250 Maintenance Requirements

[chief2007]

Not wanting to miss anything, One of my machine is up for its 250 hour "tune-up"

Things to be accomplished:

Y bearings changed, A/C Motor brushes changed , Inspect, Clean and Lube the entire unit

Anyone think of anything else that needs to be accomplished?

Main reason for putting this out there is to make sure the newer carvers are aware of the maintenance requirements

[unitedcases]

I always soak and lube the flexshaft just for the simple fact that it can drain while I am doing the 250 hr maintenance cycle.

[fspearman1]

is there a listing of maint schedule and what needs to be done?

[chebytrk]

Maybe … just Maybe…. LHR techs could(with a little help from senior members here) come up with a 250, 500, & 750 hours PM (preventive maintenance) checkkist. I think that would be a "Win-Win" for everyone. We could then kinda discuss it during our upcoming seminar (during maintenance topic) for tweaking the list for all CW users.

[Digitalwoodshop]

JerryB, Fantastic !!!!! Wish I was going.... 250, 500, and 750.... GREAT IDEA....

Chief2007, I think you have the full list.... Can't think of anything to add....

AL

[chebytrk]

Hey Al,
Can you give me a list recommendation? I'll add to it & start getting input from others here and take the list with me to get some feedback. Let's try & start a 250hr PM list & see how it moves on from there. What you think?

JerryB


JerryB, Fantastic !!!!! Wish I was going.... 250, 500, and 750.... GREAT IDEA....

Chief2007, I think you have the full list.... Can't think of anything to add....

AL

[Digitalwoodshop]

PM tomorrow... Almost Midnight... Quitting time...

At some point the Drill Rod Rails should be removed, cleaned and inspected... Any Pitting or Burrs... Either Rotate the Rod or replace... I suspect anyone who cuts the new Pressure Treated with it's Steel Eating Chemicals might need this one sooner...

Great Idea....

AL

[chief2007]

Will work to put it into a spread sheet, thought of one to at least inspect that would be the Z and Y truck bearings, I found one bearing frozen up and another getting ready to on the Y truck when I was doing my 250 hour tune up.

Any recommendations as to a time change on these or is it the "when it happens" time change.

[bergerud]

Maybe there should be two different check lists: for with or without dust collection. If you do not have dust collection, then much more of a check and clean up is required. The y and z bearings for example. I remember, for another example, having to take the x drive and sand paper belt systems apart and clean out the dust at around 250 hours. The bearings in the x rollers get dust in them. It should not be required again since I now have dust collection.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Maybe there should be two different check lists: for with or without dust collection. If you do not have dust collection, then much more of a check and clean up is required. The y and z bearings for example. I remember, for another example, having to take the x drive and sand paper belt systems apart and clean out the dust at around 250 hours. The bearings in the x rollers get dust in them. It will should not be required again since I now have dust collection.

GOOD ONE.... Clean the X Gearbox...... I am drawing a blank to other stuff.... Unless you check the tightness of Screws... Like the cover Switch Screws... And YES.... One for With a Dust Collector and One without....

AL

[Ducky63]

I'll be watching this one because I have about 250 hrs. on my machine. I do have a dust collector on mine. I have the carvetight spindle & sand paper belts. When I was at LHR in December I ordered the Y bearing but the other day I looked & I didn't have the bearings but did have the bearing covers so I'll have to get them later.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Dust Covers go on the Y Roller Rail Bearings.... The 250 Hours Recommendation is for the Y Gear Box Inner Bearings... Little bearings.... They support the big plastic gear shaft and that long Y Belt... They get beat up pretty bad as the work load is heavy... Don't expect to ever have to replace the Z Bearings...

http://www.avidrc.com/product/1/bearings/170/5x11x5-Metal-685ZZ-bearings.html Or buy Local...

AL

[unitedcases]

Below is a copy of what I have posted above my carvewright. It has served me well. Every carve I vacuum well and just added some DC so the "100" cycle may actually disappear for me. I have the excel doc on my computer but it said that 8.8 kb was too big. I also added a spreadsheet that I keep track of all my parts, iow once I order a part once I put the part number in and then sort of watch the stock and once it gets low I order more and using this list I have it in front of me so that way I can try and bolster shipping prices by adding other small items.




100 Hrs


250 Hrs
Change Cut Motor Brushes
500 Hrs
Change "Z" Motor Bushings



Blow out encoder


Change "Y" Motor Bushings

"100" Hr Cycle



Thorough Vacuum


Oil Vertical and Horizontal Bearings

"250 Hr Cycle"







Soak and Lube Flexshaft











Re-Grease all Cogs











"100 Hr Cycle"

[chebytrk]

How about...
1. Check/Inspect Top Hat 2. Clean/Lube(dry?) Kick plate 2. XDrive & sand paper belt systems cleanout(W/O DC System). 3. Inspect/Check Belt Tension on Y rail. 4. Drill Rod Rails removed/cleaned/inspected (rotate or replace if needed)... based on AlWho's recommendation.
I don't know what "Hrs" block these would belong under.


Below is a copy of what I have posted above my carvewright. It has served me well. Every carve I vacuum well and just added some DC so the "100" cycle may actually disappear for me. I have the excel doc on my computer but it said that 8.8 kb was too big. I also added a spreadsheet that I keep track of all my parts, iow once I order a part once I put the part number in and then sort of watch the stock and once it gets low I order more and using this list I have it in front of me so that way I can try and bolster shipping prices by adding other small items.




