Just Out Of The Box

[Jossef]

I have just taken my CW out of the box. I have seen a lot on this forum about lubing the flex shaft. Can someone explain how is it best to lube the shaft, and should I do it before starting a project. Also, where do I get the Liquid Wrench Chain Lube. My local Home Depot does not carry it.

Thanks,
Joe

[Jeff_Birt]

Welcome to the forum! The 'Search' features is your friend...

http://www.carvewright.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1470

[jerrbitt]

I could not find a local supplier for here although Home Depot does carry it but were out of stock. I did a web search and found a supplier and ordered it. Cost about $10 including shipping. Make sure you get the chain lube with Moly since they also sell one that is simply marked chain lube.

There are many ways of applying it but I like the procedure where one inserts the cable into a "zip lock: bag and spray it and let it soak in the the solution for a few minutes. Then just lay the cable on a rag and let the excess run off and reinsert it. I've run carvings of over an hour in duration and never have found the temperature of the cable housing to exceed 90 degrees.

[ChrisAlb]

I have just taken my CW out of the box. I have seen a lot on this forum about lubing the flex shaft. Can someone explain how is it best to lube the shaft, and should I do it before starting a project. Also, where do I get the Liquid Wrench Chain Lube. My local Home Depot does not carry it.

Thanks,
Joe

Hi Joe, Welcome to the fun!

Yes, right out of the box check it, and lube if needed. Can't hurt.

After much time, this is what I use and I'll never change to anything else.

Crane Cams Assembly Lube 99002-1

This is why:

1) Premium pre-assembly lube with 40% molly.

2) Made specifically to penetrate but not liquefy and run.

3) Easy and quick. Pull the shaft out, wipe off the old, wipe on the new (I use my fingers to wipe it on. It's is black so I use latex surgical gloves). Put the shaft back in and go.

4) Lubed mine over 45 cut hours ago. Shows absolutely NO signs of needing it yet. Runs smooth and cool. I now figure once a week to lube if over 40 hours.

5) A little goes a LONG way cheap. It comes 2 flex tubes to a pack for about $10. I've done mine 3 times now and I'll bet I've used maybe a 1/10 of the first one so far.

6) Get it at just about any auto parts store. I get mine at our local Napa.

Hope that helps.

[Jossef]

Okay, I will lube it up before I start. Any suggestions on a first project?
I have called all around to find the lube. The local Napa store told me they have it in their Kansas City store... GREAT, I live in Ft Worth!!

[ChrisAlb]

Okay, I will lube it up before I start. Any suggestions on a first project?

Yep!...lol

First, get to know the machine and Designer software. I suggest you just stick to carving some of the simpler patterns that came with the software in the "Basic" folder.

Make sure the wood you're working with is flat, straight (parallel) and square. Fold a piece of printer paper in half and use it as a spacer for the sliding guide rail. Put the piece against the Keypad side rail, hold the paper on the other edge and slide the guide so it just touches the paper. It's a Guide, not a clamp.

Carve a few simple ones till you start getting what you expect out of the CW. And above ALL ELSE, KEEP IT CLEAN. I clean mine before, during and after each carve. I lift the cover every 15 minutes and vacuum it out. Takes about 30 seconds and my CW runs flawlessly as it always has.

OK maybe THIS should have been the "above all else thing"

HAVE TONS OF FUN!!!

[mtylerfl]

Okay, I will lube it up before I start. Any suggestions on a first project?
I have called all around to find the lube. The local Napa store told me they have it in their Kansas City store... GREAT, I live in Ft Worth!!

Hello Jossef and Welcome.

You might also want to read a couple of the "CarveWright Tips & Tricks" newsletters before beginning your use of the machine. Namely, the Dec '07 and the Jan '08 issues have the potential to save you some unnecessary (and completely avoidable) user-caused problems.

Here is a link to all the back issues and some tutorials...

http://www.carvebuddy.com/learning_center.html

[cnsranch]

Remember that what you see in Designer is what the finished piece will look like. Zoom in on the design, look carefully at it, and fix what doesn't look good to you. Research threads about "draft" and "feather" - understanding them has been the best help for me regarding chip-out on text, etc.

Get a good set of ear plugs, 'cause you'll stand there and stare at the CW for hours while it works it magic :D

[Jossef]

Thanks for all these tips. I appreciate all the help. I am looking forward to making some pieces with the CW!!

[Audie]

Chris...I also clean my CW before, during and after each carve. The last two carvings I am getting a strange action though - when I lift the cover during the carve, the truck does not lift up and stop spinning...instead, the truck continues to move back and forth and the cut motor shuts down. I have to quickly close the cover before I get an error message or damage the carving. Any ideas?

[Amonaug]

Chris...I also clean my CW before, during and after each carve. The last two carvings I am getting a strange action though - when I lift the cover during the carve, the truck does not lift up and stop spinning...instead, the truck continues to move back and forth and the cut motor shuts down. I have to quickly close the cover before I get an error message or damage the carving. Any ideas?

