Frage Really struggling....

We have assembled our 600 but just cannot get it to tighten up - the gantry has too much play in it so it is not accurate. If we tighten the y axis it jams in the zero position and doesn't return to rest. Also the bracket for our Kress 1050 doesn't seem to hold the tool vertically. We have made representation to StoneyCNC our supplier who virtually said "What do you expect from a hobby machine! Very frustrated because we have followed every guideline and instruction... two things may indicate the problem:

• the X axis spindle did not fit properly so we had to modify the motor coupling as advised by Stepcraft in Germany (again - very unhappy that the fault was acknowledged and instead of offering a replacement part we were told to get to a lathe and modify the part!
• When we fitted tha aluminium table we had to 'drive it home' with a mallet - it was practically an interferencee fit!
  
  We just don't know where to go next to fix this problem. Any experienced user in or near North Wales who could come over and look at it for us? I'd pay for your time.... I am at the point of considering selling this £2000 machine and starting again with a company who can offer a better service.

Oh dear. The Stepcraft self-assembly process claims another unsuspecting victim.

I presume by your references to "Stoney Croft" and "Stoney Craft" you mean StoneyCNC? This doesn't sound like Rory you're dealing with though.

Pete, I'm sorry to say that you're going to have to do some research on this forum to find the source of your problems. There are some recent threads which will help.

I'm too far away in Scotland to help.

Doug

Thats the one - been a long day. Rory was helpful replacing incorrectly supplied part but suggesting we go back to scratch as a solution is quite frank lame - the mounting bracket for the Kress is really to shallow for the collar and the problem with the Y axis is really frustrating. My assistant who put this together is an extremely talented and methodical guy ( he is a German as well but I am sure that is no qualification) who I don't think I can ask to take apart and reassemble the machine a third time. I really could do with a successful user to come and look at the machine and assess it for us.

We build ukulele and were hoping this would be the solution to hand cut inlay work. As it stands, we cannot even level our sacrificial work table!

Hmm. I am trying to build entire electric guitars with mine so I am on your wavelength here!

It does not matter how skilled or methodical the assembler is because there are flaws in the design and excessive powder coating on the end plates prevents correct alignment.

I suggested a few key tips for axis alignment on another thread:

1. Some free play in the bearing seat(s), especially at the non driven end is actually helpful. The track roller and extrusion provide the alignment, the lead screw & ball nut assembly provide the linear drive. The two functions are not fully mutually inclusive A number of users have facilitated this by removing some powder coat from the bearing seat as you acknowledge.

2. Once there is sufficient free play in the lead screw(s), align it/them by loosening the end plate or gantry, drive the track rollers/gantry to one end, align each (in the case of Y axis) then tighten up the end plate screws. This process acts to self-align the assembly.

3. The spindle holder needs to be aligned (trammed) relative to the bed. There are no instructions on how to do this. Check out post #42414 on this thread for my method:

https://www.stepcraft-systems.com/en/forum/assembly-and-maintenance/3367-spindle-bed-tramming-840-supports

I hope this helps.

Doug

Hi Pete,

Having to hammer home the T slot aluminium baseplate does suggest that something severely amiss in the whole Y-axis assembly. It sounds as though the Y-axis extrusions are too close, and that the fixing screws at both ends need slackening to allow the baseplate to slide in. Before doing this, slacken off the moving rollers, they need to be adjusted almost the last thing in "tuning the Y-axis

For what it is worth here is some advice, based on my own build experiences, that I passed on to another Forum member.

"When I tuned mine, I made sure that the moving rollers were all slackened off when I adjusted the end plates. That way I could be sure they were not the cause of any tightness. It's important to make sure the two gantry sides are equidistant from the end plates too (i.e. the X-axis is at 90 degrees to the Y-axis).

Having completed that adjustment, the rollers were then tightened individually so that they could just not be turned by hand (finger). I carefully degreased everything before doing this so I could feel the increase in resistance to turning as they were screwed down. Of course it was all lubricated again once I was happy with the adjustment.

I know Stepcraft suggest a 1/4 turn - IMHO that is a nonsense, it leads to grossly excessive forces and is likely to cause surface damage to the aluminium extrusions and the rollers themselves.".

I'm happy to offer what advice I can, but the forum is a slow laborious way to communicate - contact me by private email and perhaps we can set up a better method.

Regards,

Peter.

Hi Pete.

We had slight issues with our 840 here with the aluminum t-bed.

After much head scratching we took the end plates off and re adjusted the screw rods on the "y" axis.
once this was done the end plate was re-attached but not tightened down. the gantry was moved to that end to home. the aluminum bed was slid into the channels all the way back and then the front end plate was attached but not tightened down.

the rear plate was slightly tightened and the gantry moved all the way to the other end, once there the end plate was tightened and we then moved the gantry all the way to the other end and repeated.

We moved the gantry by grabbing the belt and moving that by hand, this in turn meant we could check that it moved freely and did not jam.

once this had been done several times just to check and re check it was all tightened up.

the only thing we may need to do is change the y axis brass screw guides as it seems there may be a little play in them, why they were made out of brass is beyond me.

unclebuck schrieb: Hi Pete.
The only thing we may need to do is change the y axis brass screw guides as it seems there may be a little play in them, why they were made out of brass is beyond me.

I also found that my aluminium T-slot bed inserted just fine when the end plates were loosened off. Before the penny dropped, I had the rubber mallets out.

