Maintenance

[forqnc]

Well after having problems with my head going up and down, I noticed the bottom of the pillars where lifted up. So I removed the bottom cover and found three of the 4 loose and one completely out. I also got a shock at how much dust has accumulated in about 25 hours of carving. So maybe this was a good time for some cleaning. I left the card in its slot so no dirt could get into the pins of the socket.
Notice the build up of wood around the Drive Gears, this could only lead to a broken gear if not cleaned occasionally.
I tightened the bolts and its like when I got it new. :)

[forqnc]

I also noticed the vent slots on the bottom of the cover, so I adapted my table where the machine is bolted down for better Air flow. I do not think this is critical, since the machine has rubber legs, but since I had it off the table I figured I would allow for them.

[twinpeaksenterprises, LLC]

Excellent information!!! I havnt pulled the bottom cover in about 100 hours so that will be first on my to do list. Yes i noticed my head dont raise and lower as smoothly even after applying white lithium grease. My guess would be you answered the question i had. Sawdust build up in the gears. I need to probaly tighten the rods too as you mentioned and maybe some locktite. Thanks for sharing, that will be a great help to myself as well as to others. I like the idea about the vent cutouts too. Mt downdraft is similar to yours so i think i will take a few minutes and make the cutouts also. Great idea!

[twinpeaksenterprises, LLC]

After reading the information you presented. I went and checked on the well being of my machine which was overdue. I pulled the bottom cover off and was not any noticeable dust, after 100+ hours which was suprising. I did however find alot of lose screw, probably all of them, including screws holding circuit boards and componets in place. So i tightened everything and put it all back together. Im wondering if your downdraft system is causeing this seeing that it is pulling from the side? Im not sure or maybe the bottom cover wasnt snug. Or various other reasons. Heres a pic of my machine before cleaning which had no noticeable dust. Another pic of the downdraft which just takes in all the dust into a 4 inch port then into a 90 elbow and i normally use a 1200 cfm but recently have been using a 300 cfm delta with excellent results. Thanks for the information i am glad you shared i neede to tighten up all those loose screws, so you saved me alot of potential headache.

[Digitalwoodshop]

OK all Carvers shut down this week and clean your machines for a Semi-Annual Safety Shutdown.... Snicker.... Actually a pretty good idea.... Don't forget about Cut Motor brushes after 150 cut hours.....

AL

[luckettg]

Man, it is really good that this kind of information has been shared with us all. I am a firm believer in preventative maintenance when I know what to do. Thanks for the heads up!:)

Incidently, this down draft thing I keep hearing about? Is that hooked to a vacuum/dust collector system?
Thanks.

Greg Luckett
Michigan

[mtylerfl]

Man, it is really good that this kind of information has been shared with us all. I am a firm believer in preventative maintenance when I know what to do. Thanks for the heads up!:)

Incidently, this down draft thing I keep hearing about? Is that hooked to a vacuum/dust collector system?
Thanks.

Greg Luckett
Michigan

Hello Greg,

A lot of folks have built various types of downdraft systems to keep the sawdust debris down to a minimum.

I have two machines and don't bother at all with that. I simply use my shop vac to clean things up thoroughly after each carve. I also use the vac at intervals during a long carve - I'll lift the lid every so often and vacuum out what I feel is "excess debris" then close the lid and press the green start button to resume exactly where it left off.

Many folks do not feel comfortable with that, because of the potential for static electricity damaging the electronic components of the machine. I have personally never had that issue, perhaps because the humidity in Georgia is high enough to prevent static buildup. I don't know.

[MikeMcCoy]

Another pic of the downdraft which just takes in all the dust into a 4 inch port then into a 90 elbow and i normally use a 1200 cfm but recently have been using a 300 cfm delta with excellent results. Thanks for the information i am glad you shared i neede to tighten up all those loose screws, so you saved me alot of potential headache.

Hopefully a minor hijack is ok, but I was in the process of building a down draft cabinet for my machines. I have a 1200 cfm dust collector that I was planning on using but also have a Fein Turbo that I would rather dedicate to the Compucarve. It sounds like you are having good dust extraction with the 300 cfm unit??

[forqnc]

twinpeaksenterprises, LLC, I pleased my post gave you a reason to check your machine, and prehaps prevented problems later with the loose screws. None of my screws where loose just the vertical post bolts. Having seen you machine clean, I need to look at my DD systtem.

luckettg, greg I have my DD attached to a Whole House Vac, that I aquired off my buddy, not sure what the CFM is, but it was doing a pretty good job until I saw twinpeaksenterprises, LLC clean machine. :p

MikeMcCoy, Hijack away, I see it as all information we could use.

