How did this happen?

[JimStaley]

How did this happen? And. more importantly, how can I prevent it? Top of photo was carved Wednesday. That is what it is supposed to be. Bottom of photo was carved yesterday from same file. In the latter one, it doesn't seem to know where it is tracking.

[AskBud]

I would say that the Brass Roller lost its grip on the lower one, or a wire/control failed as it should have held its line as the truck traveled across the board.

On a second look, It appears the Cutting bit started in the correct spot, but something made it change course too soon (or it stuck/jammed as it cut the first line). It could have been that the head was too tight (perhaps saw dust, from the carve area helped jam the board).
AskBud

[Digitalwoodshop]

Bud is on the right track..

7 inch rule of wood... Was the board held under the rollers at all times...

Are the in and out feed tables level? A high table and a roller can act like a parking tire bumper.

Being a SLICK hard board the brass roller AND OR the Sand PAPER belts lost contact.... Yes the sand paper belts can slip on smooth wood.

For smooth HARD OAK or MAPLE I would place strips of masking tape on the bottom of the board to give the brass roller AND sand paper belts something to bite in.

Head Pressure.... TOO Light...

Good Luck,

AL

[JimStaley]

Board was 10 in. longer than project.
Did 8 clicks to apply pressure, and locked it down.
Wood was same type as previous success.
Belts are only a few hours old
Tried masking tape on board for next try, but kept getting tracking errors during set-up, so I removed it.

[AskBud]

Board was 10 in. longer than project.
Did 8 clicks to apply pressure, and locked it down.
Wood was same type as previous success.
Belts are only a few hours old
Tried masking tape on board for next try, but kept getting tracking errors during set-up, so I removed it.

8 clicks sounds way too high (Tight)
Lots of questions
1) Are the boards raw wood or do they have a finish?
2) What kind of wood?
3) How thick are the boards?
4) Are the sand paper belts tight (can you move they without much effort)? This could be a problem, if you just replaced them.
5) You don't, by chance, have the new rubber belts do you? There is an adjustment that has to be made to the Brass roller.
6) If the wood is hard you may need tape not only where the Brass roller tracks, but several other places the full length of the board (see note).
Note: Some wood, no matter how thick, works better on a sled.
AskBud

[dcalvin4]

How did this happen? And. more importantly, how can I prevent it? Top of photo was carved Wednesday. That is what it is supposed to be. Bottom of photo was carved yesterday from same file. In the latter one, it doesn't seem to know where it is tracking.

my machine did similar thing and noticed one of the snd papers not moving so i took out both sanpaper drive rollers an cleaned packed sawdust out by shaking them , then noticed the left roller asslmbly had somehow turned under a eighth in or so. somehow not tracking properly.[who knows?] so i used a utility knife and cut off a 1/4 in of the spaper and squeezed the rollers together an slid the spaper over to the middle , put the thing back togrther an now works fine...ps do yourself a favor and put the maskingtape on the brass roller side so the board so it makes contact with brass wheel as Big Al suggests an another thing i do is when putting the board in machine and when i moove the guide bar up to the bd ,,slide the bd from left to right to make sure it slides e a s i l y back an forth the crank the head down an crank only 3 to 4 clicks as any thing more is a wast of elbow grease.. this worked for me but maybe i am lucky.....

[Digitalwoodshop]

The CW is not a vice.... You should do the scale test with 8 clicks....

It may just be SooooooO Tight the sand paper belt is pressed to the tray SooooooO hard it couldn't move....

You might have a Rolled UP left belt too..... That lifts the board away from the roller and you get that.... CUT THE BELT.... Unless you can see BOTH ENDS.....

Got help on an Engraving Forum tonight using find and replace to help me typing in the 500 Fire Tags.... 15 Departments.... I can change the Department in a document with a few key strokes.... I was typing them or copy and paste.. I change the department name in one shot.:p

So even I ask for HELP.... OK... 2 AM... I'm Done..... NO sleeping in the SHOP....

AL

[James RS]

Al,
Please forgive me for asking, but what engraving forum?

Jim

[Digitalwoodshop]

Al,
Please forgive me for asking, but what engraving forum?

Jim

My other homes.....


http://engravingetc.org/members/index.php?webtag=MEMBERS_AREA&msg=6847.1

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/forumdisplay.php?f=8


AL

[JimStaley]

I'd like to thanj all who took the time to share their expertise.

Belts: This is my second unit. It is only a few weeks old . I see no wear or displacement on belts. They don't seem to be loose.

Clicks: I used to use 5 clicks. A Carvewright rep tols me to use 8.

Boards: Freshly jointed and planed 3/4 " hardwood. I bought severa; species at once, and lost track of which was which.

Sled: I can't figure out how to use a sled and make through cuts. Is it possible?

New attempt: It carved the patterns fine. When I changed to 1/8" bit to make through cut to release the part, I was told that the readings didn't match the original ones. My options were to continue or try again. I tried again with the same result. I didn't know the risk of continuimg, so I aborted and used a saw. Anyone familiar with this warning? Know what would have happened if I had continued? I checked bit, and it was firmly in place.

[AskBud]

The bit may not have been properly seated during the original measurement and therefore aborted during the carve measurement.
It's good that you aborted rather than breaking the bit.
AskBud

[mtylerfl]

Sled: I can't figure out how to use a sled and make through cuts. Is it possible?

Yes - very easy to do! They added that feature back in 1.131. To learn the procedure, simply read the Tips & Tricks - ISSUE 12 September 2008 "Designer 1.131 New Feature Highlights " (http://www.carvebuddy.com/PDFs/CW_TipsandTricks_Newsletters/CarveWrightTips&Tricks_Sept08.pdf)


New attempt: It carved the patterns fine. When I changed to 1/8" bit to make through cut to release the part, I was told that the readings didn't match the original ones. My options were to continue or try again. I tried again with the same result. I didn't know the risk of continuing, so I aborted and used a saw. Anyone familiar with this warning? Know what would have happened if I had continued? I checked bit, and it was firmly in place.

Likely that your QC had fine sawdust in it from the carving portion of your project and prevented the 1/8" cutting bit from seating properly. Easy fix - always clean your QC when swapping bits. I use an old toothbrush, flashlight and mirror. Takes about 5 seconds.

Also, every time you insert a bit, check that the red marks are touching by using the mirror and flashlight to look up under the QC. If the red marks are offset to the point of NOT touching, your bit is not seated correctly. Take it out and try again. Do not run your machine if those red marks are not touching.

SOAPBOX: My guess is that this is the most common reason why some folks have trouble with their QC's. Mess up just once (by running a machine without the bit being fully seated) and it can/will lead to a domino-effect of problems that could have easily been avoided (i.e., troublesome QC's, spoiled projects and broken bits).

Here are a couple photos ...One shows what the Red Marks look like when the QC is "cocked" and ready to receive a bit...the other photo shows my 1/8" Cutting Bit installed and illustrates how the Red Marks should align with each other. This is what the marks should look like when you have a fully seated bit.