Instead of lifting the cover to stop try using the stop button instead. I used to just lift the cover too and after hearing stories like yours I use the stop button now, then lift the cover when it comes to a complete stop then press enter to continue after closing the cover again.

[Audie]

Thanks Kevin...that is entirely too simple! Hmmmm, back to the basics!

[mtylerfl]

If you press the stop button, you will have to start your project all over again. You probably would rather not do that.

There are two lid switches - one for stopping the Z/Y truck motion and one for stopping the cut motor. Sounds like the cut motor switch (on the right side of lid) is fine. The other switch (on the left side) needs to be either cleaned or replaced.

[Jeff_Birt]

Actually if you press 'Stop' you are presented with two choices: 1) Press Start to continue, or 2) Press Stop to cancel.

As Michael stated there are two switches that do different things, one for the cut motor and one for the controller. When you lift the lid the cut motor should stop and the controller should realize it and stop movement as well. If it is not you may have a bad cover switch. You can use the sensor test menu to check it (press '0' then '7' and scroll through the screens until you find cover switch).

That being said I would still recommend pressing 'Stop' if you want to pause a carving. It gives the machine a chance to pause what it is doing gracefully and retract the cutting bit, rather than having cut motor power abruptly stop while everything else is trying to move (even for a split second).

[Audie]

Thanks Jeff! I remember now seeing that option recently, so I will press stop, give the CW a pause while I clean and then continue.

I will also do the sensor test - my CW is less than a month old and I'm working all the little bugs out of it! This forum is fantastic and I do appreciate the knowledge that is freely given here. Peace all!

[mtylerfl]

Thanks Jeff for the clarification. I could swear the Stop button always forced me to abort my projects in the past, but I must have a "faulty" memory! (I lift the lid periodically to stop the project for removing excess debris build-up during projects that require it).

I'll have to be brave and try using the Stop button again. As you pointed out, it may be more graceful to do it that way for the sake of the machine.

Thanks again for the correction and clarification!

[Jeff_Birt]

I had to mentally force myself to be very careful about only pressing 'Stop' once. It seems to be human nature to press a stop or cancel button multiple times until we see some result from it. (I do it on the computer all the time :) ). Or heck, we all set there and pres the elevator button several times thinking it will make it faster. :rolleyes:

[vaughn]

Okay, I will lube it up before I start. Any suggestions on a first project?
I have called all around to find the lube. The local Napa store told me they have it in their Kansas City store... GREAT, I live in Ft Worth!!

Heh, NAPA's being quite helpful aren't they?

I'd suggest just buying it online. Plugging "Crane Cams Assembly Lube 99002-1" into Google brings up 48 hits, there's gotta be a few of those that sell the product as well.

[ChrisAlb]

I had to mentally force myself to be very careful about only pressing 'Stop' once. It seems to be human nature to press a stop or cancel button multiple times until we see some result from it. (I do it on the computer all the time :) ). Or heck, we all set there and pres the elevator button several times thinking it will make it faster. :rolleyes:

You know Jeff, I think it's BECAUSE of computers we all hit, press & click several times now. That's why I've been lifting the cover to stop it. Can only lift it once lol But I've caught myself reaching for that old "Stop" button when I go to start it up again. I've even come close to hitting the Power button on occasion.

Also comes from our basic human drive.........I said.....I want it NOW darn it!! LOL

[RaccoonFace]

Just a quick question on the vacuuming thingie.

Does the CW use the sensors as it cuts, or does it "know" where the bit is once the project has started. I wanted to sit with the machine and follow the bit with a vacuum as it cut to make sure everything is clean, but I didn't know if the tip of the vacuum would mess with the sensors. Or is it essential that I stop the machine, clean, then resume the cut?

Thanks for your wealth of insight and experience!

okbye

[DocWheeler]

RaccoonFace,

I believe that the sensor on the bottom of the Y truck (edge-finding) is not used while carving, the brass roller (X axis) sensor is always "on" however.
Simple answer is that it goes by "memory".

A cautionary note - I would personally be concerned about adding any weight to either the Y or Z trucks as that would add to the wear and stress of the components.

[ChrisAlb]

Just a quick question on the vacuuming thingie.

Does the CW use the sensors as it cuts, or does it "know" where the bit is once the project has started. I wanted to sit with the machine and follow the bit with a vacuum as it cut to make sure everything is clean, but I didn't know if the tip of the vacuum would mess with the sensors. Or is it essential that I stop the machine, clean, then resume the cut?

Thanks for your wealth of insight and experience!

okbye

I've found that stopping it every 15 minutes or so and vacuuming out all that you can keeps it pretty clean "while carving". I give it a thorough cleaning at the end of each project. As a side note, I don't use compressed air at all. Just a soft, clean 2" paint brush and my shop Vac does fine. After sucking up all the bigger stuff, I put the soft Vac brush on and clean the rollers and the board sensor. Since doing this, I've had no sensor issues at all.

Ken is correct. The board sensors job is done after it's found the edges and calibrated the boards position before the carve starts. The carving is then tracked by the XYZ senors.

I learned this when I was carving that 15 hour Facade. Roughly 10 hours into it I found the Board Sensor's diodes laying on the board during a cleaning. The CW finished the remaining 5 hours without a hitch.

[twehr]

Does the CW use the sensors as it cuts, or does it "know" where the bit is once the project has started.


CW uses Servo motors, which means they motors feed back info on their position. The sensors are not used for the active cutting functions.

[Kix]

Hey way back when on this thread someone mentioned

Crane Cams Assembly Lube 99002-1


Whats the story with that?

I soaked my flexshaft in a ziploc bag for two days with chain lube with Moly, and am still running too hot for my tastes. Maybe my tastes are too delicate but i would want to have to hold on to the flexshaft for more than ten or fifteen seconds, that would cause a burning sensation.

Also, am running a vac screwed to the table with a homemade cyclone kit to my shopvac, soon to be DC. Any thoughts on using the OEM vac port to supply fresh air to the unit? Worse casse scenario I could reroute the vac output back to the OEM intake...?

I read somethign about the shopvac reroute a while ago, so yes it is searchable, but i cant tell when the post was made so am looking for up to date tried and true info.


Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Kix

[ChrisAlb]

Hi Kix,

Yep, that would have been me. In fact it's post #4 in this thread.

http://www.carvewright.com/forum/showpost.php?p=53871&postcount=4

I've found it to be the best lube for the Flex Shaft I've ever used.

I'm working on a loop system in which I'll take the air from the exhaust and direct it into the top flex shaft slot on the keypad side and aiming down at about a 45 degree angle across the board. I've tired this already and it blows ALL the dust off the board toward the opposite X - gear side where I'm going to put a hole in the side case just above the traction belt level for my shop Vac hose.

My hope is that the exhaust air will push the dust and chips into the Vac hose where, if I'm correct, it will collect most of it. I know this won't prevent the need to clean it well after each use but I believe it will prevent the build up that as of now, I have to stop it every 15 minutes to Vac it out. Thus, I should be able to let it carve without interruption and constant attention.

When it's done I'll post the results, good or bad.

[Amonaug]

Hey way back when on this thread someone mentioned

Crane Cams Assembly Lube 99002-1


Whats the story with that?

I soaked my flexshaft in a ziploc bag for two days with chain lube with Moly, and am still running too hot for my tastes. Maybe my tastes are too delicate but i would want to have to hold on to the flexshaft for more than ten or fifteen seconds, that would cause a burning sensation.

Also, am running a vac screwed to the table with a homemade cyclone kit to my shopvac, soon to be DC. Any thoughts on using the OEM vac port to supply fresh air to the unit? Worse casse scenario I could reroute the vac output back to the OEM intake...?

I read somethign about the shopvac reroute a while ago, so yes it is searchable, but i cant tell when the post was made so am looking for up to date tried and true info.


Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Kix

I use

http://justicebrothers.com/pages/pro..._specialty.htm

the Heavy Duty Chain Lube (further down the page) and it works very well. It doesn't drip and sticks to the flex shaft. Since I put it on I barely feel the flex shaft even warm up at all.

The can says
Lubricates all types of chains
Reduces friction and wear
Good for "O" ring chains
Does not fly off
Recommended for use on roller bearing chains
Anti-static formula, does not collect dust or dirt
Sets up quickly to a protective coating
Protects against rust and corrosion
Contains JB metal conditioner
Does not cake or gum
Special formula allows for deep penetration

when it does get warm I know it's time to lube it again.

[RaccoonFace]

Okay, I will lube it up before I start. Any suggestions on a first project?
I have called all around to find the lube. The local Napa store told me they have it in their Kansas City store... GREAT, I live in Ft Worth!!

Summit has it:
http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?Ntk=KeywordSearch&DDS=1&Ntt=crane+cams+lube&x=0&y=0&N=700+115&searchinresults=false

I live in Reno, and Scummit's distribution centre is in Sparks (right next door) so I could just drive over and pick it up. I was wondering how many people would be interested in an oz or two of this stuff (16 oz in an lb)... I was considering getting a pound and putting it into make-up cups and shipping to whoever need/wants it. If I did it that way the price would be about $2.75 (including container, but not shipping) per oz instead of $8.95. This isn't to make money, but make the stuff cheaper and more readily available.

Would anyone be interested?

okbye

[Baumer]

You might want to check any farm tractor impliment dealers in your area. They might have a chain or sproket lube with the Moly in it for a lubrication. Im sure any kind of spray oil with Moly in will work just fine.