tips for long duration carves

[gekepko]

Anyone have any tips or advice on performing carves that will last several hours? Should I stop every few hours to prevent overheating or anything like that?

[Chris77089]

The machine should be able to carve for long periods of time with out stopping. If you don't have a dust collection system then may want invest in one for long carves. You can check the flexshaft temperature every hour to couple of hours but the machine should not over heat.

[lawrence]

I turn a fan onto the machine aimed at the flex shaft. It doesn't get hot anyway, but the fan keeps things REALLY cool... just my thing, I don't really think it's all that necessary

Lawrence

[unitedcases]

Every Saturday I do a infamous tail rotor blade. 9-12 hrs depending on the type model and series. She'll hold.

[cestout]

Longest I have ever done is 18 hours (6 of them). That was BDC (before dust collectors) so I vacuumed every 2 or so hours. That was as much as the memory card would hold. Make sure you start with a sharp carving bit.

[gekepko]

Thanks for the comments. I do have dust collection hooked up and I'll take Lawrence's advise and set up a fan. By the way, Lawrence, I really appreciate your videos and tutorials.

[Digitalwoodshop]

A Power loss even for a second it the real bummer.... We have a Hydro Electric Dam near us and when they go from Nuc Power to Dam Power... The power goes out for 10 seconds...

SO if I were doing long carves often... This is what I would do....

I would modify my machine. Remove the big Cover and cut one wire to the left side cover switch. Drill a hole and mount a RCA Jack in the cover. Solder the 2 wires to the jack. Take a RCA Plug and solder the contacts together and insert it into the Jack. Now effectively this is the same as before you cut the wire. I plan to do 2 Jacks... One for a Relay for a Remote Stop from the shop next door. Using a Relay.

Next we buy a 9 or 12 volt Wall Wort power supply from Radio Shack and a small Relay to match the voltage. Take the NO or Normally Open Contacts and solder 2 wires to it and the other end to a RCA Plug. With the Wall Wort Plugged in and the Relay ON and the RCA plug installed in the CW machine Jack... It looks like you never cut the wire.... But un plug the RCA Plug or un plug the Wall Wort and it looks like you opened the cover to the machine.

Now you buy a UPS Power Supply at a Computer Store... It is Batteries and make 115 Volts AC when the power goes out... Since the Cut Motor is a Power Hog... It would not run the Cut Motor for very long.... SO with the Wall Wort plugged into House Power, when the power does go out... The machine will see a open cover and the cut motor stops... But the UPS maintains the Memory in the machine and you don't, "If All Goes Well" need to start over....

This is a THEORY.... Never tried a UPS Power Supply... but I bet it would maintain the machine with the Cut Motor OFF...

AL

[peep]

22 hours with a fan on hardwood. Not a problem.

[Smoken D]

I've done a few 15-16 hour carves without a hitch. Just plan on lots of side projects while the machine is running to keep checks on it. Mostly flex shaft heating up, which properly maintained usually presents no problems. The fan is a great idea. My carves are in a covered area outside.