Need Help!- haas vmc

[partime]

my first post ever, i have worked in many job shops and operated many different cnc machines,toshibas gnl,fedal,sip.fanuc mazak and have always did offsets the same, normally setting gage lengths off the top of the table or the front of the table if it were a boring bar. I started working part time for a local shop on a haas, this is the first vmc the company has ever had. I have only worked 8 hrs so far and the way they offset seems strange. Every time they set up a new job they have to re-set tool gage lengths for every tool even if it were a tool used on the previous job. I am used to having a certain number of standard tools and once the length is established it is good for any job. I notice they establish every tool gage length off the part surface on every job. In the offsets page z offset is always 0 on every job. Am i over thinking this: should the z offsets not be established as the distance from table top to top of part, and should the tools not be set off the top of table also? Is the haas different than any machine i have ever operated before. I notice that they also have a probe sitting there that they never use, i have used probes on sips and gnl and once you know how to use the probe you hate to ever use an edge finder. any insight on the offset situation or probing would be appreciated. I have not had the chance to just experiment and figure things out for myself yet.

[SRT Mike]

I haven't used a Haas before but they are DEFINITELY doing it the wrong way.

An honest mistake, but a very time consuming one.

What I do is use a 1-2-3 block in my vise jaws, then touch the tools off that. It's 1" high so whatever I measure the offset as, I add 1" to the offset. Since the vise stays on the table, I only ever need to redo the offsets if I was to move the vise.

You could do it right off the table as you said, then you don't even need to worry changing the offsets ever.

They can still have Z0 be the surface of the part, they just set up a coordinate system... so if you are touching your tools off the table, and you clamp a 2" part to the table, then they just do a coordinate system with a Z value of 2, so that if they move any of their tools to Z0, it will be at the top of the part.

[03clipse]

I have both Mazak and Haas The Mazak has a fully automatic probe for the gage lenth so we sorta replacate that on the Haas. What I have done is make a stand that is about 2" O.D. and 4" long bought a 2" Z gage that will light up on contact. use that to set all tool lengths. If useing a HRT210 rotary then your work offset will be zero. if working on a vise or other work holding then you just need to touch a tool on the setter and measure the difference from that to the top of the part and put that in your work offset. works very well and dont have to set every tool every time

[Delw]

before you start changing the way they do things you might want to find out the reasoning for it. there might be a very good one.
All my tool offsets are off the face of the location jaws for my mills both haas and fadals.
then when I run a 1."or 5/8" parts I put it in the fixture offsets.
on certain parts I have to set off the finished part face, but usually in 99% of the cases most shops have a very good reason to why they set machines up a certain way.