are we having fun?

[eelamb]

saga for today!
doing a 2 sided carving, board 21x7 red oak, using masking tape on edges.
board #1
my fault put wrong depth in MPC, scrap this board
Board #2
fixed MPC, carved back, turned board over, O-ring broke. replaced O-ring, possible board removal, kept feeding board out of machine. Changed the MPC to remove back side, and started over. Somehow I removed the height setting, started carving too deep. Scrap board #2
Board #3
checked original MPC, made sure it was right, and back has carved, and flipped the board.
Tracking error, sandpaper belt split. Found the belt split on the seam, cut belt off past split. Loaded board. Again possible board removal, wrong size (continue), clear board sensor. Reloaded board again, and now it is carving the front side. Will post later as to progress, and show images if it all works out right.

Did notice it was measuring the board short by about .4 inches, figured I would have to recalibrate, now I am not so sure since the belt rolled up. It was most likely the cause of measurement error. So I am hoping it carves right. But board #3 may be scrap too.

[TerryT]

Eddie,
I know how you feel. We have all had days like that! I hope it gets better soon.

[eelamb]

Front is almost carved now. does lool like alignment of front and back is not good. Back was to remove excess wood only. It may be OK as long as it does not misalign enough to cut into the front pattern. Will know in about 30 minutes. I am carving the 2 sided horse pattern I post on the forum.

[eelamb]

Here is the outcome of the carve. As expected the back carve did not align. So some work to fix that. This is after bandsawing them out of the board, and a little fuzzy removal. Not real bad, i will need to enlarge the ears of the model some.

3487734878

[gwhiz]

I just had a similar experience today. I'm carving a two sided horse corbel--first carve after installing the Carvetight chuck. While I was installing the Carvetight I thought to myself that it'd be a good time to lube the flexshaft--but naturally I didn't do it 'cause I was on a roll and wanted to see how the Carvetight perform. Started carving and checked the flexshaft after a while--sure enough it was hot. Stopped the carve and lubed the flexshaft. After reinstalling I started it up again.

When I flipped the board it started to measure and I realized that I'd place the blank incorrectly on the sled so the two sides would be somewhat misaligned. Opened it, took the sled out and repositioned the blank--and the machine kept feeding the board out of the machine. I eventually stopped it and started a new carve on blank #2. I'll 'fix' the MPC and carve the front of blank #1 when #2 is done.

Update: Blank#2 was about 1 1/2" into carving the second side when the power went out. Guess I'll be carving the front side of two blanks tomorrow--I hope they line up!

-George

[Smoken D]

Well, might as well embarrass myself. Probably old hat to most of ya, but was a new one on me. Found out today that lacquer melts plastic. Have the Neo Classic Box and the Patriot box finished and thought I would use my HVLP spray lacquer on the both of them at once. Don't have a metal container only plastic ones and have not used lacquer in it. Put the lacquer in screwed on the container, started a test spray and everything started going everywhere. The plastic canister fell off and lacquer everywhere. Tried again in a hurry and same results. Still have lacquer all over my hands, ain't gonna tell you what happened to the container and the rest of the lacquer.
Prior to this tried carving out a cribbage board and the eagle in it didn't come out very well. So, changed that and carved again this time with great success. Anyway day wasn't a complete loss. Try again tomorrow.

[TerryT]

Wow. Thats weird. I mix my laquer in a plastic jug. Have done it for years. I spray with a 20 ounce spray cup made of plastic with no problems. What kind of plastic was it, do you know?

[jaroot]

OK I'll jump on board... We got our machine a while back and had varying success with carvings. Retainer clip fell out twice. Second time I reinstalled it myself and dimpled the z-truck to keep it there. Seemed to work. Adapter on the carving bit is all chewed up from either my mishandling of the QC or a bad QC not sure which. Anyway we have decided to order a carvetight as soon as money permits, in the mean time if I was careful and aligned the carving bit the correct way it would engage tightly in the QC. So far so good. I had made a couple of racks for paint cans and had all of these great little circles that the CW cut out of the holder. So I'm thinking these would be great for a TIC TAC TOE board, so I fired up designer and developed a board and laid out a jig to hold the circles so I could carve the X and O on them. Started to carve the jig 3/4" "holes" 3" diameter into a 1" board. Everything is going great. CW starts to cut the second hole and the cutting bit breaks. Not all that surprising as it has been dropped a dozen times. Now we have a dilemma. I need a cutting bit. We don't trust the z-truck to retain the bearing and we don't have the cash to buy the carvetight yet. I need to finish a bunch of frames for a scout training camp and I need a cutting bit for that. So I order the bit, finish the frames and do another centerline sign. My mom calls and said that a friend of hers really liked the bread board that I made for her and that she would like to buy one just like it. I start carving the bread board which is all centerline and it comes out just terrible! It appears that the bit is just wobbling everywhere. Tried several bits and all the same, they just don't tighten up right. It appears the the QC is done. So now I've got a cutting bit with about 50" of cutting on it and never to be used again. Gosh I love this machine!

