Wierd Lines in project

I am working on the finishing touches to my first real project and have run a few test pieces through the machine to tweak and make final changes. I noticed on the last piece I ran that the machine started to carve some lines that are not supposed to be there. Any ideas on what could cause this?

I have ran this project 3 times so far. The first two times I did not have this happen, the 3rd time is when it showed up. Also, I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the pictures.

The lines in question are the horizontal lines that run along what I would assume to be the "Y" axis. Its like the bit is running too deep in places... but its not all the time. If it were a homing sequence problem I would think that the bit would run deep constantly and not in a random pattern like this???

Dudbuster,

There are a few things that might cause the carving lines on your board.

1. dust and chip build up on the board that the compression rollers run over during the carve.

2. dust and chips in the y and z belts.

3. dust/chip build up on the z and y rails.

4. The bit could be loose in the adapter.

Judging from the pictures it looks like it was a wide carve area and there seem to be a little bit of a pattern/spacing in the lines. I would guess that it might the build up on the board.

hmmm.... I have noticed an abnormally large amount of dust buildup with this project in particular. I checked the DC and all the associated piping, everything is airtight and looks normal.... and its "sucking" like its supposed to. I may have to work some magic and try my hand at fab'bing a version of your front loading DC insert. I may have to stop by the "package" store and stock up on "supplies" for this one. I will update you all on the progress.

fwharris: again Sir, thank you for the assist!!!!

Dudbuster,

Are these lines actually different in color as shown in the photo? If so, that alone is weird enough!

Are you using a Rock Chuck? if so, then a loose bit could be the culprit. Happened to me. Thankfully I stopped the carve and tightened the chuck. Completed the carve without further trouble.

If you are still using the original QC, then all sorts of vibration and bit movement could be a contributing factor. Solution? Get a Rock Chuck!

Other than that, this is really weird. Please let us know how this works out. I think most of us would really like to know should the same thing happen to us. And that's the great thing about this forum!

DudBuster wrote:hmmm.... I have noticed an abnormally large amount of dust buildup with this project in particular. I checked the DC and all the associated piping, everything is airtight and looks normal.... and its "sucking" like its supposed to. I may have to work some magic and try my hand at fab'bing a version of your front loading DC insert. I may have to stop by the "package" store and stock up on "supplies" for this one. I will update you all on the progress.

fwharris: again Sir, thank you for the assist!!!!

Dudbuster,

No Sir needed and you are welcome for the assist. I'm sure the front loading DC will help the situation, I know it did for mine. You might also try adding an air push set up as well. It helps to blow the dust off of the board.

Ok, after countless days of troubleshooting and more beverages than my liver cares to discuss I think I may have the solution to my problem:

I called LHR and talked to Omar for a considerable amount of time about the problem and before I could finish my story he knew right away what the problem is: The board tracking sensor.......

How it all started: Way back when, just after I purchased the machine I was watching a project carve and all hell broke loose. The machine started carving like a drunken lumberjack on a two week coke binge. The bit jammed all the way through the board and started making a bee line for who knows where. Smoke started erupting from the cut motor and the bit broke in half. See this post for the details: Click Me for Z-Axis Stall Nightmares

Since this happened I have constantly had these mysterious horizontal lines show up in 95% of the carvings. The lines are not in any sort of pattern, nor are they evenly spaced across the project. Even weirder is the fact that they are all of uniform depth, about 1/16 to 1/8 inches. Sometimes they cluster, sometimes they run the entire width of the board, sometimes small and short..... they are just sporadic and everywhere. The pictures from my first post above shows 2 sets of lines, the vertical lines of alternating colors are the wood grain, the horizontal lines are the problem.

Here is what I figure may have happened: One of the screws that connect the Z-Pack to the plastic belt that moves it up and down (Z-Axis) was missing, the other was barely holding by a couple threads (this is also the reason for all the Z-Axis stalls from my other post). This caused the housing to "skip" on the belt for a couple of teeth making the machine think that the housing was actually higher than it was (hence the bit plunging through the board). When the machine went all on me it cut part of the housing on the board tracking sensor (pictured below). This made the board tracking sensor not work properly, ie; the machine thought the board was stationary when in reality it was still moving.

Long story short: a $2500 machine almost met the business end of a 15lb Sledge because of 2 small screws someone forgot to put Loc Tite on at the factory.

Here is the picture of the Board Tracking Sensor, you can see the part where the bit cut through the housing right in the middle. I receive my new sensor Thursday next week. I will update you all and let you know how it goes....

Those loose screws really did a number on the sensor! The guy putting it together should have a bottle of loc tite glued to his fingers as a reminder!

