Okay for bottom v-wheel to spin?

1

My understanding is that all of the v-wheels should be tight enough that they can’t be turned freely with your finger but not tighter - ie the eccentric nut at about 11 o’clock. But the bottom front wheel on my right side Y-axis spins freely regardless of how tight I make it. I tried loosening the back bottom eccentric but to see if it was just tilting to far up but it seems I just can’t get it tighter. This is from fall 2015 that I recently upgraded to the XL so this v-wheel and assembly is two years old. Not sure how I can fix (or even if I need to? Or do the bottom v-wheels just need to sit snugly around the extrusion but not necessarily so right they don’t soon freely?)

Thanks for any advice.

2

Everything else tight? Meaning are the top wheel bolts snug?

First slightly back off the bottom eccentrics (counter clockwise).
Then tighten the tops with a wrench and Allen key (NOT Gorilla tight, but tight).
Then tighten the bottoms using same Allen key while holding the eccentrics stationary (again, just past snug).
Finally turn the eccentrics slowly clockwise while trying to spin the V wheel.
At some point the V wheel should stop turning freely…Stop right there.

Do one side at a time, doing both tops, then both bottoms. I’ve found that my eccentrics usually end up being clocked pretty close to the same spot (I can’t remember if that’s 9, 10, or 11 O’clock). If things are still spinning and you’re past high noon then try the whole exercise again (might take a second try to get the right feel). You may even notice that you adjust the front, then adjust the back and find the front loose again (just adjust it again). If after this they still spin come back and let us know. The two Y carriages don’t take nearly as much load as the X or Z, and honestly I ran with one fairly loose for awhile and never noticed any cutting issues (until I noticed it was loose by chance and adjusted as above).

Anyways, that’s what has worked for me.

Dan

4 Likes
3

To expand on @DanoInTx’s excellent answer, please see: [spoiler]Shapeoko CNC Router, Rigid, Accurate, Reliable, and Affordable

Since then, we have added the page:

2 Likes
4

Thanks, I’ll try this. All of the other 15 v-wheels don’t spin on their own without pushing hard. I’ll try loosening and adjusting as you describe and see if that eliminates it.

1 Like