Carving offset at 70%???

[sirsumm]

Here is a strange one of all of you gurus out there. I am suspecting a bad upload under 1.125, but hate to carve for several hours to see if this is the issue or not. Anyway, I was carving this sign, and happened to look in at the progress. When I looked I saw that everything was offset by almost 1/2 inch 70% thru my carving. What in the world am I doing wrong???

Jason

[Jeff_Birt]

Wow that's a new one. Looks like the truck lost it's position. With the power off move the Y-truck by hand and see that it moves smoothly F-R. Make sure the rails are clean and the slot that the Y drive belt runs in is clean. Also, you might want to check that the T belt tension is proper. There is an tension adjust at the rear of the machine.

[mtylerfl]

I wonder if that could have been caused by the board binding (sliding guide plate too tight, perhaps)? Maybe threw off the y-position if the board was stuck - maybe that's not possible.

I think you probably would have noticed if the board was having trouble moving along with it that far off, anyway.

[The "DH"]

I have had this problem and almost all the time it was due to a build up of saw dust on the rails. After cleaning, rerunning the project and paying attention to the rails (keeping them clean) no problems.

On one project I didn't have the guide plate against the far side of the wood and the board moved over about an 1/8 of an inch.

[upcedar]

I would try sanding the back of board with 90 grit, watch the cut for sandpaper belt moving. Maybe the back is to smooth, inwhich something isn't level wit our unit. Use deadwood to figure it out, it's a lot cheaper. Best Ric

[sirsumm]

I don't think that the board is slipping along the sandpaper belts (X), but even if it was, I don' t know that my carving would offset in Y. Regardless, I am going to put masking tape on the next one. After reading your responses I have come up with this most likely cause. The way this carving was designed with a rather large carve region, I was getting a substantial chip buildup inside the machine. Rather than stopping and vacuuming the chips, I was blowing them out with compressed air. Theoretically I could have been blowing the chips into the recess that holds the Y belt. I am guessing if enough chips were blown into this area, you could clog either the belt or the gear, causing it to jump a couple of teeth. On the plus side, I should be able to test carve on the back side of the carving I made last night.

Jason

[The "DH"]

Jason,
You have jogged my memory and that is exactly what happened, I now have a thin tube for my shop vac that I use to vacuum that recess without stopping the machine.

[sirsumm]

Well, I am keeping my fingers crossed, it's carving as we speak. I gave the ol girl a good cleaning, and was surprised at how much sawdust was packed into the area that holds the Y belt. At the same time I noticed how much material (pitch, compressed chips, etc.) had managed to stick to the rails. I gave it all a good cleaning, and even a layer of dry film lube. I have the timer on my watch set to 30 minutes, and I will vacuum the chips out rather than blowing them. I am pretty confident that chip buildup was the issue. I guess I can't say enough about the importance of keeping the machine clean. Maybe we need a sticky post in the beginning of the troubleshooting thread named "Clean the machine first....Dummy!(AKA Jason)".

Jason

[Jeff_Birt]

I would recommend cleaning the rails with some silicone spray on a rag. While they really don't need lubricated, the silicone will help clean them and prevent oxidation without the potential for build up like a dry plate lube. Wipe them down after each use with a dry rag, use the silicone spray about once a month. See the January Tips & Tricks for more cleaning information.

[pkunk]

I also (after cleaning)spritze some Endust antistatic cleaner on the rails & works wonders to keep the clear cover clear. ;)

[sirsumm]

Excellent advice....I never thought to spray endust on anything in the machine. Well, I sucessfully made it thru this carving, I am pretty happy with it. I think for the next one I am going to add a pine tree in the very center.

[mtylerfl]

Excellent advice....I never thought to spray endust on anything in the machine. Well, I sucessfully made it thru this carving, I am pretty happy with it. I think for the next one I am going to add a pine tree in the very center.

Excellent - great design layout! Glad the cleaning did the trick for you.

[The "DH"]

Nice clean carving!!! Well Done

[dragoncarver]

i am also having an offset problem i went in and cleaned now the machine is making a bad rattling noise i noticed that the quick change chuck is not square to the nut looking from corner to corner of the nut one side is higher than the other i just replaced this part i know it is not crossed threaded because i screwed it on most of the way with my fingers with little resistants i am now concerned about running the machine