100 Hrs



250 Hrs

Change Cut Motor Brushes

500 Hrs

Change "Z" Motor Bushings




Blow out encoder



Change "Y" Motor Bushings


"100" Hr Cycle




Thorough Vacuum



Oil Vertical and Horizontal Bearings


"250 Hr Cycle"








Soak and Lube Flexshaft












Re-Grease all Cogs












"100 Hr Cycle"

[Digitalwoodshop]

Good Stuff !!!!

AL

[unitedcases]

1. I would add the Top hat on 250 because you are pulling the flexshaft for relube.
2. I would lube the kick plate every 250 just because all that takes is a small shot of bicycle wax and it lasts just short of forever.
3. The Y rail belt tension would be 250 as well because you are pulling that Y motor anyway so checking and resetting tension would be a snap.
4. Drill Rod rails every 500 because the Z motor bushings are getting changed.
New table reflects as such…..


100 Hrs

Blow out encoder


250 Hrs

Change Cut Motor Brushes

500 Hrs

Change "Z" Motor Bushings




Thorough Vacuum



Change "Y" Motor Bushings


"100" Hr Cycle








Oil Vertical and Horizontal Bearings


"250 Hr Cycle"








Soak and Lube Flexshaft


Inspect Drill Rod Rails








Re-Grease all Cogs












"100 Hr Cycle"












Check/Inspect Top Hat












Lube Kickplate












Set Y Rail Tension









How about...
1. Check/Inspect Top Hat 2. Clean/Lube(dry?) Kick plate 2. XDrive & sand paper belt systems cleanout(W/O DC System). 3. Inspect/Check Belt Tension on Y rail. 4. Drill Rod Rails removed/cleaned/inspected (rotate or replace if needed)... based on AlWho's recommendation.
I don't know what "Hrs" block these would belong under.

[chebytrk]

We're lookin' good on the Maintenance Chart.......... Come on team... any more suggestions/recommendations?

[Digitalwoodshop]

I would like to add that when the Cut Motor Brushes are replaced every 250 Cut Hours that the case be opened and the sawdust blown out.... Since the back part of the Motor Fan sucks Dust through the machine, entering a the brushes via the slits in the case and out the muffler... Yes, it is a daunting task... But it can be MASTERED..... A HOT Motor could turn the Wood Dust into burning embers in you SHOP.... SO FAR that has NOT happened... But an ounce of Prevention....

AL

[mtylerfl]

Confused...there is a reference to "drill rod rails" - what are those and where are they on a CW machine??

[Digitalwoodshop]

The Rails that the Z and Y ride on are actually Hardened DRILL RODS.... Pretty SLICK if I must say.... Since they are Hardened Steel they can rust and PIT... IF you remove the Truck the Rails will FALL OUT...

AL

[mtylerfl]

The Rails that the Z and Y ride on are actually Hardened DRILL RODS.... Pretty SLICK if I must say.... Since they are Hardened Steel they can rust and PIT... IF you remove the Truck the Rails will FALL OUT...

AL

Ok, now I know what the reference was! Never knew they were called "drill" rods...that's where the confusion came in. I've just always called 'em rails. NOTE: Out of curiousity, I checked the CW Parts List to see what they call them...Part #143 Z-Track Roller Rod and Part #40 Y-Track Roller Rod

[mtylerfl]

My "regular" maintenance is pretty much just these...

1) Clean, blow out, vacuum machine thoroughly after each use (including wiping off rails, pressure rollers and checking for nice "clicks" when squished up & down to make sure the roller switches are clean)

2) Put hand on flexshaft after first few minutes of carving, and a couple times more until done (checking for heat - there never is any)

3) Lube 4 posts and bit plate before each project run, also wipe a little dry lube on the z and y rails with a finger - spray a little on finger - wipe on fast (in sections) before it evaporates

4) Be observant before and during setup of a project - watch for anything that might need attention (head lowers evenly, lid switches clicking normally)

5) Be observant during project runs - "checking-in" every so often during long carving runs - sit/stand/work nearby during final cutpath cutouts

6) Change motor brushes when required (changed my first ones at 374 hours...but, they were well-worn and probably should have been changed earlier to be safe)

[CarverJerry]

FYI.....The reason some people call these drill rods is they are made out of the same material as drill and other round tools are made from, it is tool steel, and are very precision made. Drill rod can be purchased in different diameters and cut to any length.

[mtylerfl]

FYI.....The reason some people call these drill rods is they are made out of the same material as drill and other round tools are made from, it is tool steel, and are very precision made. Drill rod can be purchased in different diameters and cut to any length.

Thanks, Jerry. I had the feeling it must be something along those lines - I'm "dumb" about standard industry terminology for things like that. I've not been exposed much to that side of the tooling trades.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Never thought to measure them.... But I bet they are metric...

AL

[chief2007]

Thought of something else, clean the interior of the flex shaft housing.

When I re-lube my flex shaft, I noticed that the spring was worn and missing an end off of it, so I took a gun cleaning kit rod - (.22/.410 works good) and cleaned out the interior of the shaft, and out popped the end piece of the spring.

I used Liquid Wrench Dry lube on the cleaning clothes when cleaning out the shaft - didn't want residue to make its way into the top hat and into the spindle bearings.

I have a spare flex shaft so I compared the two springs, the one that is worn is about 4 inches shorter than a new one.

Will the shorter spring make much difference with the flex shaft?

[ladjr]

Just reading the list and the pictures has been a learning experience for me. I think you have the making of a great maintenance manual.

[CarverJerry]

Al, I think they are 7 mm in dia. I didn't take one off but got a reading of about .272 which is close to 7mm (.276). Most of the things on the machine are metric so I also agree that they are metric.

