Been trying to upload video of machine working for over 1/2 hour but won’t upload. It’s about 30 seconds long from my phone…anyway to make it work?
Youtube is your best bet and then post a link.
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Thanks Geoff
After thinking about it for a while, I think I have to agree with @JDM. Under light cutting conditions this would be a good idea, but if there’s any kind of chatter it’s going to cause it to start rocking and could really mess up the workpiece. Also, it can introduce further error on the Z axis if you use a downcut/straight flute bit (riding “high” on the workpiece). It would make aluminum and other metal milling a lot more difficult to do cleanly because of the loss of rigidity and stability. Eccentric nuts may be a pain, but they do increase the rigidity of the machine.
I like the idea though, and if the machine had only light load (drag knife) or no load (laser), this could potentially be better than the eccentric nut design.
Thanks Robert as far as rigidity…at this point can’t see any difference between eccentric nut and adjusting tension then tightening with lock-nut. But only experimenting will tell. Definitely not using high value materials till I check it out.
save yourself some materials and some frustration.
Set your machine up to spec like the forums have suggested.
my x-carve cuts balls accurate every time I turn it on
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You Win, I’m afraid I don’t know how to respond to that.
Mike, please continue your testing. I think some have missed the point that after finding the best tension, the wheels are LOCKED into place and the spring is no longer in the equation. This is true of the eccentric nuts also. They are also loose while adjusting and then LOCKED into place.
As with any new innovation, the final design will likely be improved in function and form. Mechanical prototypes are often crude and ugly in appearance.
Just my thoughts before my morning coffee.
Happy New Year All,
John
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Thanks John, I didn’t think this would become an emotional issue. I just want others to continue to innovate with their own machines and share the successes as well as failures. I still have the eccentric nuts in a very secure and handy place…just in case.
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Most of my best work is the result of failure! I bought this as my 1st CNC machine after reading through the forums and finding people like you contributing their ideas. There certainly is no harm in trying a mod that can easily be reversed. Who knows the additional ideas it can lead to.
I just wonder about the lateral play in the over sized hole.
I can see there being an issue with “diagonal force”. In other words, the tension is on the outside of the shaft I can imagine there being some flex regardless of how tight it is.
on the other hand, if the assembly by itself with out the carriage (the bracket, shaft (bolt for the vwheel), and tension bolt) can remain rigid under load independently without relying on the hole for the enut, then I think it could work.
I had thought of something similar before. Basically imagine the same configureation as used for quick detach rail attachments for a picatinny rail. would make it quick and easy to release tension when needed and go right back to the same tension when finished making any adjustments.
an example
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/policestuff_2396_10060631918
it would also be awesome to have the same type of mount for the router so it can be removed quick and easy.
Emotional or not, I still encourage you to continue and let us know how it goes since there’s no way to know for sure until it’s done. Having the springs between the wingnut and the bracket were my main concern, but if you can take the spring out of the equation (between brackets like @AngusMcleod suggested), you would definitely have an even finer adjustment mechanism (threads) and the idea may work very well.
I stand by my statement that for a no-load operation like using a laser it may be better than V-wheels. My only concern there is whether there would be enough play to allow slight rocking after high speed moves left and right due to pivoting on the pulley. But, having the spring between the brackets would help solve that as well.
Most commenting need to read the OP’s post again. The spring is only for use during adjustment, and is bypassed once the nuts are locked down. 
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I’ve got to admit, I didn’t really understand that point.
Absolutely…I’m sorry for the confusion. The spring is not being used to hold the wheel against the rail except for adjustment then the nylock nut is brought in hard to hold the wheel in position. The reason I’ve even considered this was quite simple. I’m a woodwork teacher and will hopefully be ordering an xcarve for school. If the students are able to do their own adjusting with this easy method rather than struggling and eventually ruining the eccentric nut as well as wearing through the plate then that will free up my time in the classroom. (Trying to use the KISS method and come up with the same result)
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Angus, I have found that I can swap out my Dewalt Trimmers. This allows me to set up a designated bit on each spindle and just swap out the spindle instead of the bits.
I have not fully set up my unit yet but this is what I have found.
I added 3 longer M4 nuts that the thread is only tapped the first 15mm or so. I also added these
These allow me to loosen/tighten the bolts without tools. When I am ready to change the spindle, I loosen the thumb wheels and slide it out. And I tighten them after the spindle is installed.
Many individuals have complained about how tight the 611 fits in the collet. I solved this issue by coating the spindle and inside of the mount with Paste Wax. This allows my spindle to slide in and out with ease when the tension from the M4 bolts are removed.
This is not as easy as the quick release on my router table lift but it still works.
Not trying to hijack this thread either. I think that the idea for replacing the eccentric nut is a good idea, especially if it provides finer adjustments for the VWheels. I will admit that it may need a little tweaking to get it right, but I believe that the technique is plausible. The eccentric nuts and washers will work, but I believe there could be a better solution.
To th original poster, Don’t let others knock you down when you come up with new ideas. Not everyone will agree with your ideas but that does not mean that your ideas are not possible. Do your own research and give it a try, who knows, you might have come up with a better solution or a solution that you can use elsewhere.
On several occasions, I have had ideas that did not pan out for my original purposes but later on down the road I have found other projects to implement the ideas on and they worked great.
So keep coming up with ideas and testing them before you discard them.
Happy XCarving.
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Just tried putting springs inside to brackets as you suggested. A huge difference in bringing the v-wheel in “closer”. Tomorrow I’ll pick up some longer springs or try and make up the difference with spacers. Thanks for the suggestion Angus.
Just finished putting new bolts and springs in V-wheel adjustments. To test I just used Robert Rieke’s calibration run on path rather than fill just to ensure the circles and other cuts were symmetrical. It well. Thanks to those following, commenting and suggestion mods to my mods on this experiment.
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That looks like it’s working well, how did the measurements work out?
Good video too, you’ve got a new subscriber. 