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Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 30 Jul 2017, 21:00
by 9fingers
I've always advocated maintenance on the basis of need rather than routine PROVIDED that you take notice of the clues that the machine/car/whatever is trying to tell you.

Yesterday when I was swapping a blade in my table saw for a fine kerf one I could hear a slight rubbing noise when turning the blade by hand.

A bit of investigation showed that a screw clipping a cable out of harms way had dropped out and to cable was rubbing on one of the drive belts when the depth of cut was at particular settings. I found the screw in the bottom of the sawdust bay. Fortunately easy repair to the insulation and the screw replaced with a starlock washer this time and all is now well.

A bit of trivial maintenance saved a breakdown mid job.

So my tip is get used to your machinery, know what it should sound like and investigate noises immediately to save tears later.

Bob

Re: Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 30 Jul 2017, 21:36
by Tusses
very true Bob .. I hold the same true for cars :-)

Re: Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 30 Jul 2017, 21:39
by Andyp
I cant agrue with that. My problem is not using machinery that often and trying, therefore, to remember what was it sounding like when I bought it or last used it.

Re: Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 30 Jul 2017, 21:58
by Tusses
My CNC gets heavy daily use .. the brushes are the one you notice 1st.
I also have radio ear defenters, and I can hear the crackle when the brushed start to wear , well before the router note changes !
If the brushed fail , the motor stops .. the CNC keeps moving ! .. not good :shock:

Re: Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 30 Jul 2017, 22:07
by 9fingers
Tusses wrote:My CNC gets heavy daily use .. the brushes are the one you notice 1st.
I also have radio ear defenters, and I can hear the crackle when the brushed start to wear , well before the router note changes !
If the brushed fail , the motor stops .. the CNC keeps moving ! .. not good :shock:


I suggest that you wire in a motor current monitor to only enable the Stepper drives when the current is over a certain value. Override for manual traverse.

The big metal CNCs we had at work used to measure the power consumption and compare it with the the task in hand.
Once the spindle power consumed went above a threshold, the machine would go and select a replacement cutter and deposit the old one in the queue for re-grinding.

Bob

Re: Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 30 Jul 2017, 22:37
by Tusses
9fingers wrote:
Tusses wrote:My CNC gets heavy daily use .. the brushes are the one you notice 1st.
I also have radio ear defenters, and I can hear the crackle when the brushed start to wear , well before the router note changes !
If the brushed fail , the motor stops .. the CNC keeps moving ! .. not good :shock:


I suggest that you wire in a motor current monitor to only enable the Stepper drives when the current is over a certain value. Override for manual traverse.

The big metal CNCs we had at work used to measure the power consumption and compare it with the the task in hand.
Once the spindle power consumed went above a threshold, the machine would go and select a replacement cutter and deposit the old one in the queue for re-grinding.

Bob


Interesting Bob .. I'll put that in my memory banks !
My latest spindle .. Kress , has some weird brushes with a spring loaded cutout when they hit a certain wear point :evil: DAMHIKT :twisted: .. they just stop dead ! apparently to protect the motor.
Only one of the 2 brushes have this, so since I found out, I order the non cutout ones.

Re: Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 02 Aug 2017, 22:25
by Mike G
My bandsaw is telling me it's knackered. I can't give it any time off for recovery. If it doesn't pull its socks up, it'll find itself out on its ear and its place taken by a shiny nearly-new 16" jobbie. It can't say it hasn't been warned........

Re: Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 02 Aug 2017, 22:38
by 9fingers
Awful to see this trait in you Mike! I'm minded to involve the NSPCM :lol:

A bandsaw is a delightfully easy machine to look after with only a few standard parts - eg bearings that might need replacing and it will play sweet music to you

When I bought mine, it was previously owned by a mechanical heathen and I kept it at work to start with and used to spend lunch-times working on it and it is now a joy to use.

Bob

Re: Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 02 Aug 2017, 22:47
by Mike G
First job I did when I bought it was to change all the bearings. I changed the blade today, adjusted all of the guides etc, and set the fence to the natural cutting line of the blade.......which then bound up in the first piece of wood I tried to cut, grinding the machine to a halt. I'll try spraying belt non-slip tomorrow, and tiffling up the surface of the rubber tyres. I'll retension the belts, again. I've done all this stuff in the last couple of weeks. Never again will I have a bandsaw which relies on the folded metal bodywork for its strength. The next one will have a chassis.

Re: Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 03 Aug 2017, 07:56
by 9fingers
Ah! It does rather sound like the machine needs retiring to a less stressful life. There is little worse than any machine that flexes in use.
Forgiven. :lol:
Bob

Re: Listen to what your machinery is telling you!

PostPosted: 03 Aug 2017, 10:31
by Rod
I had a DW Bandsaw that "bowed" under tension - welded some extra plates in to stiffen it up.

Rod