[chief2007]

Other than LHR is there another source to purchase the roller bearings for the Z and Y trucks - the fixed bearing.

I have the source for the Y motor bearings.

[Digitalwoodshop]

The Roller Bearings are Metric so I would believe that getting them from LHR would be best.

AL

[chief2007]

Thanks Al and I did,

I am going to order some spares to keep on hand. That is the one thing I am missing from my spares kit I keep on hand. I was just wondering because there are other sources for the Y motor bearings.

Another forum user asked if there were a pictured lube chart - thought that might be a good addition to the 250 Hour Maintenance Chart. We might add a suggested spare parts kits for our users to keep on hand as well

Recommendations for Spares Kit: Flat Cable, Y Belt, Y Motor Bearings, Z Belt, Flex shaft, Both Cover Switches, Brushes, Board Sensor, Roller Bearings and screws.

[unitedcases]

Are you guys in my computer? Here is what I have...



QTY
NAME
PART NUMBER
PRICE
REMARKS


1
Y Sprocket
MWMA2073
$6.00



6
Cut Motor Brushes
CB001
$5.00
Sold as a set


0
Controller
MWMA2065
$303.00



1
X-Drive Gear
MWMA2129
$14.00



2
FFC Cable/14 pin
MWMC1028
$3.00



0
Flexshaft Core
MWMP1044
$35.00



0
Z Motor
A907
$40.00



0
RPM Sensor
MWMA2064
$5.00



1
Traction Belts
MWMA2119
$16.50
Sold as a set


14
Y&Z Motor Bushings
kit768
$24.95
Sold as a set of 10, WWW.VXB.COM


0
Cut Motor Brush Caps

?



0
Board Sensor

?



8
Board Tracking Sensor O-Ring

$2.00
Set of 10, Lowes, O.D. 7/16,I.D. 5/16


0
Y Belt Tensioner Assy

?



0
Cut Motor

?



1
Z Truck Eccentric Bearing (adjustable)
MWMA2020
?



1
Z Truck Non-Eccentric Bearing
MWMA2021
?



2
Z Truck Bearing Screws
SCMM-5.0-0.80FA-14AB-SP
?





Obviously this is more of my excel doc. I have conditional formatting on the left hand numbers which will actually turn red if the number gets below 2. Every so often I just take inventory. Any part that I have ever ordered is listed and I just put the corresponding prices and part numbers for the time. If anyone can help me figure out how to upload an excel doc, I will put it out there for all to use.

[CNC Carver]

52490

You can save excel as a Text(Tab delimited) .txt then people can just copy and past into excel.

[fwharris]

Just came across something that might need to be added to the check list. Got a phone this afternoon from on of my local guys. He was getting Z stall errors on a frequent bases. After going through the have you done this and that I jumped in the truck and ran over to his shop.

Inspection on the Z truck found that at the lower end of the Z movement the truck would hang up. Almost felt like the bearings were hitting an obstruction. Took the truck off and all bearing were free wheeling. Inspection of the rails showed a very shinny spot on both at the same level. Worn spots from doing repetitive carvings of basically the same depth and height settings. He makes and sells cremation urns


(http://bigurn.com/Home_Page.html)
We rotated the rails and all movement smooth as new..

[chief2007]

That sounds like something to add to the list for sure. I ran steel wool over my rails then applied a light film of silicone lube, but will go back and rotate as well.

[fspearman1]

That sounds like something to add to the list for sure. I ran steel wool over my rails then applied a light film of silicone lube, but will go back and rotate as well.

I've seen this reply about adding to the list several times.
Is there really going to be a list and how might one get it?
Also much discussion about lubricating "z-rail,y-bearing" etc. Is there a diagram that points out these items that need to be lubricated? I don't think I want to start spraying stuff inside the machine when I don't know what I'm spraying.

[fwharris]

I've seen this reply about adding to the list several times.
Is there really going to be a list and how might one get it?
Also much discussion about lubricating "z-rail,y-bearing" etc. Is there a diagram that points out these items that need to be lubricated? I don't think I want to start spraying stuff inside the machine when I don't know what I'm spraying.

Frank,

the Y and Z rails are what the truck moves on, left to right - up and down and the bearings. I do not recommend spraying directly into the machine. I apply all of my lubes to a rag and then wipe it on to the areas.

CNC and UnitedCases have posted a great start here...

[Digitalwoodshop]

A Failed to Start, Stalled Cut Motor the other day turned into a all day 250 hour maintenance window.... I had to tap on the cut motor at the final bit change to get the cut motor to start again... So after the project finished and with 3 new signs to cut... time for some Maintenance.... My other 3 machines have pieces missing so I decided to do the big maintenance on my favorite machine.

I was on my 5th set of Cut Motor Brushes on this 1000 + Hour Machine and the worn out cut into the Copper Commutator was pretty deep.... I opened the cover and in the process snapped off a Stator Lead... Pulled out a backup motor and opened it and it had a pinched wire and a soldered wire where I broke my wire... Even the power lead had heat shrink on it... Looked UGLY... I passed on it for today and pulled a motor from another machine that turned out to be a new motor so I used that in the end.

So here is my Reader Digest Version of the 250 hour maintenance window.

UN Plug the machine. Leave a Memory Card in the machine to protect the Male Pins of the Memory Card jack on the Computer end from wood chips getting into the gaps and bending the pins.

Remove the Flex Shaft from the Z Truck and Tape the end to prevent the core or spring from falling out.... Remove the Top cover then remove the Flex Shaft from the Cut Motor.

