Bit Plunged Unexpectedly - nicked metal underneath board

[mtylerfl]

Hello,

Tried to carve my second project and had a problem. The bit plunged through the board without warning and nicked the metal underneath.

Just got my machine back yesterday, so I'm hoping it's nothing serious enough to take a trip back to Texas.

I simpy imported the "moose plaque" pattern, added some text, set the board dimensions and went to carve. After just a few minutes, the bit took a deep dive through the board without warning.

I am including pics and the MPC file, if someone would be so kind to look at the file to see if the actual MPC is the problem and not the machine (fingers crossed).

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[dcozort]

Hey mine did the same thing... Try doing a safe project and see what happens... For me it required a new z-truck from carvewright which I am currently waiting for...It seems that c/w got some bad Z-Trucks for a third source that were no good... Mine worked for several projects then out of the blue it dove straight through the board.. mine even spun the bit out of the holder... check my previous postings you will see pictures of the event.... Chris at C/W told me once it starts doing it,, it won't stop.... I tried several things after this and he's right it still did it....... Dennis

[mtylerfl]

Hello Dennis,

I tried another, as you say, "safe project". Unfortunately, it did the same thing. This time it cut through the board and nicked the metal on the opposite side, (nearest the LCD side this time). Not sure if I dare use my bit again - the tip looks slightly "rounded" after touching the metal.

Too bad. I feel just as sorry for CW as I do myself. Erik at CW told me they checked the machine out thoroughly before they sent it back, which I am sure they did. Said it was working great after the repairs.

I hope they'll be able to fix me up so I don't have to ship the machine back-n-forth again. I don't think the box will survive another trip after DHL got through with it. I emailed CW Support today as I could not get through via telephone. Hoping they'll be able to get back to me tomorrow.

Oh well, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'll appreciate the machine more when it's working again. Guess I'll just have to play around making some more project designs.

[mtylerfl]

Hey Dennis,

Just got a call from CW.

Yes, they verify that it's one of the bad Z-paks (supplier's fault - not CW) and will be sending me a replacement for me to swap out.
Sounds like an easy fix.

I swear, those guys are great. Really up-front, honest and helpful. Nice to know we're in good hands.

[dcozort]

I hope so Michael,, I've been waiting well over a week and call home every day to see if my part showed up yet.... the answer is always NO.. I E-mailed C/W to see when they intended to ship it... All they say is as so as we can rebuild one..... I sure hope it's soon.... I would like to carve and my sears warranty is still running down as my machine sits... I saw Jeff's post about the wires in the back of the truck leading to the board sensor requiring checking in the channel they run in for pinching... But C/W does not recommend removing the truck so I won't.... Patiently waiting ,,,, Dennis

[smartalecy]

I have experienced the plunge problem twice so far, but haven't gotten a call back from CW yet to troubleshoot. I would hate to wait for a month for a new chassis if there's a way to fix it until new ones are avail.
I'm also having the problem with the memory card requiring to be re-formatted every two or three projects. It's working now, but I'm afraid it'll quit altogether when they're out of stock due to more and more machines being sold. Trying to cut the down time...
Also I keep getting board sensor errors. I blow the sensor out with air, wipe, wipe some more and it'll finally work. The highest reading I can get out of a white painted board is in the 60's. Does this mean the sensor is bad, or is there something else I can do?
I also have the Bit Plate adjuster problem. Everything is tight and I've removed the rib from the wiper, but it still wouldn't flip out all the way. I finally put a small rubber bumper where the arm wouldn't flip all the way back in and it worked. It's not out far enough to hit the bit, but far enough to get it to work. I'm going to try the wax and see if that'll work since it's bound to be a much better fix.
Any help on troubleshooting the problems? I've been third on the list to callback for the last 5 hours, so it's not looking good that I'm going to get a call back tonight.

[The Bard]

shhhh

[Jeff_Birt]

smartalecy, you may need to pull out the the board sensor to clean it properly. Your symptoms of plunging and needed to reformat the card seems to fit with having pinched board sensor wires (see my post http://www.carvewright.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1720).

[smartalecy]

I pulled out the sensor last night and took the clear window out and cleaned, and wiped the sensors. There wasn't any sawdust in the unit, but I cleaned it anyway. I have been having to use masking tape on the board to get the sensor to measure. I thought one of the problems was the tape comes off in pieces and causes the glue off the tape to get all over the truck causing a white gum and maybe it was on the lense. Cleaning it didn't help...it still reads 65 on a piece of white pine. It measured it, but if I try to carve walnut, it won't be able to measure it. I didn't take off the truck and check the wiring underneath. If I don't get a callback, I'll try that next. I don't want to carve anything else until I get the plunge problem fixed. It just destroys good wood. Any ideas on how to fix the plunge problem?

[smartalecy]

An update to my plunge and board sensor problem. Worked with The infamous Bard to troubleshoot. He determined the Z Pak needed to be repaired, along with the board sensor. Packed them both up and sent back today. Since they're not busy, I figure I should have them back in a couple days.. lol.
Thanks for the suggestions to correct the problems...This forum has allowed me to correct several of them, but this time it was beyond me...