Cut Motor Switch failure

Hi - new to the forums.
I have an out-of-warranty machine that has seen only 36 hours of use (but enough about me...). I've run several jobs recently on softer woods with good results.
I tried running the same simple project on walnut and cherry. Both times, the job quit with 5-30% completion. The cut motor simply shut off, the y-axis continues moving, dragging the idle bit across the wood.

After following trouble-shooting guidelines I have removed and found the cut motor switch quite scorched due to overheating (high current), pictures attached, sorry about poor focus. I'm looking for advice from anyone who has seen this problem before. I can replace the microswitch easily but - I assume the switch did not fail on its own, but passed way too much current.
I think the bit looks clean and sharp. The flex-shaft is running cool. What else to check?
Attachment 87706Attachment 87707

Under normal operation, the switch should be always closed. If you have opened the cover often to pause the machine, it might explain the burnt out switch. This causes arcing in the switch. The switch is really for safety only and not meant to be used! Many of us use the stop button to pause a carving. (If you did not fry the switch by opening the cover, it could just be a faulty switch.) In any case, just replace the switch and always use the stop button to pause and all should be well.

Note that when using the stop button to pause, press hard once. A double press causes project abort.

Thanks for replying - and no, I haven't been using the cover to stop the motor. By the way, in my case, the motor quit but the y-axis motor continued moving, dragging the idle bit across the work piece. I thought it strange that the "cut-off" did not completely disable the machine.
A further insight - I found the cut motor switch mounting was loose - one screw only was engaged. Whether from vibration or poor manufacture/quality control, not sure why the other screw was not screwed in. So a possible theory is that the switch has been bouncing around, causing the contacts to separate slightly and arc.
Have you ever seen your machine labor harder when carving hardwood?

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Originally Posted by BCChad

Thanks for replying - and no, I haven't been using the cover to stop the motor. By the way, in my case, the motor quit but the y-axis motor continued moving, dragging the idle bit across the work piece. I thought it strange that the "cut-off" did not completely disable the machine.
A further insight - I found the cut motor switch mounting was loose - one screw only was engaged. Whether from vibration or poor manufacture/quality control, not sure why the other screw was not screwed in. So a possible theory is that the switch has been bouncing around, causing the contacts to separate slightly and arc.
Have you ever seen your machine labor harder when carving hardwood?

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The right switch is only for the cut motor. The left switch causes the computer to pause like pressing the stop button. Your cut motor cut out but the computer kept "carving".

Sounds like a good theory.

All woods carve a little differently. Hardwoods do seem to require more power.