With Machine unplugged, Remove the bottom cover from the machine and form the top down blow or vacuum out the machine of Wood Chips checking all the nooks and crannies...

Remove the 2 bolts in the smooth rails on the top of the Key Pad side of the machine and the 2 outside side plate screws. VERY GENTLY remove the Keypad Side Cover and lay it down in front of the machine being careful not to DAMAGE the Keypad Cable.

Push each side of the rubber rollers up and with a air gun, blow out all impacted wood chips. Wood Chips build up on the roller resting plate like Filo Dough in layers and eventually prevent the roller switch from showing un compressed. Clean 4 ends...

Using Chain Lube, Clean and Lubricate the 2 Vertical Jacking Screws and the 4 smooth rails working the machine up and down. Check that the Screws on the bottom of the machine going into the 4 Smooth Rails are tight.

Replace the Keypad Side cover.

In the process of pulling out the flex earlier, I was snapping up the Z to un seat the outer jacket of the flex and I stripped the big plastic gear in the Z Gear box from the servo inertia... Lucky I had bought a few last year... This is the first time that has ever happened. I removed the 2 screws in the top hat and was able to pull the top cover and set it aside. I found after removing the ball bearing that a ridge of rust had built up in the groove in the flex... I put masking tape over the Flex End Core so the CORE or SPRING would not fall out.... Removed Flex from the Cut Motor and set it aside... Later I pulled the Core and Spring and ran a .22 Cleaning Rod and Swab through the outer shell removing the gunk before re installing it.

Removed the Z Motor and replaced the Z Gear Box Plastic Gear that I had stripped and blew out the Encoder. I used Masking Tape to seal the Gear Box Plastic cover. I also adjusted the Meshing of the Z Motor to the new Gear checking for smoothness and proper meshing.

Removed the Z Truck and found a Frozen Rail Bearing I did not know about... It was sliding on the rail... Replaced the Roller Bearing and cleaned and lubricated all 4 roller bearings.

Cleaned and lubricated the Z return cog pulley, checked the 2 screws holding the Z Belt to the Z Truck and
Inspected the Z Belt.

Removed the 2 Z Rail Rods and cleaned and lubricated them with chain lube.

Removed the Y Servo Motor and Gear Box. Replaced the Y Gear Box Bearings, blew out the Y Encoder cleaned and lubricated the Y return cog pulley. Checked the screws holding the belt to the Y and inspected the Y Belt. Cleaned and Inspected the Y Roller Rails and lubricated with Chain Lube.

Found a Frozen Y Rail Bearing that I did not know about.... Replaced the bad bearing and cleaned and lubricated the roller rail bearings. Inspected the Board Sensor since it was handy... Had a NEW Glued Version of the board detector and could see dust inside the window. Using a knife, I cut the plastic glued bump from the back of board detector and using tweezers was able to pull the window out and cleaned it. Blew out the LED area with air and installed the window. Placed the Plastic cover back on the board detector and covered it with Masking Tape to seal it, catching the edge of the plastic lens too.

Saw that the plastic cover over the wires to the board sensor was bent open and the wires were starting to slide down along the sharp edge of the Y Truck... Removed the top part of the plastic cover and after blowing out all the dust in the cable slot, covered the slot with Masking Tape after inspecting the wires for cuts. Remember a Shorted Wire Here will give you a Zero board Sensor Reading and even a OPEN COVER due to a Short Circuit effecting the computer.

Re Install the Y Return Pulley Assembly with the Spring Screw and the top screw that also holds the cut motor wire cover.

Re Install the Y Truck. My trick for adjusting the bearings is to mark the FLAT on the Bearing Nut that will be facing out when fully closed or fully pinching the rails. I have used Nail Polish, White Out and even Scratched the face to mark it..... Today I found the best way.... Using a small drill bit.... Mark a Dimple Hole in that face... The face closest to the screw hole... This face of the nut will face OUT when the bearing is pinched on the rails. The Hole is easier to see, especially on the Z Bearings.... The Y is Easy to see just by looking at the back of the bearing BUT with the COVER ON... The Dimple in the FACE of the Nut is easier to see later looking down through the slots with the cover on inspecting that it did not loosen and rotate.

So my trick to not strip the screw head, with the wrench holding bearing nut with the bearing in the fully pinched position. Snug up the screw and move the Y to check for binding then back OFF 1/8 of a turn of the wrench. Re Snug the Screw and holding the screw tighten the nut with the wrench. I ended up doing this a few times going back and forth between the 2 bearings and moving the Axis checking for binding. I did not use any lock tite.... LHR recommends that you DO use Lock Tite.... With the Dimple in the Bearing Nut Face, I can monitor the bearings for tightness.

I then reinstalled the Y Motor making sure it was CENTERED in the U Shaped Frame Cutout.

I ended up replacing the Sand Paper Belts and that is a easy task following the LHR Instructions.

I inspected the FSC Cable and it was UGLY... Lots of nicks and sharp bends. I replaced it with a new one. I consider this a Consumable.... I am thinking that every 500 hours it should be replaced just for the heck of it. Lay the new one on the old one to get the bends marked to be sure you don't have it flipped and end up with the contacts facing the wrong way. And that Black Cap on the Z Motor Circuit Board is IMPORTANT... Always Replace it.... I forgot it once and it let the FSC Cable sag and SNAGGED the Y Motor Cooling Fins and Jerked it out under power.... IT FRIED the Z MOTOR pulling the cable out at an angle under power.... I don't use GLUE to hold the FSC Cable to the black cover, I use a strip of Masking Tape... Remember I have Stock in Masking Tape.... Buy Masking Tape.... :)

Re Install the Cut Motor and attach the Cleaned Flex Shaft.