Glad to hear the ordeal has not taken you to far over the edge and the CW did not fall under the sledge!!

Great update..

I just wanted to give an update and post a public thank you to Jason. I talked to him Saturday for a considerable amount of time about what was going on with my machine. Honestly people you cannot find the kind of support Jason and LHR have given me since I purchased the CW. Jason has gone above and beyond on numerous occasions for me to the point of talking me out of either smashing the machine or giving it away. Huge thanks to you Jason!!!!! I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you, but I will do my best. If you are ever down here in my neck of the woods don't hesitate to stop by, free room and board and beer.

Ok, after countless hours of troubleshooting, thousands of cigarettes, more cleaning, some repairing, stock options from Killians-Guinness-and Jack Daniels, a roll of masking tape, another roll of metal tape, 2 sheets of AC metal, a new board tracking sensor, more cursing than a battleship crew on shore leave, 2 attempted "Death by Sledgehammer" incidents on the machine, numerous talks to Jason and LHR, 1 Rock Chuck, a new shop vac, more cursing, more phone calls, and an honest to God miracle..... everything seems to be working right.


So far....

Hopefully this will be the last update for this entire incident:

I received the new board tracking sensor about a week ago and installed it. Everything seemed to go pretty well, the old one was easy to remove and the new one was easy to install. A couple of screws and one plug, no biggie. I had the flex shaft soaking in Moly for the last 24 hours so I took it out, wiped it off and got everything ready to go.

The first carve with the new sensor went off without a hitch. I had a couple of modifications to the pattern I was carving so I used a scrap piece of pine to test it out. Everything is looking good so far. I started the same pattern again on another piece of pine to test the difference between the "Best" and "Optimal" settings of the machine and noticed that the Flex Shaft was hot, not glowing, but hot to the point that you couldn't hold it in your hand for more than 15 - 30 seconds.

...odd, and mildly irritating.

So I stopped the project and let the Flex Shaft cool. After about 10 minutes I took the shaft out of the Z Truck and removed the core and spring to check for defects-lube-and / or foreign debris. I did not notice any kinks in either the spring or the inner core, nor was there any debris, and the lube looked fine (no pools of excess, and not dried out). I inspected the ends of the outer core to make sure the seated right in both the motor and the Z truck, as well as the entire length to check for wear spots-cracks-holes-etc... I could not find anything to explain the sudden and drastic rise in temperature.

I closed up shop for the night, decided to sleep on it, and work on it again the next day.

The next day was actually 3 days later (life will do that to you sometimes). The Flex shaft has been soaking since the other day, so I took it out again, wiped it off and reinserted it and the spring back into the outer core. I should also add that I called LHR and talked to Tech Support for additional help the day before. The guy advised me to remove the inner core and spring and let the outer core rest (lay) as straight as possible to remove any possible kinks that could be in it. So In addition to the inner core soaking in moly, the outer core has been dangling free off the workbench to straighten out.

So, everything is back together and we are ready to carve again. Same as before, flex shaft is hotter than Megan Fox in her birthday suit.... and now I'm getting error messages saying the back roller is stuck.

I paused, closed my eyes, counted to 10, lit another cigarette, poured a whiskey sour, and turned up the radio (Flogging Molly if anyone is interested).

I removed the inner core again and inspected everything, put it all back together, wound a 1" wide x 12" long piece of masking tape to the keypad (left?) side of the front and back rollers, said a little prayer, and fired her back up. I noticed that the shaft started heating up again and was getting ready to shut it down again, when it felt like the inner core just "clicked" inside while the machine was running. I was holding the outside of the flex shaft near the point where it comes out of the back of the machine and could feel it "wobbling" when all of a sudden it just stopped and started running smooth.

The only way that I can explain it is for you to try this experiment: You will need a small plastic cup and a marble... put the marble in the cup and cover the top with your other hand and try "rolling" the marble inside the cup really fast. Initially the marble will rattle around all over the place in no particular pattern, one it gets to the "sweet spot" and at the right speed it will "click" and everything will run smooth.

That's where I am now, and barring the end of days, that flex shaft ain't coming off the Z truck for nothing!!!

Dudbuster,

Thanks for the update and glad you did not take the hammer to the CW.

One thing you need to watch out for is over lubing the shaft with the liquid molly. Too much and it will run down into the top of the cutting head and mess up the upper bearing. I have even taken it out after a few short carves and wiped it down to get the excess off and took the top hat off of the cutting head to clean.

I have switched over to CranesCam Lube with molly. It is a paste vs liquid and find it a lot easier to use and does a better job. If you have any gear head buddies or shops you might check with them to get it..

Well hope you and Jack are doing great now. I am taking Jim out for some poker tonight with the boys....

all is well.