I have not used loctite on my eccentric nuts, they are installed just like the assembly instructions show, and I have only had 1 loosen up, and only once.
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This bares repeating.
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The machine gives you what you put into it. When I was waiting for mine, I read everything I could about how they went together, what problems the few people who had them (and the Shapeoko2) were having, and how they solved them. When I got my X-Carve I had a pretty good idea of the limitations of the machine, and so my expectations were realistic.
For the belts:
I set mine up just like it tells you to in terms of threading the belt through the tensioner clips. I anchored one end, and set the length so that I could just barely get a couple of threads of the bolt through the end plate on the other side. I used about 3" of heat-shrink tubing on each end, with about 10 teeth meshed outside the clip. I havenât had a momentâs problem with the belts since doing this.
For the V Wheels and Eccentric Nuts:
Several people are doing different things with them, but hereâs what I did. I wound the eccentric nut all the way to the head of the bolt, jammed them together as tight as I could, then stuck that through the plate, added a V wheel and washer, and used a nylock nut on the other side. I havenât had to make a single adjustment to the eccentric nuts since doing this in August. I did however have to buy longer bolts when I upgraded to the DeWalt 611 router because the spindle mount extrusion is thicker in the back. But no big deal.
Speaking of the DeWaltâŚ
Youâll notice how the X-Carve isnât sold with that 24v spindle anymore? Thereâs a really damn good reason why. I wasnât disappointed with mine, and it wasnât among the batch that had so many problems, but when I upgraded to the DeWalt HOLY MOLY what a difference. The cut precision and cleanliness went up 1000% and the speed increased about 200%. Itâs quieter too. No chattering when cutting against the grain, no slowdown under load, and much faster and more aggressive cutting. If youâre interested in keeping the machine, buy this router now.
LOL! The documentation for those wires was definitely unclear, I remember spending a good 30 minutes examining the few pictures to make sure I didnât wire it wrong. I was scared to death of letting the smoke out of something or letting the pixies dance somewhere they shouldnât⌠
Ok. I will try the eccentric spacers and a dewalt spindle. I never liked the stock one. It chatters a lot. I have to keep speeds down because it can handle it. Great ideas guys I appreciate it
Which dewalt do you guys recomend ? They. Have spindle mounts for 610 and 660.
I canât speak to the quality of other brands, but Iâm VERY happy with the 611. If that fits one of those mounts, you canât go wrong with it.
Iâve heard that Home Depot will have the 611 on sale this weekend, so you may want to consider checking out Lowes and Home Depot to find a router you like and save a few bucks. I believe Inventables has mounts for the Bosch Colt, as well as a couple others.
The Dewalt 660 was tried pretty early on, but itâs just a drywall cutout tool, not intended for continuous operation and the bearings are housed in plastic.
The DWP/DNP611 is intended for decently long operation and is significantly more powerful w/ better bearings.
The best option price-wise looks to be the MLCS Rocky 30, a rebadged Makita RT701.
For the trim routers youâll need a 1/8" collet from Precise Bits or Ellaire Corp. (check compatibility against the part you have in hand to make certain of ordering the right one).
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611 on the way ! Got it for 100 shipped. Im good with that
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Where?
Remember the Porter-Cable 450 is the same as the Dewalt 611 and can be had for $90 on Amazon or Home Depot
Robert, have you been watching AvE again?
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Nice, I missed out on those Tees
Remember, the Porter Cable is single speed. It is suited to connecting to a VFD for speed control though.
âA belt drive cmc is the dumbest ideaâ As you stated you thought this before you bought it. Huh? There is a quote âWe are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we thinkâ. Well done!
A comment above mentions the Porter-Cable 450PK.
NOTE: The Dewalt 611 and itâs brother the Porter-Cable 450PK are different,
The Dewalt has a LED, variable speed control and is yellow and black.
The Porter-Cable 450PK, single speed, no LED and is painted silver and black with a splash of red.
From the literature it looks like they both have soft-start: Weighing just over 4 pounds and capable of being easily held in the palm of your hand, it nonetheless features a 1.25-horsepower motor thatâs also equipped with onboard electronic feedback and soft-start functionality, reducing twist at start-up and improving control and precision as well as maintaining speed under load.
I did the same dam thing 
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