Install the BOTTOM and Top cover and remember the White Wire from the Cover Switch wire bundle faces the center of the machine when plugging it in.

Plug in Machine.... I install a 11.25 inch wide board in the machine and turn it on with a memory card installed. It should home properly after selecting a project. I have a project on the card to let me do a bit change and be sure the Cut Motor Starts.

I turn the power off and with a bit in the machine, push the head down on the left edge of the board and turn on the power again. Select Options and Sensor Data and Z Data.... The Z should read 0000. This is touching the left side of the board... Now pick up the head and slide the Y to the other end of the board and push the head down on the board. I got a 0000 on the left and a 0001 on the right... That is GREAT.... This is checking the HEAD LEVEL.... IF the readings are NOT the SAME... Under the machine remove or loosen a screw holding the Cross Connect Shaft that transfers the hand crank to the far side and adjust only one jacking screw to get the readings the same or CLOSE... Re Install the Screw in the Cross Connect Shaft and Screw. RE TEST.....

With all that I did a quick Project Test Cut to be sure the machine is working properly.... Remember if the Machine is NOT working properly, remember what you DID.... Any Loose or not connected plugs?

My Saturday project will be cutting 3 signs if all goes well and making Fire Tags.. I am SO far BEHIND.... Life, Death, Health and Taxes have been getting in the way of Production....

AL

[badbert]

A Failed to Start, Stalled Cut Motor the other day turned into a all day 250 hour maintenance window.... I had to tap on the cut motor at the final bit change to get the cut motor to start again... So after the project finished and with 3 new signs to cut... time for some Maintenance.... My other 3 machines have pieces missing so I decided to do the big maintenance on my favorite machine.

I was on my 5th set of Cut Motor Brushes on this 1000 + Hour Machine and the worn out cut into the Copper Commutator was pretty deep.... I opened the cover and in the process snapped off a Stator Lead... Pulled out a backup motor and opened it and it had a pinched wire and a soldered wire where I broke my wire... Even the power lead had heat shrink on it... Looked UGLY... I passed on it for today and pulled a motor from another machine that turned out to be a new motor so I used that in the end.

So here is my Reader Digest Version of the 250 hour maintenance window.

UN Plug the machine. Leave a Memory Card in the machine to protect the Male Pins of the Memory Card jack on the Computer end from wood chips getting into the gaps and bending the pins.

Remove the Flex Shaft from the Z Truck and Tape the end to prevent the core or spring from falling out.... Remove the Top cover then remove the Flex Shaft from the Cut Motor.

With Machine unplugged, Remove the bottom cover from the machine and form the top down blow or vacuum out the machine of Wood Chips checking all the nooks and crannies...

Remove the 2 bolts in the smooth rails on the top of the Key Pad side of the machine and the 2 outside side plate screws. VERY GENTLY remove the Keypad Side Cover and lay it down in front of the machine being careful not to DAMAGE the Keypad Cable.

Push each side of the rubber rollers up and with a air gun, blow out all impacted wood chips. Wood Chips build up on the roller resting plate like Filo Dough in layers and eventually prevent the roller switch from showing un compressed. Clean 4 ends...

Using Chain Lube, Clean and Lubricate the 2 Vertical Jacking Screws and the 4 smooth rails working the machine up and down. Check that the Screws on the bottom of the machine going into the 4 Smooth Rails are tight.

Replace the Keypad Side cover.

In the process of pulling out the flex earlier, I was snapping up the Z to un seat the outer jacket of the flex and I stripped the big plastic gear in the Z Gear box from the servo inertia... Lucky I had bought a few last year... This is the first time that has ever happened. I removed the 2 screws in the top hat and was able to pull the top cover and set it aside. I found after removing the ball bearing that a ridge of rust had built up in the groove in the flex... I put masking tape over the Flex End Core so the CORE or SPRING would not fall out.... Removed Flex from the Cut Motor and set it aside... Later I pulled the Core and Spring and ran a .22 Cleaning Rod and Swab through the outer shell removing the gunk before re installing it.

Removed the Z Motor and replaced the Z Gear Box Plastic Gear that I had stripped and blew out the Encoder. I used Masking Tape to seal the Gear Box Plastic cover. I also adjusted the Meshing of the Z Motor to the new Gear checking for smoothness and proper meshing.

Removed the Z Truck and found a Frozen Rail Bearing I did not know about... It was sliding on the rail... Replaced the Roller Bearing and cleaned and lubricated all 4 roller bearings.

Cleaned and lubricated the Z return cog pulley, checked the 2 screws holding the Z Belt to the Z Truck and
Inspected the Z Belt.

Removed the 2 Z Rail Rods and cleaned and lubricated them with chain lube.

Removed the Y Servo Motor and Gear Box. Replaced the Y Gear Box Bearings, blew out the Y Encoder cleaned and lubricated the Y return cog pulley. Checked the screws holding the belt to the Y and inspected the Y Belt. Cleaned and Inspected the Y Roller Rails and lubricated with Chain Lube.

Found a Frozen Y Rail Bearing that I did not know about.... Replaced the bad bearing and cleaned and lubricated the roller rail bearings. Inspected the Board Sensor since it was handy... Had a NEW Glued Version of the board detector and could see dust inside the window. Using a knife, I cut the plastic glued bump from the back of board detector and using tweezers was able to pull the window out and cleaned it. Blew out the LED area with air and installed the window. Placed the Plastic cover back on the board detector and covered it with Masking Tape to seal it, catching the edge of the plastic lens too.

