CNC Alignment Laser

For positioning your spindle when CNC cutting. This laser device is for (reasonably) accurately finding the job zero point before you start cutting. It doesn't find the Z zero, just the X and Y axis reference point.

It's not difficult to find the X and Y home spot using a bit with a sharp point (V-bit) but you have to lower it till it is close to the surface to get reasonable accuracy. Can be a tedious procedure.

This holder accepts a cheap laser module (head) that you can buy online for less than $0.35 each. They have a lens and current limiting resistor. Because this design uses 2 1.5V LR44 batteries, your laser needs to be the 3V version, mine was a 5V version and I had to reduce the 91ohms resistor.

With the laser in your spindle (not spinning) you can move around your work area knowing where the centre of the spindle is. You can check that your material is big enough for the job.

There is a tricky part, aligning the laser module, they are not particularly well aligned