Thanks for the replies guys.

[Kenm810]

forqnc,

Neat idea, We have a Whole House System made by Central Vac Corp.
the Master component for the system is in the garage.
It's at least as loud as the CW or CC Machine, When Barb is using it,
I can hear it from drive way with the garage door closed.
I'm Glad I don't keep my Machine at home, if she ever caught me
trying to hook it to my carver or DD cabinet she'd knock my block off. http://www.carvewright.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif

[forqnc]

forqnc,

When Barb is using it,
I can hear it from drive way with the garage door closed.


Yeah it is a little loud, in fact it drowns out the CC. But beggars cannot afford to be choosy. ;)

[oclatta]

I built a downdraft dust collector about two weeks ago. Sure is nice to see that stream of sawdust going down and not piling up inside the machine. Still takes a lot of vacuuming when finished with a project. Has anyone thought about removing the muffler with it's cloth dust collector and connecting a hose from that port to the downdraft's air plenum? Would this affect the cutting motor? More especially would it void the warranty?

[Kenm810]

Yep I've been it doing for over a year now, On first DD Cabinet and now my second, with no ill effects to the cut motor. I feel it actually helps.
But I do a lot of stuff my way, you have to decide for yourself if it's something you would want to try.

Ps It also makes the machine just a little quiter

[mtylerfl]

Yep I've been it doing for over a year now, On first DD Cabinet and now my second, with no ill effects to the cut motor. I feel it actually helps.
But I do a lot of stuff my way, you have to decide for yourself if it's something you would want to try.

Ps It also makes the machine just a little quiter

Hello,

I think your warranty will be just be fine if you hook up a vac or downdraft air plenum to the muffler port...even the CarveWright manual refers to the port as a "vacuum outlet"...see page 11 of the CarveWright manual:

...7. Attach muffler and dust collector bag: Insert the muffler bag into the
vacuum outlet on the rear of the machine by pressing and twisting it into
place.

[DigitalDave]

Hey Guys,

While we're on maintenance, is there a way, while cleaning up after a project, to jog the sandpaper belts so they can be cleaned all around?

[Gunner]

Dave,
With the machine turned off, you can push the belts by hand.

[jerrbitt]

Hello,

I think your warranty will be just be fine if you hook up a vac or downdraft air plenum to the muffler port...even the CarveWright manual refers to the port as a "vacuum outlet"...see page 11 of the CarveWright manual:

...7. Attach muffler and dust collector bag: Insert the muffler bag into the
vacuum outlet on the rear of the machine by pressing and twisting it into
place.

According to the Carvewright rep at last week's show in Charlotte, he told me that the original design included the muffler port to function also as a dust collector, but now it's purpose is solely to muffle the sound. That was in response to my question about setting the machine on a downdraft table and also hooking up the muffler port to my dust collection system.

By the way, he and others stressed the importance of grounding the outlet to the dust collector to ensure no circuit board gets damaged by the buildup of static electricity.

Anyway, that's what I was told.

[oclatta]

An electrical engineer told me to build it this way: Use metal duct between dust collector and down draft plenum. Have jumper wires from a bare metal surface on the CW and the dust collector to the metal duct. The dust collector is grounded with it's third wire in the plug.

[myshop1044]

Neat Idea Kenm810 on the muffler port. I have 1 question. is this pvc connection just for exhaust or is it hooked to a dust collection system?
I'm going to hook mine up just for exhaust. some how my bag now has a hole in it and is blowing dust all over the table.
thanks for the info.

Myshop1044

[mtylerfl]

Neat Idea Kenm810 on the muffler port. I have 1 question. is this pvc connection just for exhaust or is it hooked to a dust collection system?
I'm going to hook mine up just for exhaust. some how my bag now has a hole in it and is blowing dust all over the table.
thanks for the info.

Myshop1044

For What It's Worth - here is a copy/paste from the CarveWright FAQ webpage:

"Does the machine have a dust collection system?
The machine does have a vacuum impeller built-in as well as an external vacuum port that fits 2-1/4” OD hose. The built-in vacuum system maintains airflow through the machine and removes airborne dust that can build up on the sensors. It is not designed to remove all generated chips and dust. Most of the dust generated by the CarveWright remains confined in the machine and will not affect the machine performance. After every project simply vacuum or use compressed air to clear the dust."