Saw that the plastic cover over the wires to the board sensor was bent open and the wires were starting to slide down along the sharp edge of the Y Truck... Removed the top part of the plastic cover and after blowing out all the dust in the cable slot, covered the slot with Masking Tape after inspecting the wires for cuts. Remember a Shorted Wire Here will give you a Zero board Sensor Reading and even a OPEN COVER due to a Short Circuit effecting the computer.

Re Install the Y Return Pulley Assembly with the Spring Screw and the top screw that also holds the cut motor wire cover.

Re Install the Y Truck. My trick for adjusting the bearings is to mark the FLAT on the Bearing Nut that will be facing out when fully closed or fully pinching the rails. I have used Nail Polish, White Out and even Scratched the face to mark it..... Today I found the best way.... Using a small drill bit.... Mark a Dimple Hole in that face... The face closest to the screw hole... This face of the nut will face OUT when the bearing is pinched on the rails. The Hole is easier to see, especially on the Z Bearings.... The Y is Easy to see just by looking at the back of the bearing BUT with the COVER ON... The Dimple in the FACE of the Nut is easier to see later looking down through the slots with the cover on inspecting that it did not loosen and rotate.

So my trick to not strip the screw head, with the wrench holding bearing nut with the bearing in the fully pinched position. Snug up the screw and move the Y to check for binding then back OFF 1/8 of a turn of the wrench. Re Snug the Screw and holding the screw tighten the nut with the wrench. I ended up doing this a few times going back and forth between the 2 bearings and moving the Axis checking for binding. I did not use any lock tite.... LHR recommends that you DO use Lock Tite.... With the Dimple in the Bearing Nut Face, I can monitor the bearings for tightness.

I then reinstalled the Y Motor making sure it was CENTERED in the U Shaped Frame Cutout.

I ended up replacing the Sand Paper Belts and that is a easy task following the LHR Instructions.

I inspected the FSC Cable and it was UGLY... Lots of nicks and sharp bends. I replaced it with a new one. I consider this a Consumable.... I am thinking that every 500 hours it should be replaced just for the heck of it. Lay the new one on the old one to get the bends marked to be sure you don't have it flipped and end up with the contacts facing the wrong way. And that Black Cap on the Z Motor Circuit Board is IMPORTANT... Always Replace it.... I forgot it once and it let the FSC Cable sag and SNAGGED the Y Motor Cooling Fins and Jerked it out under power.... IT FRIED the Z MOTOR pulling the cable out at an angle under power.... I don't use GLUE to hold the FSC Cable to the black cover, I use a strip of Masking Tape... Remember I have Stock in Masking Tape.... Buy Masking Tape.... :)

Re Install the Cut Motor and attach the Cleaned Flex Shaft.

Install the BOTTOM and Top cover and remember the White Wire from the Cover Switch wire bundle faces the center of the machine when plugging it in.

Plug in Machine.... I install a 11.25 inch wide board in the machine and turn it on with a memory card installed. It should home properly after selecting a project. I have a project on the card to let me do a bit change and be sure the Cut Motor Starts.

I turn the power off and with a bit in the machine, push the head down on the left edge of the board and turn on the power again. Select Options and Sensor Data and Z Data.... The Z should read 0000. This is touching the left side of the board... Now pick up the head and slide the Y to the other end of the board and push the head down on the board. I got a 0000 on the left and a 0001 on the right... That is GREAT.... This is checking the HEAD LEVEL.... IF the readings are NOT the SAME... Under the machine remove or loosen a screw holding the Cross Connect Shaft that transfers the hand crank to the far side and adjust only one jacking screw to get the readings the same or CLOSE... Re Install the Screw in the Cross Connect Shaft and Screw. RE TEST.....

With all that I did a quick Project Test Cut to be sure the machine is working properly.... Remember if the Machine is NOT working properly, remember what you DID.... Any Loose or not connected plugs?

My Saturday project will be cutting 3 signs if all goes well and making Fire Tags.. I am SO far BEHIND.... Life, Death, Health and Taxes have been getting in the way of Production....

AL PDF please?

[Kenm810]

PDF File ---,

[badbert]

Thank you!

[henry1]

PDF File ---,
I get a fail to sart PDF can't open it

[AskBud]

I get a fail to sart PDF can't open itThat is the name of the file. Try to continue on, and see if it opens.
AskBud

[miragese]

I have just removed my Y truck because a bearing is siezed. I have not been able to remove the bearings. Is there a trick to removing them? heat? hammer?

[miragese]

Just got a message from Bud and the venders instructions state if I can't unscrew them then I will have to drill them out. They are glued at the factory.

[bergerud]

I would try some heat. Heat softens loctite. Just heat the screw head so as not to melt the bearing seals.

One could also, if the truck is off, use a vise to stop the screw driver from slipping. Use a 1/4 inch wrench on a screw driver bit which is squeezed into the screw head by the vise. Hold the 1/4 wrench and turn the nut with the bearing wrench. Worst case is that the screw will snap. This method with some heat from a propane torch is your best chance in my opinion.

