thickness doesn't match what you set in VCarve, go back and fix the file.

Step 8: Secure the material

Use the pneumatic nailer loaded only with nylon brads, connected to the compressor. Safety glasses on. Hold the nailer square to the work with both hands, safety contact pressed down before you pull the trigger. Fasten all sides as needed, especially raised corners and bowed stock.

Nylon brads are made so a bit can cut through one without damage. That's a safety margin, not a plan: a brad the bit cuts through stops holding the piece to the table. Keep every brad outside every toolpath, and never place one where you expect it to be cut.

Push and lift at several points. Nothing should move. Nylon brads are the only hold-down method for this machine.

Step 9: Return to the reference or job origin

C3 for the proximity reference, Jog Home for the stored job origin. They aren't interchangeable. Never trust a stored origin after a red STOP; re-run C3. Watch the move and check the coordinates match the file.

Step 10: Install the bit

Nobody at or near the computer during a bit change. Not a coworker, not a guest, no one. The keyboard stays empty until the bit is in, the wrenches are hung and you're clear of the machine.

Lock out the spindle: turn the interlock key to DISENGAGED and put the key in your pocket. The spindle can't turn while it's disengaged, even if someone touches the keyboard.

After the bit change: stop any program first (Section 7: STOP, then Quit), and only then turn the key back to ENGAGED. If the software is still telling the spindle to run, engaging the key starts it right then.

1. Key DISENGAGED and in your pocket, computer clear (above). Remove the dust brush and raise the spindle to a comfortable height so you can see. Move the head over the bed so a dropped bit lands on wood.
2. Get the bit from the rack on the workstation desk. Match the collet to the shank: F2 has one 1/4" collet and two 1/2" collets (ER25 style, by measurement, 2026-11-07). Most of the small bits are 1/4" shank. Measure the shank if you're not sure. A bit in the wrong collet walks out at speed. The size stamped on the shank is often too worn to read.
3. Clean the bit, collet, nut and mating faces. Snap the collet into the nut, thread it on a couple of turns by hand.
4. Insert the bit hand-tight, all flutes clear of the nut. Let it tap bottom, then back it out a little; never tighten it bottomed out, and never grip the flutes.
5. Two wrenches: open-end on the spindle flat, spanner on the nut. Snug like a jar lid, not like a lug nut, and check the collet actually drew the bit up tight.
6. Put the dust brush back and hang the wrenches on the right leg of the machine. Never leave a wrench on the spindle.

The shank size stamp is often too worn to read. If you can't tell what a bit is, ask staff.

Step 11: Set X/Y zero, only if the file needs it

Only when the file's origin isn't the C3 reference. Jog the bit center over the file's origin corner, Esc out of the keypad, then Zero, Zero 2 axes (same as typing Z2). Don't overwrite the standard reference unless the job needs it.

Step 12: Set Z with the zero plate

1. The zero plate rides on the machine: it slides into a holder on the Z carriage, just above the Z motor, with its alligator clip parked at the top. Slide it out and unclip the clip. Raise the dust head if needed.
2. Plate on the machine bed for bed-zero files (the checkout default); on the material top only if the VCarve file says Material Surface.
3. Clip the lead to the bit. Touch the plate to the bit and watch ShopBot Control: Input 4 must light. If it doesn't, the circuit's open and C2 will drive the bit into the plate. Don't run it until the light works.
4. Plate under the bit. Cuts, then C2 Zero Z Axis Using Zero Plate. It touches, backs off, touches again. Let it finish. Check that Z reads 0.000 when it's done.
5. Unclip from the bit, slide the plate back into its holder above the Z motor, park the clip at the top, raise Z, restore the dust head. Click OK.

Step 13: Load and preview the part file

Copy your file to the machine computer. File, Part File Load, and pick the .sbp toolpath file VCarve saved, not the .crv design file (ShopBot Control can't run a .crv). A Notepad window may open; ignore it. Check name, revision, units, bit, origin, depths, passes, tabs and order. Preview it and compare the footprint with your stock and your brads. Inches vs millimeters is a classic.

Step 14: Prepare for cutting

Nothing left on the work surface. Close everything on the computer except ShopBot Control and VCarve. PPE on for everyone nearby. Dust boot and guards in place.

Turn on dust collection with the remote at the workstation. Never cut without it. Clear the zone and say you're starting.

Note: the brush dust guard is missing its retaining magnet. Seat it by hand, raising Z if needed.

