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eknight
06-28-2006, 11:10 AM
We have seen some spindle bearing failures in the last month due to
incorrect or over-lubrication of the flexshaft. The issue stems from excess
grease making its way into the spindle bearings and causing them to degrade.
As the grease is introduced into the high speed bearings they will
immediately start to heat up and eventually the grease will destroy the
bearing cage. There are two signs that this is happening: 1) the vertically
translating cutting head heats up significantly, 2) there is considerable
amount of hardened dark material around the top bearing. If you discover
either of these to be the case call us immediately.

Lubrication on the flexshaft core should be minimal. We recommend white
lithium grease as the lubricant. It can be found at any hardware or
automotive store. The grease should be applied to the shaft along the
entire length. The grease should be thoroughly worked into the exterior of
the shaft and then all excess grease should be removed. Do not use any
materials such as rags or paper towels to remove the excess grease. These
materials can leave contaminants in the grease that can lead to other
issues. We have found
that applying the grease with bare fingers yields the best results.

Please see the below pictures for examples of correct and incorrectly
applied flexshaft grease.

Best Regards,
Your Carvewright Team.

7661brian
04-12-2008, 12:15 PM
The core fell out of my flexshaft and got pretty dirty mostly dust. What is the safest way to clean out the debris? Compressed air? Wipe? I want to do this right.

Thanks, Brian

geddins
04-12-2008, 01:39 PM
We have seen some spindle bearing failures in the last month due to
incorrect or over-lubrication of the flexshaft. The issue stems from excess
grease making its way into the spindle bearings and causing them to degrade.
As the grease is introduced into the high speed bearings they will
immediately start to heat up and eventually the grease will destroy the
bearing cage. There are two signs that this is happening: 1) the vertically
translating cutting head heats up significantly, 2) there is considerable
amount of hardened dark material around the top bearing. If you discover
either of these to be the case call us immediately.

Lubrication on the flexshaft core should be minimal. We recommend white
lithium grease as the lubricant. It can be found at any hardware or
automotive store. The grease should be applied to the shaft along the
entire length. The grease should be thoroughly worked into the exterior of
the shaft and then all excess grease should be removed. Do not use any
materials such as rags or paper towels to remove the excess grease. These
materials can leave contaminants in the grease that can lead to other
issues. We have found
that applying the grease with bare fingers yields the best results.

Please see the below pictures for examples of correct and incorrectly
applied flexshaft grease.

Best Regards,
Your Carvewright Team.

Is the top bearing you speak of the point where the flexshaft plugs into the truck?

Thanks

Kenm810
04-12-2008, 02:11 PM
Guys that post is nearly 2 years old and out dated,
you would be much better off posting in a more currant up to date thread,
in CW Machine or Toubleshooting.

CABINET MAN
04-12-2008, 02:54 PM
My Head Is Spining. I Just Had An Over Heated Flex Shaft And Had To Buy A New Unit, I Was Told By Tech. Support I Needed To Use Liquid Wrench Industial Chain Lub W/ Moly , Which I Did And My Mech. Is Running Right Now. Please,please Let Us Know Which To Use !!!!!

The Flex Line Is Running @ 97 - 98 F

Thx.

ncamp
04-12-2008, 03:16 PM
From the manual:


Inspect the core for debris and clean with a lint free
cloth if necessary. The recommended lubricant is a commercially
available chain lube with Moly. Spray the lubricant onto the core
and let sit for an hour. After applying the specified lubricant slide the
core back into its sheath. When near full insertion, the core may
need to be carefully rotated with the fingers to ensure that its square
end engages correctly with the cutting motor. Once the core is fully
inserted in the sheath, it can once again be snapped into the cutting
head...

The recommened lube was changed quite a while back.

sbyrd82
04-14-2008, 07:55 PM
Just for my piece of mind and for future reference, what is the nomal temp range on the flexshaft? What temp should I be concerned?

Kenm810
04-14-2008, 08:24 PM
The flex-shaft should feel warm to the touch but not uncomfortably hot, most run around 85 degrees, give or that 10 to 15 degrees.
Watch for hot spots, they're the first sign that you my have a problem.
Several folks including myself use hand held inferred thermometers it check the flex-shaft for over heating
along with the rest of the machines moving pasts.

sbyrd82
04-14-2008, 08:47 PM
I am sure that someone else has thought of this but just for the sake of arguement, why can't you ty-wrap a sensor to the flex and get a constant reading? I have digital themometer from Radio Shack that has a small bulb about 1 inch long and and 1/4 inch in diameter. Costs maybe 20 bucks. Could set high level alarm. Just a thought.

Steven Alford
04-14-2008, 08:49 PM
The flex-shaft should feel warm to the touch but not uncomfortably hot, most run around 85 degrees, give or that 10 to 15 degrees.
Watch for hot spots, they're the first sign that you my have a problem.
Several folks including myself use hand held inferred thermometers it check the flex-shaft for over heating
along with the rest of the machines moving pasts.

So you are saying that the temperature could be anywhere from 70 to 100 degrees??

Jeff_Birt
04-14-2008, 09:50 PM
Well, how warm is your shop? The shaft will NOT be cooler than that:p, so yes the temperature will vary by that much, but is should never be, say 120 F. If my shop was 95 F, I would suspect that the flexshaft would be 105-110 degrees F or so.

Woodpecker
12-17-2008, 09:23 AM
I have the unit down now to replace the chuck. What about taking the shaft housing off of the motor and cleaning the inside of the flex shaft housing before replacing the cable. This is to clean out the old lube. Is this necessary? What effect does this have on leaving the Liquid Wrench in there tthen adding the Moly lube? Will this cause other problems? It doesn't make any sense to mix the lubricants.
Thanks for a quick reply!
Woodpecker

mtylerfl
12-17-2008, 12:27 PM
Hello Woodpecker,

You have posted your message in the wrong place.

Please direct your questions about the machine and its components in the CarveWright Machine heading.

Woodpecker
12-17-2008, 08:19 PM
I think I got it, Thanks! It is all working fine after several Merlots and a who cares attitude. Thanks! The interesting part about this is the heat.When all else fails just follow the instructions.:D WOW! Hot Hot, Hot!
I know that is what my wife tells me always, read the instructions! I always listen to her. I have used the regular old Liquid wrench and it seems cool to the touch at this time. I will continue to carve and communicate. When I know what I am doing you will be the second to know. If the fire department or 911 is called then you will be third to know if this thing doesn't burn up. We can only hope??
Woodpecker.