Hi, All. After six months in the box, I am using the holiday weekend to finally assemble my new Shapeoko 4. I have no experience with CNC or assembly.
Right now, I have a tiny question. I am on STEP 6: Attaching the Drag Chain. Specificallyl, I am on page 42-43 of the new Assembly Guide from Dec 2021.
I am in the process of attaching and installing the X-Axis Drag Chain. According to the instructions, this requires using two screws on each end. These screws are listed as XX M5x16mm Button Head Cap Screw, which are screwed in with a 2 mm Allen wrench.’’
Here is my question: After working on cars for decades, I’ve learned to never force a screw or nut that feels too tight, at the risk of stripping the threads. These screws feel AWFULLY tight, so I stopped working the and thought I’d post this before forcing something.
Thanks in advance for any insights or suggestions. I can post photos if necessary.
Just finished assembling my 4 as well. It seemed at times that some of the powercoating solution they apply to a lot of the parts may have gotten into the threads. What I did here was just run the screw in and out a couple of times before adding the part between and tightening. Each time I ran it through it got a bit better.
If there is indeed some powder coat in threads then I certainly would use some lubricant and carefully insert the screw a bit at the time and remove it, clean the threads and go again… Last thing you want to do is snap it off (duh).
Of course the best thing would be to chase it with a correct sized tap…