[Kenm810]

Myshop1044,

The pvc moves freely up an down with the machines upper portion and is connected to the rear muffler (Vacuum ) port.
The lower end of the pvc passes through the top to the Down Draft cabinet into the plenum chamber and is subjected
to the same negative vacuum pressure as the bottom slot in the machine and the side exshust port on my machine.
The pvc tubing eliminates the need of the muffler bag plus helps reduce noise and cool the cut motor.
Everything is grounded, so no problems with static charge build up.
With the old homing sensor removed I now have a perfect spot to mount a new compressed air jet,
to sweep the chips and dust off even the widest project board or sled and out of the machine. http://www.carvewright.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif

[Kenm810]

I did a test run today with my new simplified air jet attached to the carving head where the Old Homing Sensor used to be mounted.
Plus the new side down draft port, I installed this week.
I had the Machine carve a 12” x 24” MDF Firefighters Prayer text project on a 12” x 32” Sled. It was a 2 hour all text carving with no patterns.
I did the 3/8” Classic OG around the edges with a hand router to save time on the machines cut motor.
I didn’t lift the lid until the project was completely Finished carving.
The photos show no dust or chips on the front or back end of the carved surface or under the pressure rollers.
I estimate there was a soda pop twist off cap full of the dust and chips I had to clean out of the machine.
More tests to come next week on Corian Lithiphanes and some .50 deep carvings in 18lb Sign foam.
Tons of fun, but remember before you try any of this, my machine has already paid for it’s self and the warranty is expired. http://www.carvewright.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif

[AskBud]

Please attach some pics & instructions on the rest of you "Air" connections.
AskBud

[Kenm810]

Hi Bud,

The air compressed jets or air blasts have been used on a few of the CW and CC machines for over a year now. My interest was to make it as simple as possible. While still working effectively enough to sweep the dust and chips out of the carved area and off the project’s surface, plus keep the dust and chips form building up or being trapped under the pressure rollers. When you have a wide project or use a large sled your DD table or cabinet can become less efficient and has a hard time removing the dust and chip across the board and down through the slot in the bottom of the machine. The air jet moves the dust towards the remaining slot that is not covered by the project being carved. I use my shop’s compressor to supply the dry, filtered, oil free air to a small adjustable valve that keeps the needed air pressure at 5 to 10 lbs. Any light weight flexible tubing can be taped to the Flex-Shaft casing, and follow it into the machine and to the carving head on the “Z” truck with causing no drag on the truck. I use a 4” piece of 1/8” brass tube with a small flange with a bolt hole soldered to it, the bottom of the brass tube is slightly pinched to shape the air jet into a fan to cover a wide area as it sweeps back and forth along the “Y’ axis of the machine. When the old homing sensor was eliminated, it left a perfect spot to mount my compressed air jet.
I prefer to use 1/8" automotive black rubber engine vacuum tubing because of its light weight and flexibility.

[Ron]

the homing sensor i assume are the 2 little black pieces protruding through the truck?those can be removed???

[Kenm810]

Hi Ron,

My Machine was in Texas back in December 07 for repairs,
because of bad bearings. Among other things they replaced the carving head on the "Z" Truck.
When it got back both the Old Homing Sensor and the Plug Jack for the Scanner Probe had been removerd on the new one.
LHR discontinued usiing the Old Sencor back in November 07. there were several post about it back then Something else broke on my machine (http://www.carvewright.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5127&highlight=homing+sensor)
I believe there are also a few posts about removing the Old Sensor and taping or removing the wires so they don't short out against anything.

[Ron]

thanx Ken, i have the new z bundle but the old homing sensor is still in there.I guess as long as I dont have trouble with it i'll leave it in there.Thanx again

[oclatta]

Attached are photo's of my CW mounted on a Craftsman Project Cart with a down draft system connected to a dust collector. The down draft plenum is made from scrap particle board. It has a slot that matches the CW's slot with weather strip around it. I made some cubbie holes on the right side that vary in depth to hold bits, brushes, and lubricants. For static electricity control the duct from the plenum to the dust collector is metal and jumper wires connect the duct to the CW and the dust collector. I also connected a hose from the CW's muffler to the plenum. Shaker pegs on the left side hold ear muffs. I screwed the CW down to the plenum. The Project cart has locking wheels to keep it from moving around.There is a thermometer mounted on the right front so that I know when the machine is at operating temperature. Yes, there is a shop vac in the photo. It's used to vacuum the top of a project especially when routing the edge and for cleanup between projects.

[Kenm810]

Hey oclatta,

Nice set up, I'm always glad to see what other folk have done
and how they have personalized their CW and CC Machines. http://www.carvewright.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gifhttp://www.carvewright.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif