Luck or intuition?

[twehr]

Last weekend, my board sensor died. On Monday, I ordered a new one, AND a spare, just in case. While I was at it, I ordered a quick change chuck, as well - can't hurt to have it sitting on the shelf, right?

Got the parts and installed the sensor - worked great! Did one project that had been hanging for a while. This morning, I started to do another project - a jig for Corian carving. Thirty seconds into the cut, the quick change chuck flew into pieces and shot the carving bit into the board.

Normally, I would have been pretty upset, but not today. I had a QC sitting on the self. Called LHR to get a new one coming, installed the one I had, and was back in business in under 30 minutes.

Call it luck or call it intuition - either way, I was sure happy to be ready for the inevitable.

[fwharris]

Yes, some times things just fall into place! Good thinking and planning on your part!

[Cmdr.Rav]

Doesn't sound like luck to me? It is a bummer you need to stock extra parts. So it must have been intuition ! So what happens tomorrow if it happens again? Lol

Rav

[Jeff_Birt]

It is a bummer you need to stock extra parts.

Why? I stock extra parts for many things.

I have a few extra duplex plugs as I use them all over the house, shop, shed. When I run out I buy a box of 10 and have them on hand for when they are needed.

I also keep a few extra drill bits (small easy to break sizes) so I don't get stuck in teh middle of a project. The bigger bits I can sharpen.

I also keep a small supply of glue, sandpaper, biscuits, saw blades, etc.

When the belt on my table saw was getting rather old, I bought one to have on hand when I needed to change it.

Why would a your carving machine be any diffrent? Being prepared only makes sense.

[Cmdr.Rav]

Why? I stock extra parts for many things.

I have a few extra duplex plugs as I use them all over the house, shop, shed. When I run out I buy a box of 10 and have them on hand for when they are needed.

I also keep a few extra drill bits (small easy to break sizes) so I don't get stuck in teh middle of a project. The bigger bits I can sharpen.

I also keep a small supply of glue, sandpaper, biscuits, saw blades, etc.

When the belt on my table saw was getting rather old, I bought one to have on hand when I needed to change it.

Why would a your carving machine be any diffrent? Being prepared only makes sense.

Hmm, I too keep extra router bits when one gets dull, yet I don't keep parts around for the router like in case the collet breaks. I too keep sandpaper in stock once it wears out I use a new one, but I don't have spare parts on hand for the sander! I too have extra saw blades for my radial arm saw and table saw. They too get worn and I like to have a sharp blade on hand. Again I don't have extra arbors or motors for the saws . Yes I too have a extra belt for my table saw for a worn part after much use. But I never have installed a new belt on my table saw and needed to replace the belt after using it twice but usually after many years and that is from wear and temp. change in the shop.

Drill bits too like sockets I loose them or break them so I have extra on hand. These things you mention are mostly accessories for tools, glue- supplies, saw blades after using it many times will become dull after time. Of course if you hit a nail maybe after one use you need to replace it. Duplex plugs yes are very useful and you may want to keep on hand.



I have not needed to change the collet on any of my routers. Now if I did have continual problems I might be incline to keep the part in stock or get rid of the tool! Nor do I stock any parts for any tools in my shop other then the accessories they use or extra batteries for my cordless tools.

But I have needed to replace the same part for my CC over and over. So was it luck or intuition twehr ordered an extra quick change chuck? I would say he was lucky to have it on hand, but it was intuition he ordered it in the first place. I would venture to say this isn't the first time he needed to replace this part.

So it its a bummer you need to stock extra parts. But it seems it is nessasary! Now having extra toilet paper on hand is being prepared and makes sense!!!


Rav

[SandBuoy]

Well my intuition didn't get me to far and I was unlucky too. I ordered a new sensoe along with several others parts two weeks ago. Everything came but the sensor. Next day, my board sensor went out. Called LHR and told them my sensor went out and the tech went threw some checks with me.

He said yep, your sensor is shot and you need to send the old one in to get a new one. For $15 buck I threw it on the work bench. 13 miles to my PO at $4.00 a gallon for gas, then postage and my time to run it there. Forget it, I called Monday and ordered 2 new sensors and asked to have the one I paid for that didn't get sent to be sent with them.

Here it is 8 days later, cost me another $12.00 in shipping and I still don't have the parts I ordered. That the biggest reason to stick parts as far as I am concerned.

Sorry to vent guys, but the machine only has 22 hours on it. I made arrangement to have extra parts here, over $150 out of my pokcet, just so I didn't have to go threw this. Luck got me anyway and my intuition to have them sure didn't play out. I really like their techs and the sales folks over at LHR, their tops. But they need to do something about shipping cost and shipping time for us that have invested in their product.

[ChrisAlb]

Being a contractor for 30 years, I know even the most reliable and seemingly indestructible tools can go bad in a moments notice. So I don't have extra collates for my router, I have an extra router. I don't keep a spare motor for my circular saw, I have a second saw. My air guns? Framers, trimmers & brad nailers, I have two of each along with a seal kit and extra drivers for each. Blades, bits, batteries, air hoses etc.. that goes without saying.

Now don't get me wrong here. I didn't buy two of everything at once. I simply could not afford that. But as I could, I bought back up tools of most everything because down time is far more expensive than the second tool or "Part".

When my board sensor finally puked after 150+ hours, you can bet I bought two.

[deemon328]

Why would a your carving machine be any diffrent? Being prepared only makes sense.

I should bite my tongue on this, but I just can't do it.

While I agree that it makes sense to prepare for tool wear, most of the parts that you're describing, Jeff, are supplies for tools and not repair parts for the tools themselves. Or, in the case of the table saw belt, it was obvious that it needed replaced.

A QC destroying itself and propelling a running bit would be a factory recall if it was a router in our workshops, not an 'oh well, it must have worn out' from normal usage situation.

We've been conditioned to accept that breaking parts on the CW is considered normal operating expenses. We should never have to pay for a broken QC or bad board sensor, a faulty cover switch or an RPM sensor. These are engineering problems that should have been worked out.

I'm sorry to call you out on this, but in this case, I believe your post creates more of this conditioning of the user base that makes us believe that it's our fault every time something gets broken on the CW.

[DrBob]

HERE! HERE! Dustin
I agree 1000%, and LHR Should be doing something with these bad design parts for a permanent fix to the machines sold already not Wait for the next version offered with all the fixes, at a new price claiming a new heavy duty version. and screw the first machines were past that now.

[ChrisAlb]

Guess I'll open my yap again....LOL I'm sure I'll get a bad rap for this by some but.....here goes.

I just don't get how folks are having so much trouble with there machines??? I've had two things go wrong after 200+ hours of carving.

1) A torn belt - MY FAULT - didn't see a splintered edge on the bottom of the board and it got caught under the belt while carving.

2) Board sensor diodes came out on my 15 hour carve - Again, MY FAULT. Took it apart one day to clean it after the first 8 hours of use. Broke the little plastic pins on it's cover so it now vibrated. Still lasted an additional 150 hours before coming apart.

Did I just get lucky with mine?? I Think NOT. I have no luck except for BAD. I simply can't believe that "my" machine is any different or better than any others. Do I care for and use the machine properly, ABSOLUTELY.

After a year of using it and reading about all the issues others are having, I'm now convinced that the "MAJORITY" of these problems largely stems from a lack of basic mechanical knowledge and simply abusing the machine.