I’m finding bits and pieces on how to maintain my Shapeoko. I can’t seem to find how often?
Depends on how often you use it, and how much dust you have to wipe off the rails after each use.
See:
https://my.carbide3d.com/docs/maintenance/
According to:
every 600–800 hrs. but I suspect that’s for a well-maintained industrial machine which is cutting metal, not wood dust which requires wiping things down and removing oil, and a machine w/ a far larger reserve of oil/grease than ours.
FWIW, I lubricate when the linear blocks no longer deposit oil on the rails/ball-screws after a full traverse (shouldn’t be much, but a clean sheet of paper or a cloth should show oil when touched to the linear motion system just after the block/nut has passed, or if things begin to squeak, or after a bad crash and I am inspecting things (figure I might was well do it while I’ve got access). I also keep a rag (in addition to a foam block to prop it up) under my Z-axis when I’m not using the machine, and I use the rag to wipe off excess oil at need from the rails.
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Thank you! As always…such a big help!
The SO5 and SO4 Pro have the linear rails. The Z-Plus and HDZ also have those rails and the bearing that ride on the rails. The maintenance guide gives you the complete procedure but depending on usage simply wiping down the rails with the Vactra #2 oil will help lubricate both the rails and the bearings inside. Again depending on usage every 6 months you need to remove the Z axis and open the screws to the bearing housing and put oil in them. When doing that procedure watch that oil drips down the rails and eventually drops onto your spoilboard and/or project. So for a week or so after the full maintenance procedure wipe off the bottom of the Z rails to prevent excess oil from dripping down on to your projects. So right after the full maintenance put a paper towel under the Z axis when parked to prevent the oil from dripping onto your spoilboard.
Keeping your machine clean is important. So after each job or end of the day vacuum the machine and remove the buildup of sawdust and/or metal chips. Keeping the machine clean is a must to keep your machine in good working order. Dust collection really helps but chips still get thrown around and have to be cleaned up. Most of the buildup will be at the end of the rails because the internal wipers on the bearings push the muck to the edges of the rails.
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