Roller -- o ring?

[jerrbitt]

I'm getting forgetful but I seem to recall that an O ring sits on the roller that tracks board movement.
Am I wrong? Photo attached.
This is one of the first generation machines A series.

[bergerud]

There is supposed to be an O ring on the roller. That roller is not original A machine. It must have been replaced with the newer C machine model. The new C machine model may take a thinner O ring. I am not sure, it may be the thinner O ring is for the rubber traction belts. Bud had a post regarding O ring sizes.

[jerrbitt]

There is supposed to be an O ring on the roller. That roller is not original A machine. It must have been replaced with the newer C machine model. The new C machine model may take a thinner O ring. I am not sure, it may be the thinner O ring is for the rubber traction belts. Bud had a post regarding O ring sizes.

So what's the purpose opf the O ring? I believe I ran my last project without the O ring and it tracked okay.

[chief2007]

It's to aid in the board tracking, add "traction" so to speak. Use masking tape on the board side that rides the brass roller and you will carve just fine o-ring or no o-ring

[jerrbitt]

Gues that's why my last project ran okay since I always use maksing tape for the brass roller to ride on. Did go tothe parts manual looking for the size of the O ring but there is no mention of the size.

Anyone know the size?

[badbert]

My machine came without an O-ring. I put an O-ring on it and shortly thereafter realized the machine was in fact calibrated for no O-ring. Make an MPC with two holes exactly 36" apart (longer the better) then after it finishes, measure the distance. If it is good, I would not use one. The O-ring (I used) actually increased the diameter of the roller. This threw the calibrations out of whack. Think of it like putting taller tires on your truck. The speedometer has to be re-calibrated to compensate.

[Rick P]

My old 2008 CW machine came a rubber O-ring...and I have always kept one in place. I ALWAYS use masking tape on BOTH sides of my project board...so, can I really NOT use the rubber O-ring ???

I'm also thinking of switching to the rubber traction belts...would that affect the O-ring situation ???

[bergerud]

Many people do not use the O ring. Theoretically, it gets compressed to the diameter of the brass roller and so, does not affect calibration. The reason for its existence seems a bit of a mystery. Some say it is so the roller does not slip on smooth boards. Some say it is to get past bad spots in rough boards. It may help damp vibrations. Who knows? The machine does seem to work fine without it, rubber or sandpaper belts.