Step 15: Review the start sheet

Press Enter for the Part File Load sheet. Confirm the file and the spindle speed for this bit, material and file. 18,000 RPM is typical, not a rule. Read the whole spindle-start warning.

When the file starts, the head lifts about an inch (its safe height) and a box says "NOW STARTING ROUTER/SPINDLE!" Clicking OK on that box starts the spindle. Only click it with the interlock key ENGAGED, glasses and ears on, and the zone clear. Cancel ends the file. The Spindle Control window sets the speed from your file.

Step 16: Start and watch the whole job

Hand by the space bar, zone clear, click OK once. Watch the first move and first cut. Stay at the operator position the entire job and watch the stock, chips, dust, bit, sound and motion: chatter, screaming, smoke, a part that moved, a tab that let go.

See Section 7 for space bar vs red STOP. Don't resume after a stop until you know the cause.

Step 17: Finish and clean up

Leave it ready for the next person to use. Materials off the surface, swept and vacuumed, bits and collets put away, and any problem with the machine or tools reported to staff. If it wasn't left that way for you, tell staff that too.

1. Wait for the spindle to stop completely and the gantry to park. Turn off dust collection with the remote and hang it back on its hook.
2. Move the spindle to the safe spot at the back. Key to DISENGAGED (Step 10) before you touch the bit; it may be hot.
3. Pull the work, offcuts and brads. Cut tabs off the machine (flush-cut saw, oscillating tool or chisel), not on the spoilboard.
4. Shop vac the bed, blow it off, wipe the rails. Chips on the rails wear the bearings. Clean the floor with the vac or broom, never sweep sharp waste by hand.
5. Take your bit out and the collet nut off. Never power down and walk away with a bit in the spindle; the next person's warmup has to start empty. Clean the collet and nut and put the bit back in the rack on the desk.
6. Return the spindle to the designated origin. Leave the workstation desk clear.
7. Sign out of VCarve. Then copy your files to your own drive and delete them from the workstation. It isn't wiped, and anything you leave there is fair game for the next person to open, use or copy.
8. Power down, in this order: close ShopBot Control and VCarve (when VCarve asks to sign you out, say yes), then interlock key to DISENGAGED, then the red and yellow main power switch to O. Software first, so nothing is still talking to the machine when the power drops; key next, so the spindle can't start when the next person powers up.
9. Tell staff about anything odd, wrong or broken, even if you fixed it.

6. Non-Negotiables

• Don't run it without a ShopBot cert (or as part of the checkout class).
• Don't bypass guards, dust controls, interlocks or stop controls.
• Don't cut unapproved material or use an unapproved bit or fastener.
• Don't run a file you haven't previewed against the physical setup.
• Don't leave a job or the warmup running unattended.
• Don't put hands or tools inside the machine while motion or spindle rotation is possible.
• Nobody at or near the computer during a bit change.
• Don't reset, re-home or restart after a fault until you know the cause, and after a red STOP get staff first.

7. Stops and Emergencies

On screen, a STOP (yellow STOP button or the space bar) pauses the file and asks "What Next?" Click Quit to end it. Resume carries on from where it stopped. Until you answer, the STOP button flashes. That's normal.

Space bar = controlled pause. Use it for anything wrong but not dangerous: bad cut, wrong depth, a part shifted. It can keep the job state. If the fix needs a re-zero, quit the file and start over. Never resume a file after moving the material.

Red STOP = danger. Bit broke, part came loose, the head's about to hit a clamp, fire. Everything stops and the machine loses its position. A full restart and a C3 re-home are needed before anything moves again, and staff have to look at it before you restart.

Fire. Dull bits and slow feeds make heat, and the bed is covered in dust.

1. Red STOP.
2. Turn off dust collection with the remote so you aren't feeding the fire into the collector.
3. Extinguisher (the closest is behind the sanders), or if it's past that, everyone out and call 911. The machine is replaceable.

Broken bit. Red STOP, then find every piece before anything else, then tell staff. Broken bits happen. An unreported one leaves carbide buried in the spoilboard for the next person.

8. Why Feeds and Speeds Matter

A router bit cuts by taking a chip. Feed too slow for the RPM and the bit rubs instead of cutting: it heats up, dulls, chars the wood, and can light the dust. Feed too fast and the bit flexes, chatters and snaps. VCarve's numbers are starting points for a sharp bit in clean material, and F2's bits are shared. Test cuts on scrap aren't optional, and a bit that sounds wrong is telling you something.

9. Operator Checklist

A printed step checklist hangs at the machine. Use it every job.