Just gave my machine a birthday and spent a bit of time cleaning, adjusting and checking it over…
Having noticed some inaccuracies of late, I found that a couple of the Z axis V Wheels had a small amount of ‘play’ in them when under load. What I found was that the wheel itself stayed solid on the makerslide, but the bearings themselves could move when I put some force on the spindle. Whilst the movement at the V wheels was tiny, this allowed the tool end of the spindle to move quite significantly.
Fortunately I had some spares so I replaced them, however I suspect that if I’d simply reduced the thickness of the small washer that’s between the two bearings inside the wheel itself, I’d probably eliminate most, if not all, of this movement.
Perhaps this is something worth considering if you’re faced with the same problem, but don’t have spares nearby.
Happy cutting…