Well the machine is down now until we can afford the CT and I've got a practically new QC Cutting bit for sale.

But, I really do love this thing! :)

[dbfletcher]

If your dead set on the Carvetight, I think your right , you wont be able to use your current cutting bit. I think they said you need to use the ones with pressed on collars from LHR. However, if you chose to go with the rock, you would still be able to use all your current bits. Just something to consider. Either the Rock or the Carvetight should greatly improve you machine.

[jaroot]

If your dead set on the Carvetight, I think your right , you wont be able to use your current cutting bit. I think they said you need to use the ones with pressed on collars from LHR. However, if you chose to go with the rock, you would still be able to use all your current bits. Just something to consider. Either the Rock or the Carvetight should greatly improve you machine.

We would have gone with the Rock accept that we don't trust the z truck to stay together. I think that the run out problems are all in the QC but I'm not sure so replacing the whole thing seems to make more sense, giving that the retainer has fallen out of our current z truck twice. (LHR repaired once, I repaired it the second time.) If I had faith in the retainer staying inplace and the bearing firmly and totally inplace it would be a no brainer to get the Rock. The whole idea of paying $40 for a $10 bit seems ludicrus but I would hate to install the Rock only to have the z-truck puke again.

[dbfletcher]

Good point. I glossed over that part of your post. In that case the CT is probably your best option.

[hess]

Wow. Thats weird. I mix my laquer in a plastic jug. Have done it for years. I spray with a 20 ounce spray cup made of plastic with no problems. What kind of plastic was it, do you know?

maybe it melts cetrain types of cheap plastc but I have 4 vey high $ guns for auto paint they have some plastic cups

[Smoken D]

Don't know what type of plastic. Here is the link to the Rockler replacement Cup. The lettering on the outside of the cup also melted.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17931&filter=HVLP

I was using Behlen Qualalacq Lacquer which is manufactured at spray viscosity.
I did have a heck of a time getting the top off which required prying to get it. But, I was gonna keep it in the replacement cup and tag it with the sticker that came with the cup. Oh Well.

I just read the reviews on the cups from this web site. Seems probably when I purchased the cups there were some that did not fit resulting with the same problem I had. I Have had these cups for a few years and there was an editors note to contact them for a replacement cup. Think I will do that tomorrow.

[TerryT]

Good, I'm glad they will replace them. Man that could have been disastrous! To almost quote one of my favorite comedians ..... all I wanted was a smooth "finish" not a self sacrifice!

[Kenm810]

I just saw this review about some of the older plastic cups.


7) Submitted by Stephen Study, from League City, TX on 9/19/2007

Customer Rating: http://images.rockler.com/images/special/Stars10.gif
I just purchased 3 of the replacement cups for the sprayer (Item #61577)that I bought a year or so back. LOVE the sprayer. HATE the replacement cups. They appear to be just a shade too small at the threads. It is the dickens to get them tight enough not to leak when the HVLP sprayer is powered up and the cup pressurizes. If you attempt to get them tight enough the threads "pop" and you start he process over. Of course at this point you have paint all over you and the floor. If you can find just the right amount of pressure to twist the cup on with that allows the cup to seal to the sprayer and not "pop" the threads you can begin spraying. BUT BE GENTLE! Even light shaking "pops" the cups loose with the attendant paint being blown everywhere by the pressure in the cup. :( I'm very disappointed with this purchase.

Editor's note: Rockler has researched this issue and believe that the problem was isolated (possibly from one manufacturing lot) and we believe that current cups no longer display the issue that has been described. We have contacted the manufacturer and changes have been made to insure the product performs correctly. This does not effect current stock.

[Smoken D]

Ken,
Was glad I read the reviews also. I got the HVLP from Rockler around 3 years ago and have not used the replacement cups I got with it till yesterday. Apparently I also got the poorly threaded cups and is why it popped off shooting the lacquer all over me and everywhere. I was so glad I tested it no where near my projects. At least I did something right for a change and glad to know the problem was probably not my fault. Yea right :)

[Smoken D]

:) Contacted rockler today and have 2 new replacement cups on the way no charge.:)
I did purchase the machine in 07 along with the cups and I had the problem ones. Now that's good business. Only out the quart of lacquer. Will be at the grizzly store Wednesday:)

[Kenm810]

Shhhhhh--- Don't tell anyone,
But - years ago I inadvertently pluged a 120lb. air line into one of my low pressure spray cups.

I looked like the Jolly Green Giant for most of that afternoon. -- :mrgreen: