Worn adapter, carving bits and piercing problem.

Ok I'm starting to realize that these machines are money pits already. First question, machine started making noise and carving bad, stopped and removed bit, adapter was a lot more worn than it was just the other day when I checked it. Does that mean the chuck is bad? Tried to change the adapter so I could finish and dropped bit on floor resulting in the tip broken off. Best (cheapest) place to get 1/16" carving bits? How do I find how many hours this machine has? It was supposed to be hardly used but seems I shouldn't be having problems with the chuck/adapter already if it's barely used. (It's an A machine by the way). Last question, When you put that you want the pattern "pierced", doesn't that mean that it cuts all the way through, so like when it's done the pattern is loose from the board? I even planed the board a touch under 1/2" so it would cut through, but it only went through in a few small places. Am attaching my pattern file. Thanks for any help. What did I get myself in to?!Attachment 57069

Press the Options key on the keyboard and you can scroll through the Hour Meters....

YES, a Worn QC is a BIG Problem.... You will need to replace the QC and ALL Bit Holders to get out of the cycle... as if you replace a bad bit holder with new and don't change the bad QC in as little as one project you could be back to a bad bit holder...

A CHANGE to a ROCK chuck or a LHR CarveTite is the BEST option... ANY money you spend for QC or Bit Holders is wasted money in MY opinion.

Attitude.... A Positive Attitude when posting here is important.... WE are here to HELP.... A "A" Version with LOW Hours.... You may have been "Taken".... I have 4 "A" model 2007 machines and they work JUST FINE.... YOU need to be EDUCATED on the machine starting with reading THIS FORUM and finding Tips and Tricks... This machine is nothing like a Table Saw where you plug it in and Suddenly your a Carpanter... YOU need to LEARN about the machine and the PROPER way to use it... THAT is why we wrote Tips and Tricks....

If you come in and "KICK the DOG" because your frustrated then you will get a cold reception... And this is BECAUSE WE know a "Educated" User is a HAPPY USER.... We call it PILOT ERROR... When you do something and it comes out WRONG and you want to call it a money pit or kick the dog.... The QC has been replaced by the CarveTite or the ROCK Chuck made by Rjustice and was the first replacement for the Problem QC. SO if you decide to continue using the QC know that you will spend money that could have been put toward the ROCK or CarveTite....

With 10 posts this month I would normally go back and review each one and offer advice.... But I think you get the message.. WE are hear to HELP.....


Never messed with Pierced Carvings... So don't know...


Good Luck,


AL


With your "A" version you will need to know if you have the old 18 pin FSC Cable or the newer 14 pin.... 14 is better... But don't plug a 14 pin cable into a 18 pin socket or you will short out the computer...

Don't get me wrong, didn't mean to "kick the dog" as you put it. I have read quite a bit on the forum and it just seems like there is always something that has to be fixed or replaced, but I suppose that is to be expected on a machine like this. I used to work in a machine shop running a big multi-million dollar 4 axis CNC machine and it seemed to be broken more than it ran. I still have a good attitude, I know it's not going to be perfect the first time. I been woodworking for 25 years and still make mistakes.

Anyway, this upgrading the chuck thing, something a newbie can do? I have reasonable mechanical ability. I don't have but 2 bits, so changing to a different system at this point wouldn't put me out I suppose LOL. And like I said, I Genuinely appreciate ALL the help on this forum. If it weren't for everyone here I would still be trying to figure out how to make a pattern work. Please don't confuse frustration with negativity. Thanks!

And after some fooling around I found the usage odometer, total power on time: 14 hrs 27 mins.

Yes the upgrade is a do it yourself job. Remove the old Z truck and install the new one with the CarveTight chuck already installed. You will have to change your 1/16" carving and 1/8" cutting bits for the ones with the pressed on sleeve.

In addition to losing the QC, get or make yourself a top-mount dust collector. There are a couple threads with alternatives. This will greatly enhance the reliability of your machine. The larger chips are not so much of an issue in my opinion, the fine dust will find its way into and foul the board sensor, servo optics, gears, and bearings. It is definitely possible to put on tens and hundreds of hours on the machine without a breakdown or malfunction - many of us are doing it.

Thank you Dick, I have been considering that very thing. Thinking about it, isn't it unusual that a machine with less than 15 hours would already have a bad chuck? I know there is a lot of vibration there but dang! Probably going to have to just get a new quick chuck, I can't afford the upgrade just now. Just make sure I do a better job of lubricating it and so on. In hind sight, wish I had done some research and known there was a layaway plan here, I may have just done that and got a new C machine. I paid $600 for this A machine, could have paid half the new one for that. In any case, this is a good one to learn on I guess.

15 hours... on a 5 year old chuck. Your chuck has lots of moving parts, inside. they need to be cleaned and lubed. Chances are rust and dust are packed inside there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dehrlich

Thank you Dick, I have been considering that very thing. Thinking about it, isn't it unusual that a machine with less than 15 hours would already have a bad chuck? I know there is a lot of vibration there but dang! Probably going to have to just get a new quick chuck, I can't afford the upgrade just now. Just make sure I do a better job of lubricating it and so on. In hind sight, wish I had done some research and known there was a layaway plan here, I may have just done that and got a new C machine. I paid $600 for this A machine, could have paid half the new one for that. In any case, this is a good one to learn on I guess.

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Not all that unusual with the QC if it is not taken care of after each carve and during bit changes. It should only be lightly lubed (small amount of 3-1 oil on a rag) on the inside of the chuck and not in between the outer sleeve. The trick is to get the dust out from in between the outer sleeve. Lift up the sleeve and let it snap back down several times to break the dust loose. With an inspection mirror you can get a better look at the chuck to see how well you are cleaning it. Also use the mirror to insure the two red lines are matching up when installing the bits.

Ok so here is another dumb question... I just found a new QC chuck and some bits on Ebay so covered there. Looked at the instructions to change them here on the site. Where do I get the square tool that goes up inside the chuck to get it loose? Not listed in the store and it didn't come with my machine.. is it special or something I can buy at auto parts?

And that would be the problem, wasn't aware of needing to clean and lube it each time so my fault, although I did lube the bit adapter once.

Long, long ago, in a land far, far away, some carvewrights and compucarves came brand new with faulty QCs. The vibration caused broken wires and sensors and unhappy users. Some QCs have been working great for 5 years, like mine. I have a 2007 "A" model with a QC that still works great, but many didn't. So no it isn't unusual to find an A model with little time and a bad QC. It may have been that way from the factory. The best thing you can do at this point is to replace it with the new carvetight or rock chuck and most of the machine problems go away. Good luck

And just so you don't feel bad... I paid $900 for my used reconditioned A.

Do not use any QC's on the CW machines upgrade ASAP.

If changing the QC is your choice, you can buy the tool your looking for on the carve right site or better yet, the rock chuck site has one there, less for shipping.

Here is the link

http://www.cw-parts.com/page3.html

Be careful which QC your buying ,if that's the way your going. There not all the same . Some are made for hand held routers and will not fit the CW.

Thanks Dan... the one I got was from a guy selling other CW stuff; actually got a couple carving bits from him too so hopefully it's the right stuff. Soon as I get the money I will probably get a Rock Chuck, looks pretty cool. Thanks everyone for thier input.

Wouldn't you know it. After bragging about my QC still working after 5 years... It blew up today. I have orders coming out of my ears and down to one machine! I have a spare qc that I will install to get through this rush then I'm gonna order a Carvetight. I have been wanting to do that for quite a while, just couldn't justify it while everything was working well.

OUCH.... Glad you have lots and lots of orders.... I am still cleaning up from Sandy... More just taking advantage of the Good Weather to clean up outside then in my shops... I am out of ink for Fire Tags and it will be at least a week until it shows up...

IF you buy the tools from RON as in the Rock Chuck..... I recommend buying a few extra square drive bits.... I broke all 4 on one QC once trying to get it off.... RED Locktite... Finally Gave UP... The Square Drive Bits were PERFECT.... I just did not heat the QC well enough... Did it with a tourch... Later I learned to shove a Soldering Iron up into the QC and get the heat to loosen the RED Locktite....

Ron's Wrenches are nice and heavy too....

Good Luck,

AL

Al, if there wasn't an entire country between your house and mine I would come over and help you clean up and get back to business. Hang in there my friend. If I can help in some way just let me know.

Now I feel bad for being so happy today while other folks are still having problems. I think I'll have a couple of glasses of wine now, geez, maybe I'll just drink it straight out of the box! LOL

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Digitalwoodshop

OUCH.... Glad you have lots and lots of orders.... I am still cleaning up from Sandy... More just taking advantage of the Good Weather to clean up outside then in my shops... I am out of ink for Fire Tags and it will be at least a week until it shows up...

IF you buy the tools from RON as in the Rock Chuck..... I recommend buying a few extra square drive bits.... I broke all 4 on one QC once trying to get it off.... RED Locktite... Finally Gave UP... The Square Drive Bits were PERFECT.... I just did not heat the QC well enough... Did it with a tourch... Later I learned to shove a Soldering Iron up into the QC and get the heat to loosen the RED Locktite....

Ron's Wrenches are nice and heavy too....

Good Luck,

AL

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I used a 1/2 rod about 3 " long and heat the rod till it look red and shove it inside the QC for about 30 sec the try it on the rock chuck web site tell how to take it apart
go here http://www.carvespot.com/forum/read.php?3,440
Henry

Learned important lesson trying to get a project done. Still waiting on my new chuck and carving bits. All I had was a 1/8" cutting bit, decided to try using it to carve. Was just a simple flat surface W after all that needed to be cut out anyway. About 25% of the way through carving it broke the bit. Combo of the wrong bit, worn chuck and hard maple lumber. Moral is, don't try to fool the machine! Sure most of you already know this, some lessons we have to learn ourselves the hard way.

Yes, I purchased a used machine (#5) from an owner last year who said the machine was messed up it and it always broke the bits. Come to find out the machine was fine, he was just using the wrong bit to carve. Cutting bit was being used instead of carving bit.

Not nearly the first time!! Seen it several times. Then the customer orders a new bit and complains we sent them the wrong bit. That's one of the reasons we require photos for exchanges.


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