Bit won’t touch sliding bar

[chkorte]

BIT WON’T TOUCH SLIDING BAR
I have tried several times to cut the attached pattern with no success. I even tried cutting top and back as separate patterns with the same results. Each time the machine measures the length and width just fine, then it asks for the bit, goes to the touch plate then back to front then touches the top of the board but when it goes to measure the board thickness at the sliding bar it doesn’t go down far enough to touch the top of the sliding bar so I get an error telling me to check the sliding bar but the sliding bar is where it should be. I’ve tried formatting the card, re-installing the firmware and re-doing the project but nothing helps. Does anyone have any ideas?

[bergerud]

I believe it cannot make it to the sliding bar because your board is so thick. This is normal. Just answer yes to the sliding bar question and it should ask you to key in the board thickness. All should be good.

[chkorte]

The only thing it asks me is "RETRY" or "ABORT"

[bergerud]

Does the bit touch at the brass roller? How thick is the board?

[xchief807]

Mine does this all the time I am using a board carrier 3/4 inch thick and my board is 3/4 inch thick. When it ask if the sliding bar is in place I say yes and then it will ask me to enter the board thickness I put in .75 and it carves with no problem.

Kevin

[bergerud]

In my experience, the behavior after trying to touch the sliding plate goes one of two ways:

If the bit cannot reach the brass roller, then it still bobs for the sliding plate and when it cannot touch, it allows the user to input the board thickness.

If the bit does touch at the brass roller, then it expects to touch the sliding plate and gives no options but retry or abort.

[chkorte]

Sorry for taking so long to reply but I’ve been busy with family stuff.
The board is 1.625” thick. The bit does not touch by the brass roller. The chuck can’t get past the board, same situation with the sliding plate. The machine did ask me if the board was in a jig. One time I said YES, one time I said NO, same results both ways. It does not ask me for the board thickness.

[bergerud]

I think that somehow the machine thinks it touched at the brass roller. Do you have the Rock and could it be hitting the board?

[chkorte]

I think that somehow the machine thinks it touched at the brass roller. Do you have the Rock and could it be hitting the board?

Yes and Yes

[bergerud]

If the chuck hits the board, the machine will think the bit has touched at the brass roller and then it will expect to touch the sliding plate. Then, no touch at the sliding plate - abort.

You need to find a bit adapter or something so that the chuck does not hit the board. The z truck should bottom out before the chuck hits the board.

I wonder if any other Rock users have had this problem.

(Something else you could try: Note how short the bit comes to touching the sliding plate and put a block of wood on the sliding plate just thick enough for the bit to touch.)

[chkorte]

I was getting ready to try cutting my pattern again. I was planning to put small pieces of wood, one on the bar by the brass roller and one on the sliding bar to try to fool the machine when I got an idea. I loosened the bit and pulled it out a little farther and tightened it and tried again. Success! This made the bit long enough to touch the bars even though my RC couldn’t get past the wood, and my RC is no bigger than a QC. But what would happen if I was carving a piece of wood 5” thick, the maximum allowable thickness? The truck couldn’t go down far enough for the bit to touch the bar, even if the chuck could get past the wood.

[bergerud]

The CT and the QC cannot hit the wood. The z truck would bottom out first. Only the Rock hangs down below the truck.

For the thicker boards the machine knows when it is near the end of z travel and gives up trying to touch. That is when it asks for the thickness. I did not know that the Rock hitting the wood was a problem. I wonder if others have had the problem. It sounds to me that you would have a problem with thicker boards. If you tried to carve a 2" board, what would happen?

[chkorte]

I don't know what happen. When I have time I'll try and jet you know. Thanks for the info.