Please help with first project

[George Keefe]

Got my machine Wednesday. I have a situation that I need advice on.
1. First project is the memo board in the Jan 2008 Tips and tricks.
2. Set up machine as directed in instructions
3. Virtual board in software is 11 inches by 21 inches.
4. The cutout is 10.5 inches. .5 inches from the board top.
5. Actual board is 11 inches by 30 inches.. I added at least the 7 inches to the length as recommended.
6. Loaded and centered board in machine. Turned on. Project menu came up.
7 When it started measuring, board went to the right ok. Came back to left, Asked me if to center on length. I said yes.
8. Board went to left and fell out of the machine. I had to abort.
9. What am I doing wrong?

[Router-Jim]

It sounds like you did things right. How warm is your shop?

[George Keefe]

shop temp is 68 deg F.

[DocWheeler]

George,

Welcome, seems the trip from China is rough.
It sounds as though the front (or right) roller switch is not working. What you describe is something that happens when the machine thinks there is still a board under the roller.

Check the test options and see what the machine says when you have a board in it and compressed, and then when the head is raised above the board. Both rollers should say compressed and then both should should say uncompressed. It should be an easy fix, just exasperating when you want to make chips.

[Router-Jim]

Temps below 50º F have been causing some strange things, but I guess we can rule that out.

Have you tried to reload the board to see if it repeats that strange act?

[George Keefe]

Yes, tried many, many times. after aborting and then rebooting.

[mtylerfl]

Hello George,

Some other things to check...

...the O-ring on the brass board sensor may have slipped out of position or is flattened or damaged. Check it to see if looks ok.

...your board may be slightly warped or cupped. If so, use a different board.

...your board may be too thin (less than 1/2" can cause the board to "spit out"). Use a 0.75" thick board for this project.

...your board may be too dark. Use strategically placed masking tape so the board sensor can "see" it.

P.S. - A side note...the Memo Board project is designed for a board that is 11.25" wide - you said yours is 11" -just make sure you use a board that is at least 11.25" wide

[George Keefe]

I checked the test options. I found the following.
the back roller compressed and released as I pushed on it.
The front roller stayed in the compressed state as I pushed up. It would move up and down, but the display status stayed as compressed. There was a message saying the front roller "stuck".

Could this be the problem, if so, how do I fix, short of sending machine back.

I hope that is not the option, I just got it yesterday.

[DocWheeler]

George,

That is what I expected you to find, now you need to see what the problem is with the switch. I recently read a post by someone here about their switch not being positioned correctly or at an angle, can't remember, but they straightened it and all was well.

You may have to get familiar with the SEARCH feature.

Glad you found the cause, it really is fixable.

[George Keefe]

Thank you Doc. I really do appreciate your help. I hope I can help back some day.



George,

That is what I expected you to find, now you need to see what the problem is with the switch. I recently read a post by someone here about their switch not being positioned correctly or at an sangle, can't remember, but they straightened it and all was well.

You may have to get familiar with the SEARCH feature.

Glad you found the cause, it really is fixable.

[DocWheeler]

George,

Glad to be of help, makes me feel good!

[AskBud]

Got my machine Wednesday. I have a situation that I need advice on.
1. First project is the memo board in the Jan 2008 Tips and tricks.
2. Set up machine as directed in instructions
3. Virtual board in software is 11 inches by 21 inches.
4. The cutout is 10.5 inches. .5 inches from the board top.
5. Actual board is 11 inches by 30 inches.. I added at least the 7 inches to the length as recommended.
6. Loaded and centered board in machine. Turned on. Project menu came up.
7 When it started measuring, board went to the right ok. Came back to left, Asked me if to center on length. I said yes.
8. Board went to left and fell out of the machine. I had to abort.
9. What am I doing wrong?
I'm just learning my machine, but I have had similar problems with long boards the same as you. All of what the others are saying are good points, and sometimes have solved my problem(s).
That being said, I have had success, today, by placing extra rollers front and back as suggested in the manual (section included below for your assistance).
I have, also, found that if the board goes all the way to the Left and fails, that rather than doing the normal things I push the "up" arrow and select "Jog". In my case, this advanced the wood to the Right roller and the cutter started to work.
I've done this on my last two boards so far today.
I don't know if it will help you but it sure made my set-up time shorter (right, wrong, or indifferent).
AskBud

CW Manual - Page # 31
Workpiece Size Limitations
Small Workpiece - The minimum acceptable size of a workpiece that can
be inserted into the CarveWright is 1.5 inches wide x 0.5 inches thick x 7
inches long. It will be necessary to mount the workpiece onto a jig if any
single dimension is smaller than the stated minimums.
Large Workpiece - The maximum size of a workpiece is limited only by
the physical size of the CarveWright machine, and is 14.5 inches wide x 5
inches high x12 feet long. All workpieces over 3 feet long will require that
additional stand-alone outfeed support rollers be used. The support
rollers should be adjusted properly to avoid letting the workpiece sag or
rise, as any transition going on and off the rollers will be reflected in the
carved surface in a manner similar to a snipe.
The weight of the workpiece is also a limiting factor, related to both quality
of the carving and longevity of the drive mechanism. Any workpiece more
than 20 lbs in weight places increased stress on the drive mechanism and
will accelerate wear of the system.

[Jeff_Birt]

The roller switches can get clogged up with a sawdust and remain stuck open/closed. As your machine is new there could be something as simple as a small piece of Styrofoam stuck in there.

I normally take low pressure (#40) compressed air and blow up above the rollers to clear out any sawdust that has accumulated during a carve. This might also work to get rid of any other packing debris that might be in there. You might also try pushing up really hard and releasing suddenly on the roller.

If all that fails give CW tech support a call.

[George Keefe]

Thank you everyone,,,,,I fixed problem......You and DocWheeler were right on.
It was the front roller sensor. I took the front cover off. Blew off the sensor and adjusted it a little bit. All while watching the display. Pretty soon as I kept pushing the roller up and down , it started working just fine.
tried with work peace and works fine now.

Agian, thank you all.


The roller switches can get clogged up with a sawdust and remain stuck open/closed. As your machine is new there could be something as simple as a small piece of Styrofoam stuck in there.

I normally take low pressure (#40) compressed air and blow up above the rollers to clear out any sawdust that has accumulated during a carve. This might also work to get rid of any other packing debris that might be in there. You might also try pushing up really hard and releasing suddenly on the roller.

If all that fails give CW tech support a call.