Do you have a fix

[cwfreitas]

this was during the first carve I did after getting the machine back from having it serviced.

[PCW]

Is that a chuck missing from it? What happen a lighting bolt hit it?:confused:

[cwfreitas]

no the mACHINE caught fire during a carving, and caught my garage on fire, and tons of smoke damage.

[c6craig]

Do you know how yet? I see rain in the background, did water get on it while it was carving and cause a short?

Craig

PS - Sorry to hear of the damage..

[swhitney]

Ooooo. sorry to hear of your misfortune .....

[Ike]

this was during the first carve I did after getting the machine back from having it serviced.

What were you doing when the fire started? What bit were you using and what material? Did it happen while using the cutting bit?

Wow I have never seen this before, I am so sorry to see and hear this.

Ike

[chebytrk]

What's kinda wierd about this is that there was a time once that I was carving a project and I kept smelling something like burning wood as the project was finishing it's carving around the project. When it finished, I took the board out and was using my vacuum hose to get the dust out. I then noticed a burning ember in between the two roller belts (on the plastic). The ember was bright as I held the hose on it trying to see what it was and if the vacuum would suck it up. Anyway I took the hose away and touched it with my finger and burnt the heck out of it cause the plastic had melted in the one spot and had now gotten on my finger. After I made sure it was not burning anymore and let it cool down. I also wound up having to scrape the burnt spot some so my "slide rail" could move passed it. I then rechecked the just finished board and noticed that the bit was cutting thru a knot in the wood in that area and I suspected that it might have had "pitch?" in it? Because when I placed the board back in the same position in the CW, the burn spot corresponded with the burn plastic spot on the CW. Anyway, all is fine now and as I said, I had to scrape down the burn spot (smaller than a dime) so my slide rail could slide passed it for smaller width boards (the spot was close to the middle in between the roller belts). Maybe something similar happened to your machine? I'm now careful not to get boards with too many knots in it ..... lesson learned. Does this make any sense to you guys? Maybe it's just me... Oh, I also got rid of my cutting bit cause I noticed that it was kinda black too and thought something might be wrong with it. Of course now I make sure that my bits are cleaned after a couple of carves on ANY project. Just things to learn along the way I guess.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Sorry to hear about your fire.....

I had kinked my Flex Shaft internal spring once and when I started carving the smoke detector went off above the machine. The Shaft was twisting inside the kinked spring and the metal to metal melted the rubber flex shaft.

Makes my posting yesterday about the cut motor exhaust into the dust collection a little more interesting.

AL

[CarverJerry]

Al, you have a very good point on that cut motor exhause....as I have mine going back inside the machine to help dust and chips stay moving so it can get sucked up. One thing I've got going is when my machine is running it is in an enclosed block fruit celler....not much can burn there except the machine and dust collector.

CJ

[cwfreitas]

I was using a cutting bit on clear pine.

[PCW]

no the mACHINE caught fire during a carving, and caught my garage on fire, and tons of smoke damage.

Sorry to hear about the fire and only hope no one was injured.

This kind of thing happened about two months ago to another member. If I remember right he wasn't using any dust collection and running a mdf board and it cause a spark and he had a small fire. He was lucky enough to catch it before it got to far along.

The fire started by the swing out arm and burnt the X plastic gears and the gear cover. Not a total loss as in your case.

This is why it is not a good idea to leave a machine unattended for any extended time. Not saying this was your case but just a heads up for others.

Hope all works out for you.

Posted 3/12/2010 (http://forum.carvewright.com/showthread.php?t=14798&page=5)

http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo54/pcwholesale/CarveWright%20Machine%20Photos/attachment.jpg

[Ike]

I was using a cutting bit on clear pine.

Al, has mentioned cutting pine and it getting hot enough to smoke. How old was your bit? Was it an LHR? I ask because I have Ron's 1/8th cutting bit and have used it without any problems. I have drop it and it was fine, I dropped my new LHR cutting bit and it broke.

Wow I am so sorry to see this and what are you going to do? Of course in the manual it states,

"NEVER LEAVE A RUNNING TOOL UNATTENDED. Turn the power off and do not leave
the tool until it comes to a complete stop."

I am guilty of letting the machine run while being out of the shop. Makes me rethink doing it again.

I too hope nobody was hurt or any other damage to any other of your stuff in the garage. I hope your home owner insurance will cover this incident and get you a new CW.

If there is anything I can do just ask.
Ike

[CarverJerry]

Ike, carbide is very hard and brittle, I have broken bits (end mills) 3/8 dia just by bumping it while using a hammer on a milling machine, doesn't take much to snap it or chip a flute (cutting edge).
I would suspect that he had a dull bit to top things off and by the looks of the one picture PCW posted there is a lot of dust laying around. Another good reason for a GOOD Vacuum. Just my 2¢ worth. Just hope everyone is ok.

CJ

[Digitalwoodshop]

I am guilty of running my machine in the wood shop next to the Laser Shop listening to it on the Intercom. I do have a smoke detector above the machine.

I see the day when I wall mount the machine and wire a smoke detector into the cover switch to stop the machine when the detector sounds and with the I Switch the Dust Collector will stop 7 seconds later....

I will also wire a remote cover switch in the laser shop in case I hear something unusual I can stop the machine from here.

Coupled with a future video camera and audio it will be safer. I no longer go to the house for meals and listen on the intercom. It is not worth the extra risk. I am not that busy.

Fire is serious business....

AL