'squeaking' sound as the head moves...

[karossii]

I recently deep cleaned my carvewright, and it has been carving better ever since. However, it also has gained a squeaking sound as the head moves along the Y and Z axes. The slower it moves, the more pronounced the sound. It isn't loud enough to be heard over actual carving, but as a project is getting set up, or if I measure a board, etc., it is loud enough to be heard over my running dust collector. I have a video I took of the sound just now (have it apart again, had a punctured hose in my DC, and a small bit of wood fell down into the base, so with those two issues plus the squeaking, I decided to give it another deep clean).

Aside from the cleaning, the other change is my shop (garage) temperature... it has dropped and consistently been tens of degrees colder (in the high 40s to mid 60s) since the last quiet carve and the new squeaking Y/Z... Any suggestions on what the culprit may be? Is it the temperature? Did I degrease something unintentionally and need to relube it? Or something else, coincidentally unrelated?

Video - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4y...ew?usp=sharing

[dbemus]

Did you use any type of cleaning substance that left a waxy surface on the rails? That's what it sounds like, as though they were squeaky clean.

[karossii]

I used an engine degreaser, a dry lube which is recommended by many on these boards, and WD-40. The only other thing I have used is the flexshaft lube direct from LHR, and only on the flexshaft.

[karossii]

I am trying to warm the machine up, and am also trying to get the bearings a bit cleaner, per advice from Floyd (FWHarris)... he usually leads me in the right direction! Will see if either of those corrects the problem.

[dbemus]

I use WD-40 on the rails, never anything else. Never had any problem. Clean the rails after every long carve. I use dry lube on the corner posts.

Floyd will give you expert advice. It could be the cold temperatures. Good luck.

dbemus

[CarverJerry]

sometimes when my basement gets very cold and I want to carve something I will put a light bulb inside my machine for a couple of hours and that seems to help warm things up as mine was acting like it was stiff and slow, no squeaks tho.

[CW-HAL9000]

I would suggest with the power off you move the truck up and down and left and right by hand. Listen to see where squeek is coming from. Look at each bearing and ensure they are turning and not sticking. It can help to make a small dot on each bearing with a marker. I have also removed the dust covers from the bearings but use care they break easily and would probably break easier when cold.

[karossii]

Well, simply cleaning the faces (not even the part which rotates against the rails) of the bearings with some WD-40, and several hours inside the house instead of out in the garage cleared up the squeak along the Y rail. Not sure if it was the cleaning, the warming up, or both. Still makes some noise, though less, on the Z axis.

It hasn't seemed to affect operation, so I will let it slide for now, and just keep a close eye on everything for a while.

Hal, I did do that, without the marker/dots - as I was cleaning the faces of the bearings. I watched each one as I was moving the truck, since I was trying to get them to rotate so I could get it wiped down all the way around. All seem to be rotating fine, when I wasn't touching them; though some needed less pressure on the face than others, to prevent them from rotating.