[chief2007]

Also be careful when applying the heat that you do not melt the wiring to the board sensor - best to remove the board sensor and the move the wiring to protect it.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Yes, even I snapped a Y Screw doing this for the first time.... Here are some pictures to help.... Heat....:mrgreen:

When the bearing is fully closed or clamped on the rails, it is top dead center... In picture 3 the flat closest to the drilled and tapped hole will be facing away from the rail when properly installed. I used nail polish years ago but it flakes off... NOW I recommend you take a small drill bit and drill a DIMPLE in the flat that is closest to the screw hole. That way it will be pretty easy to see, especially the Z Bearings.... I recommend that LHR start marking the replacement bearings that they SELL with a Dimple.... It will make life easier for the LHR Tech doing repairs and for us common folk. And while LHR is at it.... Change to Allen Head Screws for the Bearings..... TWO things that will help US ALL.

AL

[bergerud]

Here are some pictures of what I was trying to describe. You should not need heat (only required for red loctite). This method can work even if you have already mashed the screws. Remember to to turn the nut not the screw.

[cestout]

Brilliant method!
Thanks
Clint

[Digitalwoodshop]

I like it TOO !!!!

AL

[Ton80]

Anyone going to the conference should try and push for a standard list of of scheduled maintenance from Carvewright, including lubes approved for use. Seems many users of the machine have their own methods and types of lubes that it can be a little confusing for the lesser knowledgable user to know what to do.

[fwharris]

Anyone going to the conference should try and push for a standard list of of scheduled maintenance from Carvewright, including lubes approved for use. Seems many users of the machine have their own methods and types of lubes that it can be a little confusing for the lesser knowledgable user to know what to do.

Agree! This probably be part of the discussion during the machine maintenance session during the conference. Lots to be learned ans shared!

[cestout]

If LHR comes out with such a Maint list at the confrence, get it passed on to the people who can't attend.
Thanks
Clint

[chebytrk]

Just wanted to add this to let others know how important it is to keep your CW sawdust free as much as possible as it will cause many problems. I just purchased a used CW over the weekend and was told that the 2 errors were the "close cover" and "Y" axis error fault. Well, I brought the machine home and decided to start from scratch and just perform the standard regular "house cleaning" maintenance on it. As you can see in the pics below the machine had not been thoroughly cleaned in quite some time. Maybe just the surface (what could be seen, but nothing else). Also since the cover was not modified for a dust cover adapter I assumed that only a vac was used on it. Anyway, long story short I cleaned and cleaned and blew it out with my compressor... and then some more. LOL The close cover fault went away as well as the Y axis fault that I never really saw on the LED display. However, I did get an error to "check cut motor". Since I had not ever taken one out I called our trusty "Obie Won AL WHO Kanobie". It's acutally my first time talking to him and he was a pleasure to talk to. He was patient and walked me thru some tests on the LED to check the cut motor and determine if in fact was a problem(and there was). He walked me thru removing the cut motor and opening it up..... needless to say it was FULL of saw dust too so I'm glad I went in there. We discovered that there is a magnet that goes on the metal shaft connecting the flex shaft to the motor. It is held in place by some heat tubing. Well the magnet had come out of that tubing (due to inertia as Al explained) and it was actually laying beside of the metal shaft. I cleaned the inside of motor, put the magnet back in place with super glue(hope it stays..LOL) and put everything back together. So........ this morning my new (used with 41hrs) $400 CW is up and running a project. :D I want to say THANK YOU to AL WHO for helping me out. Again, THIS is what this forum is all about.... the help is out there..... all you have to do is ask.
53018530195302053021

[bergerud]

Dust in the x gears? (I see the cover was not off!)

[chebytrk]

Yup.... everywhere. I think I got it all... we'll see. I'll probably go through everything once more after this one project is finished. I do plan on changing out the chuck as it is the old QC. It's working fine, but I prefer the CT. I also need to change out the board for the 14pin since it still has the old 18pin ribbon connector.

[CNC Carver]

Looks like you got a good deal for $400. Hope you enjoy it as a backup. Looks spotless after your cleaning.

[fwharris]

Jerry,

Great find ($400 for a dirty machine:)) and also a great job on getting your addition up and running. Hope your super glues holds the magnet in place! Put a new retainer on your "pick up parts list" while you are in Houston.

I've also had the pleasure of speaking with Al over the phone on a few issues. My latest was about changing out the bottom frame on a buddies (BradT) machine. His out feed tray support cracked around the area of the leveling screw. Al confirmed that this was going to be a almost complete swap out of the components on the bottom frame. Gave me some great tips on what to expect.

Brad knows the manager of his local WoodCraft store and he was looking to sell their store demo machine and extras. $300 got us the demo, full bit set, probe and a store display unit. The display unit was a machine with video box installed in the clear cover. Push the red button and it played the CW intro video you see when you get on the CW site.

We used the bottom from the display machine for the swap out. LHR tech told Brad they allow for 6 to 8 hours shop time, we took just over 12 hours. Could of done it in about 10 maybe but with several BS sessions and a few oops got to do this before we do that :roll: during the reinstall slowed us down some.

I've got part 1 for a blog started on this process and will post today and work on getting part 2 done in a few days.

[chief2007]

Yup.... everywhere. I think I got it all... we'll see. I'll probably go through everything once more after this one project is finished. I do plan on changing out the chuck as it is the old QC. It's working fine, but I prefer the CT. I also need to change out the board for the 14pin since it still has the old 18pin ribbon connector.

I have a spare 18 pin ribbon and circuit board should it go out before you upgrade.

[chebytrk]

Thanks Chief.... appreciate the offer. I'm going to try and buy one when I go down for the conference. Out of curiosity, how much was the purchase of the ribbon and the circuit board.


I have a spare 18 pin ribbon and circuit board should it go out before you upgrade.

[Digitalwoodshop]

THANKS GUYS !!!!! Back from the Dentist all tuned up.... Back to Tags.....

