X drive gears

[kenny925]

need X drive gears the compound 40/80 anyone have or know where to get?

[bergerud]

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to report that this item has been out of stock at LHR for the last little while. We know of no other source to get it.

[greglwood]

I'm waiting on one too. Customer Service told me end of month at earliest. I'm thinking about buying a 3D printer and making my own. Not sure what kind of strength any of the stuff made with 3D printers have. Maybe someone else on the forum has one and can comment.

[lynnfrwd]

I'm waiting on one too. Customer Service told me end of month at earliest. I'm thinking about buying a 3D printer and making my own. Not sure what kind of strength any of the stuff made with 3D printers have. Maybe someone else on the forum has one and can comment.

I even asked if we (LHR) could do that and was told that it wouldn't hold up. :(

[blhutchens]

I'm waiting on one too. Customer Service told me end of month at earliest. I'm thinking about buying a 3D printer and making my own. Not sure what kind of strength any of the stuff made with 3D printers have. Maybe someone else on the forum has one and can comment.

i thought of carving em from cast acrylic on the rotary with the 1/32 carving bit then slicing off the gears

[bergerud]

I think they may be made of nylon and so be quite tough gears. I was thinking of having them made of sintered steel in China (like the roller gears it meshes with).

That would be a challenge too make them on the rotary. Hmmm...

[lynnfrwd]

You don't want them indestructible. They are supposed to break when in a bind to protect the more expensive motor from breaking.

[bergerud]

You don't want them indestructible. They are supposed to break when in a bind to protect the more expensive motor from breaking.

I beg to differ on this one. The x drive motor is the same motor as the y and z motors. They have no trouble with stalling. The x drive can also stall with no damage to anything. I have to call a spade a spade, it is just a cheap plastic gear! It is a weak spot in the design of the machine, sorry. If designers really wanted to protect something from excessive force, they would have put a slip clutch on it or a shear pin.

[henry1]

I beg to differ on this one. The x drive motor is the same motor as the y and z motors. They have no trouble with stalling. The x drive can also stall with no damage to anything. I have to call a spade a spade, it is just a cheap plastic gear! It is a weak spot in the design of the machine, sorry. If designers really wanted to protect something from excessive force, they would have put a slip clutch on it or a shear pin.

Have to agree with you burg slip clutch or shear pin would make more sense but who going to change !!??

[bergerud]

I say just replace the plastic gear with a sintered metal gear and throw in some needle bearings to boot.

[aokweld101]

When I first had to change my x gear I knew that the gear was to made save the motor by looking at the brass gear and the weaker plastic gear it going to break at the weakest point which is the plastic I'd rather pay for the gear than the motor. All the the grears are there weakest point if they did the clutch for the x gear they need to do the y and z.

[lynnfrwd]

Not good because of dust environment. It was part of original design. Teeth sheared off too easily. Nylon is tougher because way gears have to mesh.

[lynnfrwd]

Per Chris Lovchik.

[bergerud]

When I first had to change my x gear I knew that the gear was to made save the motor by looking at the brass gear and the weaker plastic gear it going to break at the weakest point which is the plastic I'd rather pay for the gear than the motor. All the the grears are there weakest point if they did the clutch for the x gear they need to do the y and z.

But, it is not true. The motor is the same as the y and z motor. A stall does not hurt it. The computer senses the current, stops and reports an x stall the same as for the y and z. The only difference is that the gear reduction can destroy the under designed plastic gear before the computer can detect the stall.

Sorry everyone but I am tired of hearing that the gear is supposed to break. I suppose the y bearings are also supposed to disintegrate after 250 hours. These things are not designed into the machine. These things are weakness in the design which should be fixed. Use a metal gear in the x drive; use bigger bearings in the y gear box.

[bergerud]

Not good because of dust environment. It was part of original design. Teeth sheared off too easily. Nylon is tougher because way gears have to mesh.

I may be wrong, but I cannot imagine a metal gear not being as strong as a nylon gear. I was going to make a nice brass gear.

[fwharris]

IMO! :)

If one makes it a frequent habit of checking the head pressure, straight even stock and not pushing the guide plate up tight to the board you can avoid 99% of the issues with breaking the X gears.

