Strange machine behavior

[JDPratt]

I haven't yet read about this problem, nor have I experienced it. While carving a multi-pattern carve on a single board, the machine carved two of the patterns and then while moving to the next carve, spit the board out of the other end. While it was moving the board prior to spitting it out, the LED screen read "carving pattern" (even though it was not). I went back to the computer, placed a zero depth carve region around the already carved patterns and restarted the carve. It then carved the first of the next three patterns and then did the same thing as it did the last time. Thoughts?

John

[atauer]

It sounds like the machine may be losing track of the board, or not even detecting the board. A picture of the project and the MPC file would really help determine the exact cause.

[Ike]

Have you checked to see if the board is the same thickness throughout the whole board?

Ike

[cnsranch]

Alex gets the ribbon.

At some point the tracking roller stops moving. The machine keeps rolling along, thinking the board's not moving, so it spits it out.

Gotta be the board since it happens at the same place.

Unless, or course, you try another board, and it does the same thing...........

[Digitalwoodshop]

My thinking since it was a repeatable problem that the memory card might have been maxed out.... This is just a WAG.... Thinking the machine was just doing what the card was telling it.... 3 projects on one board... How big was the project? How many other projects on the Card?

So then my standard first reply..... Did the board loose contact with the brass roller... Bump up against a "too high" forward out feed roller and raising the board off the brass roller...

AL

[JDPratt]

The board is square and true (joined, planed, and squared). The brass roller moves freely and of course I wouldn't disappoint Al, I always use tape (3M of course). See attached .mpc. It will end up being a sword and scabbard holder. The uncarved rectangular regions are just markers for me to use as spacers when laying everything out. I was thinking board too, but the LED display reads carving project while it is moving towards the spit out. When I uploaded and retried the carve it decided to spit it out at a different point after carving the third pattern. The first time it only carved the first two.

edit: this is the only project on the memorycard.

[cnsranch]

JD

Didn't I see a post from AW sometime back where you can read the roller's settings on the keypad as you move it manually to see if it's working properly?

[cnsranch]

Looked at your MPC - that can be a pretty heavy board - do you have additional support on the outfeed side for it? If not, AW could be right, and at some point the board is bending down to the point that the roller looses contact with the board.

[JDPratt]

Looked at your MPC - that can be a pretty heavy board - do you have additional support on the outfeed side for it? If not, AW could be right, and at some point the board is bending down to the point that the roller looses contact with the board.

Yep, I always use additional outfeed rollers when the board is longer than 2 feet. That is what has me so stumped. It seems that I took all the proper precautions and everything I check seems to be working properly in the calibrations menu. I will try another project in the morning on some cheaper wood. I can't keep going through Walnut to experiment or hope it works. I will try that project on my other machine after the new glue up dries and I get it milled down.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Some more thoughts....

Screws on the bottom of the machine going into the 4 smooth rails.... Keypad side loose??

Belt folded under at keypad side raising the board to loose contact with the brass roller.

Yes, if you call up the encoder data for the X it will read the brass roller. A loose plug or bad encoder would show up as a "All the time" problem... So we are back to the board lifting... Folded under belt or the smooth rails raising up with the rollers and cutter head.... I have had that...

Good Luck with the mornings project.

AL