Good Job on getting the machines running... Some remember ChrisAlb who is a Cross Road Trucker now... Former Neighbor and CarveWright owner. He Wrote his own Web page in Yahoo Business... I was needing to get a Web Presence... I got a Quote of $2K to start from a local..... With ChrisAlb as a fall-back if I got into trouble I dove into writing my webpages... It was EASY.... Just like writing a email and inserting pictures..... 4 years later 90% of my business comes from people finding me in a web search for Accountability Tags... I show up in pages and pictures a few times in the first 5 pages right up there with the BIG BOYS.....

So when it comes to the Machine... Getting a little backup Phone Support lets everyone feel a little better about diving into the machine. And once they do, it is EASY.....

Thanks Buddies...

AL


Pictures from 8/2007 At first we did not understand the CCM fault... Check Cut Motor... but once the Magnet let go, the magnetic detector did not tell the computer that the shaft was spinning. My yellow heat shrink lasted about a 50 hours..

I sent the Cut Motors in to have the plastic retainer put on.... Later you could buy them and install them yourself... the last I heard you had to send in the motor.... I believe Super Glue will work... :mrgreen:

[chief2007]

Thanks Chief.... appreciate the offer. I'm going to try and buy one when I go down for the conference. Out of curiosity, how much was the purchase of the ribbon and the circuit board.

14 pin Ribbon and Head termination board is about 20 bucks plus or minus for any price increases since I bought them last.
If you need a hand with the install - let me know.

I won't be making the conference. Our son is return from the big sand box overseas and we are heading to his base to welcome him home. This is his second time around. He is a Combat Medic US Army.

[fwharris]

During our machine maintenance session with Chris Rawls we got a spread sheet with their listing for what to do schedule. Not sure if this was included in our electronic info sharing or not. If not I will try to redo it OR maybe LHR folks can post it for us.

[lynnfrwd]

I'll get it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Digitalwoodshop]

During our machine maintenance session with Chris Rawls we got a spread sheet with their listing for what to do schedule. Not sure if this was included in our electronic info sharing or not. If not I will try to redo it OR maybe LHR folks can post it for us.

That PDF is up on another thread and is in a word.... "Fantastic".... I love it..... I would not change a thing..... For a more "Wordy" version of some of the little details reading this whole thread will give you the "Paul Harvey... The Rest of the Story details..."

That PDF is going to put my in "Matag Repairman Mode Hold".... Spend more time between Troubleshooting Posts.... And that is a "Good Thing"... Preventive Maintenance is the real ticket to enjoying the machine.... You would never wait until your Car Motor would not start to change the OIL... Preventive Maintenance is the Ticket and this PDF gives you the planning tools to do it...

Good Job,

AL

[buffybuttons]

The optical Z truck motor sensor also needs repeatedly cleaned out. Fine sawdust builds up inside of it and causes misreading of the carve depth.

[chebytrk]

Hey Al,
Do you recall where the 250 hrs Maintenance document is located? I remember we all worked on one awhile back, but I lost track of the document.. Thanks


That PDF is up on another thread and is in a word.... "Fantastic".... I love it..... I would not change a thing..... For a more "Wordy" version of some of the little details reading this whole thread will give you the "Paul Harvey... The Rest of the Story details..."

That PDF is going to put my in "Matag Repairman Mode Hold".... Spend more time between Troubleshooting Posts.... And that is a "Good Thing"... Preventive Maintenance is the real ticket to enjoying the machine.... You would never wait until your Car Motor would not start to change the OIL... Preventive Maintenance is the Ticket and this PDF gives you the planning tools to do it...

Good Job,

AL

[chief2007]

Jerry,

Here's the link from the Carvewright site

http://www.carvewright.com/support-page/maintenance/

Has the hourly requirements, etc.
Great addition to the Carvewright site.

[jmoriearty]

I have a quick question. I worked for Bell and Howell for years servicing imaging machines. We had some high speed scanners that would scan up to 100 pages per minute and optical disk changers that moved a robotic arm at 90 feet per second. For years had problems keeping them lubricated. Believe it or not, those machines running 24 hours a day built up some heat and paper dust may actually be worse than saw dust! The lubricant we finally found that would keep them running, the only lubricant that would, was TriFlo. I figured that I would see it as a prefered lube for the CW parts, but it seems that liquid wrench is the common choice on this machine. I was just wondering why liquid wrench, i'm sure there is a reason. Just professional curiosity.

[unitedcases]

Speaking without doing any research but I know that when I got my machine this was what was being used. As little lube as is needed a can will last just short of a lifetime. Again, not sure why but that is what most people use.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

[lynnfrwd]

Liquid Wrench's new formula is not the same and does not do as good of a job.

We found one that we sell in a small bottle for $5. Don't know the name of it, but we could only get it in a large quantity.

[unitedcases]

Liquid Wrench's new formula is not the same and does not do as good of a job.

We found one that we sell in a small bottle for $5. Don't know the name of it, but we could only get it in a large quantity.

Probably because they put less of the "good stuff" in the can and more fillers. Times are tough.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

[kool69sporty]

I'd like to add to jmoriearty's comments about Tri-Flow. I had been using Penray 7006 Chain Lube with moly for my flex. About a year ago during a long carve I noticed the plastic sheath on the flex beginning to melt. I stopped and relubed with the Penray, but after another 5 minutes of running the flex was still hot to the touch. I tried some old Tri-Flow with Teflon that had a 1981 date on the bottle. In another 5 minutes of running, the flex cooled to just above ambient. That's what I've used since with good results. The flex has never been hot since. \Joe