Do you think it would be a good idea to move the carriage to the absolute left of the x-axis and loosen the left screws on the variable makerslide? Should I also do this on the right side? Would this help “re-seat” the track so it runs smoothly?
That might help. Another technique is to look very carefully (magnifying glass perhaps) at where the v-wheels sit on the maker-slide as the spindle carriage moves. If the v-wheels aren’t centered on their ridges, then that is a problem. Gotta figure out the cause. If the v-wheels are running true, then the binding is probably not due to rail spacing and you should look for other causes.
The idler wheel is way inside the spindle carriage and is hard to see. Are you absolutely sure that the idler wheel is not touching the washer for the mod as it passes?
as already stated it is knocking against something along the path. One thing I did was use a full length bar so the wheels don’t touch to the naked eye - they won’t bump rather run along side a “track wall”
Hi Matt
I hope that you don’t mind but I have just included your X axis stiffening mod in my latest X-Carve Xtras video. It works well and I give you full credit for the idea. I even do a quick test to prove that it really does make things stiffer.
The thread is in this section somewhere but here is the direct link to the video:
Peter
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Hi Phil
Yes, I nearly did that one but may, one day, go for the 3/16 bar through the middle. I am a bit too tied up with the launch of a new tool at the moment to spend any more time on the X-Carve for now.
Cheers.
Peter
I’ve done the steel bar mod on two machines now and the v-wheels seat perfectly without adjustments to washers, which if they were necessary, would take about 1 minute to complete. Also, the steel bar mod keeps the rails a perfectly consistent distance apart.
I tried washers between the rails on my larger machine, prior to developing the steel bar mod and did not get enough rigidity for the Hitachi router I was using. Hence, the steel bar mod and y-axis brackets.
On my smaller machine (for metals), I replaced the z-axis with a linear rail system with absolutely no flex. This plus the steel bar eliminates any flex. The weak point now is the belting system.
I think the 60 minute mod would be fine for light palm routers and not cutting metals and hardwoods with reasonable speed. But the steel bar mod should take less than 60 minutes as well so why not? I think it has to do with the perceived difficulty of drilling through the rails if you do not have a drill press. If you have a drill press, this is a no brainer in my opinion.
Here are photos showing the v-wheels after this mod. I am not seeing the .022" v-wheel misalignment (riding up) predicted by the CAD. I guess we’d need a tolerance stack-up analysis to really understand the situation. I did clamp the maker-slides against the spacer bolts while tightening their nuts, which helped the carriage roll smoothly.
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Or it could be the fact that gantry plates have some adjustment for tap screws to travel a bit horizontally.
After you told me about the issue “I might have” I tried to find any gap between wheels and rail after even loosening up all the wheels and I could not find any.
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Is this with the 3/16 bar through the middle or your original 30min mod? I think Phil is talking about the bar through the middle approach. I experimented with putting the 3/16 bar in, but noticed it was not traveling as easily due to the alignment issue. I ended up taking your 30 min mod idea and adding bars to clamp down on the top and bottom (aka 60min mod). That resulted in a super stiff bar with minimal work, no change to spacing, and best no modification to the maker slides. I highly recommend at least trying that mod first before committing to drilling the maker slide for the bar though the middle approach. I suspect the clamp method is just as stiff if not more so.
Hi @Petesworld - The photos are of the mod described at the beginning of this thread, I guess we refer to it now as the “30-minute mod”. The CAD predicts that the v-wheels will be pushed apart if M5 bolts are used. But I’m not seeing any evidence of that, looking at my real world X-Carve after the mod.
I really like the idea of using bars (rather than washers) on top and bottom of the x-axis makerslide-pair. I want to try that soon!
I managed to get the spacing of the makerslide gaps to between .162-.168, which is greatly improved from .152-.185. It has improved somewhat, but I am still getting that “jumping”. The width from the center of the groove of opposite V-Wheels is 1.661-1.668. I am not sure what I can do now. We also cleaned the track and wheels.
We removed all of the stiffening mod and that got rid of a lot of the jumping. It is still there, but not as apparent as before. Here is an image of some carves we have done after it was removed. Imgur: The magic of the Internet
The makerslide spacing must be held close to spec (within +/0.003 is probably okay) when doing the 30-minute mod, else v-wheel binding will cause all kinds of problems. Also, the makerslide spacing should be checked periodically, particularly if v-wheels ever seem to be binding.
Because the 30-minute mod requires periodic maintenance and adjustment, I did eventually install the steel bar in the gap. I’m glad I did. v-wheel spacing has remained consistent, rigidity is excellent, it seldom chatters now, and the extra weight of the steel bar doesn’t seem to cause any problem. It would be good to think of the 30-minute mod as a temporary fix, until one can find time to do one of the more permanent stiffening mods which will require less periodic maintenance.
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Loved the idea of this mod, but it pushes the rails to wide in the middle, causing the v-wheels to bind and losen. I would periodically tighten my ecentric nuts and wheel, but only to find them completely lose a bit later. Carving without this mod has proven more reliable, but I may look into the steel bar just to keep the rail gap at spec.
I have the center at 4.2mm. How wide should it be.
My drawing is a little off as its 2mm pocket 6mm raised ( sets into maker slide) 7mm pocket 4.2mm (center) 7mm pocket 6mm raised (sets into maker slide) 2mm pocket.
2 6 7 4.2 7 6 2
I’ll have to try this. I might put a steel bar between the bolts as the washers should hold them in place. Nice - cheap - mod.
Holy $#it… I read this thread and plan to add this mod, but I was measuring and looked at the gap between the two X-axis rails and though - that doesn’t look right.
Pulled out the caliper - it’s 5.2 at the end of the X axis and 3.0 at the start!!!
I’ll buy the required bolts but, damn, I need to get my machine squared up!!
I’ll try adjusting the two, and adding stiffening bolts first. I was amazed at how little pressure it took to deflect the carriage by hand…