Regular maintenace

[jab73180]

hey all,
i was thinking this would be a good place to start a thread about regular maintenance, what everyone does to their machine to keep it running top notch. i found a small vaccuum accessory kit at sears and home depot that would look like would work good for cleaning pour machines. does anyone have these small cleaners and how do they work? what do you concentrate on the most when vaccuuming? anything new and interesting woudl be great.

[c6craig]

I know I am not as responsible as some but here is my general rule of thumb...

After EVERY carve the machine gets a quick vacuum, then I reverse the vac and use it to blow out the machine. I pay special attention to the rail that the Z truck slides on, the dust loves to settle in there under the belt...

Small paintbrush to brush down the little lip on the Z truck rail, the compression rollers, and pop out the bit touch plate and hit the spring with the brush. Also a quick swipe under the Z truck to make sure the board sensor is clean.

Another quick blast of air to remove the loose dust I just created.

On my machine with the QuickChuck, EVERY bit change gets the bit holder wiped down and a drop of 3-in-1 oil. I also snap the chuck a few times to dislodge dust. On my machine with the rock chuck i just wipe down the bit and make sure I haven't created any burrs by clamping it wrong. Half the time I even manage not to slice up a finger...one of these days I will learn to leave a pair of gloves by the machine..:p

Every 4 or 5 carves, or if something doesn't feel right...I use white lithium grease on the 4 head posts and the guide posts inside.

I lube the flexshaft with the Liquid Wrench with Moly when it first goes in and I dont touch it until it starts to feel warmer than usual to the touch.

I'm sure there are things I am missing or doing wrong :) I look forward to the differing opinions that will come from this post.

Craig

[hess]

hey all,
i was thinking this would be a good place to start a thread about regular maintenance, what everyone does to their machine to keep it running top notch. i found a small vaccuum accessory kit at sears and home depot that would look like would work good for cleaning pour machines. does anyone have these small cleaners and how do they work? what do you concentrate on the most when vaccuuming? anything new and interesting woudl be great.

A big thing to be careful of when using a shop vac or other like is Static discharge. remember this thing is a PC and Static will fry it.
I turn the units off and ground them by holding on to the metal parts while cleaning. one hand always on the unit

[Jeff_Birt]

Take a look at the January 2008 issue of Tips&Tricks: http://carvewright.com/downloads/tips/CarveWright_Tips_and_Tricks_Jan08.pdf

[TIMCOSBY]

A big thing to be careful of when using a shop vac or other like is Static discharge. remember this thing is a PC and Static will fry it.
I turn the units off and ground them by holding on to the metal parts while cleaning. one hand always on the unit

i saw static at the end of the hose. stay away from the keyboard side.

[jab73180]

i started the thread for people to share what they do for maintenance, not for people to give links about what is supposed to be done or what carvewright recomends. the people here have tips and secrets here more valuable than what is in a book.

[Eagle Hollow]

i started the thread for people to share what they do for maintenance, not for people to give links about what is supposed to be done or what carvewright recomends. the people here have tips and secrets here more valuable than what is in a book.

???? I recommend using all the tips from people on this forum AND reading the invaluable "Tips and Tricks" written by the most experienced of us on the forum,!

[unitedcases]

Using that issue of tips and tricks is best. The little vac accessory kit is awesome. I use it all the time. I also use a little silicone sprayed on a rag to wipe down the y rail. Also check the brass roller. Sometimes dust can get in there not allowing it to come back up. It is just a plastic piece holding it up anyway. I always vacuum mine well and give it a little tug up before every carve. That added with masking tape works always. I stole all that from Al!

[twiceretired]

I have taken a nylon bristle paint brush, cut the handle off and dab the underside of the QC with it after blowing most of the dust off with compressed air, then do the snap trick and use air again. Using a small mirror to make sure it’s clean, then a dab of 3 in 1 on a rag to wipe it.

Add: Waiting for LHR to release the new Lovchuck.

[Digitalwoodshop]

The Y idle gear on the right could use a drop of oil on the back wall every once in a while.

AL

[jab73180]

does it work better if you use low air pressure and suck up the dust with a vac or do you just blow the machine out.

[Dan Frecks]

You know guys, I went to the Carvewright site and looked under support/tips and tricks, and could not find the issue you are referring to regarding cleaning and maintenence. It only seems to go back to issue #25. Could the issue you are referring to be one prior to that?