[aokweld101]

I do agree with you Dan, I look at the engineering on the carvewright machine it astounds me, I would think the same as you but it seems as if we... as customers keep needing parts to keep our machines running we will buy the parts as needed .

[bergerud]

IMO! :)

If one makes it a frequent habit of checking the head pressure, straight even stock and not pushing the guide plate up tight to the board you can avoid 99% of the issues with breaking the X gears.

Darn it Floyd, I do have to agree with that. I broke the gear once but it was my fault. Jammed board. (A stall, however, would have been nice instead of a break.) I am just tired of hearing that it was designed to break!

[bergerud]

I do agree with you Dan, I look at the engineering on the carvewright machine it astounds me, I would think the same as you but it seems as if we... as customers keep needing parts to keep our machines running we will buy the parts as needed .

I would agree with you except that the parts are so cheap. I do not think they make any money selling parts. Take for example, a truck roller. LHR sells theirs cheaper with the eccentric insert than does the VXB Bearing company with no insert.

[fwharris]

Darn it Floyd, I do have to agree with that. I broke the gear once but it was my fault. Jammed board. (A stall, however, would have been nice instead of a break.) I am just tired of hearing that it was designed to break!

From what I have seen on the machines I've help work on for the broken X gears, to high head pressure was the main cause. I had one that was around 120 LBs. I will always check the head pressure before I even get into the machine.

I do agree though that an X stall before having the gear break would be great. Not sure how sensitive/responsive it would have to be made to prevent it while still being able to do the normal operation.

[bergerud]

It really would be better to have it stall. There are many times when things like fallen cutouts and such cause jams. On my to do list is to make a brass gear with needle bearings.

[aokweld101]

I think the carve wright machine has come a long way since the A machine and the devotion that LHR has put into it, is outstanding they are constantly trying to make it better and in time it will improve...the saying is nothing last forever !

[aokweld101]

Also the main proplem with the machine is most of the problems is human error I problably caused most of the errors myself, not knowing the machine for instance my last problem was the y gear on the motor by pulling the y gear trying to get the y to move thinking I had debree in there I might of been the reason that the gears stripped.

[kenny925]

I don,t think the 3D printer would be strong enough, but let me now if it works. I have contacted a POM gear distributors but haven't heard back, their catalog didn't have the sizes we need.

[Digitalwoodshop]

I deleted my post offering to loan the gears from the other day. I am going to hang on to the gears.

I also believe in listening to different opinions on topics like this as over the years here I have been proven 100% wrong a few times when until I "saw the light" thought I was 100% right... so with that... "Bring it on"... I am seeing the light.... LOL.... Yes, a better way would be a software stall that is able to be reset without loosing the project... And I like the shear pin idea too.... You would loose the project but it would be a quick cheap fix... :)

AL

[mikemi]

What happened to the old days when we could buy just the nylon gear and do the repairs ourselves? I have a couple of assemblys that all I need is the nylon gear and they would be good as new. It would have to be cheaper than buying the complete assembly.

Mike

[bergerud]

The newer assemblies have a one piece back plate. I think they started selling the whole assembly with the single back plate upgrade.

[lynnfrwd]

Supposed to be easier to install.

[dehrlich]

If someone had like a water jet and could cut those gears that would be awesome. I have an extra set on my parts machine, looks like I should hang on to them.

[mikemi]

Supposed to be easier to install.

I remember changing out the damaged gear and I don't recall it being that hard of a job.

Mike

[jiml]

Has anybody looked at Boston Gear for a replacement?

[bergerud]

I have looked through their catalog. I think you could buy the two gears separately (40 and 80) but I did not see any double gears.

[greglwood]

Ok, this is "For What It's Worth".

I went to sear's parts website and looked up the X-Drive part for a Compucarve and they showed they had the part in stock. I ordered the part and sure enough I got it in the mail 4 days later. I had to pay about twice as much for it as they wanted $40+ for it, but at least Im not down anymore.

[PSQRD]

I'm guessing after you posted it everyone bought them out? I looked for a while and finally found what I think it was and it's no longer available.. :(