I have noticed that my spindle is vibrating when it travels along the X axis, whether it is an “easy cut” or a difficult one. I have the Shapeoko Pro XXL with the VFD Spindle and the heavy duty Z mount thingie (it’s been a while since I bought it, sorry for the lack of precise wording). There is no issue when it travels along the Y axis in straight lines, but you can see the striations caused in the cut in this pic. I tried slowing down the feedrate, and at 50% it seemed to be less … angry during the cut, but I’m wondering if also slowing down the rotation of the bit would make sense too. And if that’s the case, is there a way to do that mid-cut or is that only possible in CC? It’s currently at 24k on the VFD, which is interesting because I have it set to 18k in CC (build 761).
Any ideas you all have would be appreciated! I like to do deep cuts (using a 2" deep piece of wood), but it becomes even more obvious on a deep cut like this. It’s just not smooth. I’ll also point out that it does this even during shallow cuts.
My crazy idea is that the spindle and Z mount are too heavy to move smoothly along the axis. Is that possible/likely? Would putting the factory supplied Z mount back on help? (I realize that I can try it, but I’m looking for some insight first before I do try that because I don’t get to machine often.)
The linear rails can cause jerkiness, if they haven’t been maintained lately. unplug the x motor, with the power off, and check how smoothly it moves.
You don’t say, or show what type of bit you are using. Or, how deep of a pass your are making also, I’m currently cutting hard maple, with a two flute upcut endmill at 80 inches per minute. With a makita trim router set at about 4 on the detent.
That single rubber belt will allow a little extra motion in the x travel.
I didn’t mention the bit or the depth of cut because this happens regardless of what is happening on the table. My depths of cut are standard for the bits based off the standards provided in the tool libraries. This happens when I jog the machine to set zero as well.
Check the pulley on the X motor. 2 screws, both tight, one over the flat of the motor shaft. Put a mark on it as well so in the future you can easily see if it is loose.
The cross above looks like oak. Oak is a very hard and dense wood. If the problem is in the X direction as pictured you are cutting across the grain and that is the worst case for cutting. Your project shape dictates the direction so I am not saying not cut in that direction but oak is very hard and that could be some of your problem. So post your file for us to look at it to evaluate depth of cut and tools.
Plus as others said the linear rails have to be serviced and oil. Dust can collect even with the linear rails lubricated so maybe a cleaning is in order.
I used birch for the cut - it’s one of my favorites to use because it cleans up beautifully.
I’m going to check out the x motor and belts tomorrow. I oil and clean regularly, I highly doubt that’s the issue, but I’ll try again. Here’s the file. The parameters I use for this are standard for most of my files so if you notice anything out of the ordinary, let me know.
Hi all, just a quick update…I got Support involved and they (like always) were incredibly helpful. I’m getting a few parts and we’ll see if that does it. It’s super awesome the level of support that I’ve received from Carbide. For context, I got my machine in fall 2021 and in spring 2022 I found out I was pregnant with my 3rd child. Needless to say I haven’t done much woodworking over the past year! But the support is still there and I appreciate that I can get that help even when it’s like 6 mos in between when I can use my machine (yes I’ve still kept it clean in between thank you very much). So I’ll let you all know the result. Happy milling!
