Problems with my next carve

[Geophyrd]

I hate to be a complainer. I have yet to get one carve without a major problem. I'm making firewood and I don't even have a working fireplace.

This time, two problems occurred. First, the carve started ok, but about 1% in, it shifted the entire thing left ( when facing unit) and half an inch, then it carved perfectly until it was time to switch to 90degree bit. Then it popped me a y axis stall and stopped cold.

I didn't panic, went through the forum and discovered that I could do an air carve and that it would fix the tex, hopefully,next time thru. So I trie. It did not shift to the left this time and started carving over the carved area. No possible fix...going to have to start over. And the first carve, shifting set aside, was pretty much perfect. Sigh

[DocWheeler]

Do you recall any odd sounds about the time of the Y shift?
What was happening to me was the belt jumping the cogs.

This is a simple fix, but requires you to take off the top and back panel.
There is a machine-screw with a spring on it through the back (non-crank end)
holding tension on the Y belt, make sure it is tight.
Right above the cut-motor wiring is a screw that is also attached
to the bracket holding the idler gear for the Y belt.

First loosen this screw on the top and then tighten it back down.
This maintains the tension on the belt.
If it gets loose, the motor can pull hard enough to cause the
slackened belt to jump a cog or two.

After the jump, the motor uses the same instructions to move the BELT
to the same position as before, but the belt is now in a different place on the gear.

There may be other things going on, but I think that this is the likely problem.

EDIT: Feeling a little stupid right now - just saw this thread http://forum.carvewright.com/showthread.php?20371-Y-Axis-Trouble....

[bergerud]

Are you still having x feed rate problems? The first pictures you posted showed big jumps in the x direction. I am thinking that the y axis stalls could be a result of the board moving too fast in the x direction. This would give the bit too much to cut and hence the y stall. Did you say you have the rubber belts? Check that they are not messing with the brass roller.

[Geophyrd]

Are you still having x feed rate problems? The first pictures you posted showed big jumps in the x direction. I am thinking that the y axis stalls could be a result of the board moving too fast in the x direction. This would give the bit too much to cut and hence the y stall. Did you say you have the rubber belts? Check that they are not messing with the brass roller.

Actually, since I started taping the left side of the board (over the brass wheel) the x axis problems seem like they resolved. The board that carved was perfect in every way except that it was half an inch left of center and the y axis failure popped when I was changing bits. It occurs to me that the truck may have been trying to go to the sensor to check bit height, noticed that it couldn't go another half inch left and that may have popped the y axis failure. When I tried to rerun, it looks like it was working correctly and did not have the same problem. Now that I think about it, even if the text carve (centerline) had happened, it probably would have been off center by that same half inch.

I will mill another couple of boards tonight and see how they go.