I suspect the engineering judgement behind the lead nut being made out of brass is so that is the replaceable wear item in the linear drive system. If this is the case, this seems a reasonable judgement to made if ball nuts cannot be used on cost grounds but it is a pain that the machine will need to be nearly fully dismantled to replace them. Hopefully with the intended light hobby duty they are intended for, this will not be for several hundred hours of use.

I am still hoping that a regular on here or Stepcraft themselves comes up with a ball nut upgrade which uses the very nicely machined existing ball/lead screws.

Doug

No ball nut upgrade! Was an official SC statement a while ago ... maybe in a german thread, don't remember that detail.

Despite taking apart the machine yet again and following the helpful advice of everyone we still cannot get the Y axis to return. When we fitted the aluminium bed, unlike the useless particle board that was supplied with the machine and which slid in easily, we had to drive the bed into place with a soft mallet and block. Could it be that the bed is tapered?

We are rapidly losing interest in this project. So here it is, offer of the week! £250 to anyone who can visit the workshop and get our 600 working. If not, look out for a second machine on eBay. We will buy one from Marchant Dice who offer a full installation and training package

I don't understand the collective whimpering about ball nuts! The way things are everyone here can claim having Big Brass Nuts

Hi Pete forgot to mention, before sliding the t-bed in i applied 3 in 1 light machine oil in the channels using a cloth with a good amount of oil on it then i ran the cloth with some more oil along the edge of the t-bed top edge, bottom and sides it then slid in easier, try that. failing that I am based in south wales so wouldn't take too long to get to you, where about are you?

Nr CAERNARFON...

unclebuck schrieb: ... 3 in 1 light machine oil ...

What??? 3 in 1 light machine oil??? Don't be ridiculous, this is the only lubricant that will do the job!

FWIW.

www.thingiverse.com/thing:1626585

Any luck with this Pete? Did you get any help?

I joined the Facebook Stepcraft Crafters page (via my wife's account) to post up some cutting videos at Rory's request.

There was a recent post by someone using their Stepcraft 2/840 for 6-7 hours a day, 5 days a week to make guitars! They looked great too.

I saw another picture from someone who made a banjo and the fretboard had impressive scallops so there's definitely hope for us.

Doug

Here´s someone milling a banjo: Banjo

He's chucked the toys out of the pram and our help back in our faces.

https://www.stepcraft-systems.com/en/forum/feedback-and-suggestions2/4243-for-sale-stepcraft-600#45602

Waste of time guys.

Doug

Just say it as it is - I paid for Rory to come and set up the machine. He had to 'modify' parts beyond the scope of the instructions to get it to work and eventually took away a part to work on it back at Stoney CNC. I was willing to listen and I did make steps to follow advice and try to get it to work. We have had some success with this machine but cannot seem to get it to work consistently. All I am asking is it me or the machine? We have oval holes, the machine drifitng by 25 mm after working for an hour...

Before you get offensive please think - I went away, thought about what everyone said and tried to do something about it. What is petulant about that. We are at the end of our knowledge and cannot invest any more time into this because we are truly out of ideas...

Look at the evidence: This a couple of guys trying everything we have been advised and can research to get some consistency... we have no clue about this being artisan craftsman with degrees in hand-craft not technology. It may all be obvious to you but it is not to us so give some credit to us for listening, trying and trying again!

So sad you have had all this hassle with what should have been an enlightening experience for you, primarily for hobby work my wife and I invested a lot of time and effort into research before we purchased and decide Rory @ StoneyCNC was the way ahead for what we needed.

Being a HGV Technician with 30 years+ in the motor trade my experience has served me well with a couple of hours a night after work over the course of a week to complete my build following the detailed instructions and if I was unsure all my answers up to now have been found here or the Facebook group. We are brand new to CNC and being from the motor trade you have to adapt to new technology quite quickly, my build has been faultless and my only issues being have been my own incompetence with the software but I'm learning new things every day. I have surprised myself being over 50 now the body may take a bit of encouragement but the brain is still sharp.

I sincerely hope you have a bit more patience to work out your issues, I build Engines in a QA department so maybe I'm blessed with more patience than most but I do hope you get sorted, I'm only 2 weeks in from receiving my kit and have it drawing but have yet to test it in cutting anger so I may yet eat your hat !!!

Best wishes. Rob.

Pete,

I feel your pain. I am in the same state.

I bought the machine a YEAR AGO. Assembled it to found that the X axis get stuck and that the milling is wrong.

I contacted Stepcrat a few times and did not get any response.

Contacted them again and got a response saying I "should disassemble and reassemble the machine". Implying its my fault.

I did it. The same problem persisted. Again X axis is stuck.

During this year I almost went crazy. Stepcraft (and some German forum members) said that I'm "not the right guy" and that the problem is me. I almost went mad. I posted my thoughts in this forum just to get more disoriented and mad. The only response from Stepcraft in the forum is "dont post your problems here". I was sure I was the one to blame. so i filled orange paint off and tried to look for where i got it wrong. i wasnt!

I tried contacting Stepcarft again. No answer. I found Rory on Facebook and begged him for help. He contacted Stepcaft and we had a video call. during the video call Stepcraft said that the X axis is too long i.e. - WRONG PART MEASUREMENTS. Thay also said that a new axis is "too expensive" so what i should do is file the part that connects it to the motor.

Today i just saw theres a new HP500 spindle and it made me feel so bad. I have a brand new Stepcraft for a year. I did not make it work bcz its has FAULTY parts.

I dont know about Germany but, in my country I would get a full refund and compensation for my time under consumer laws.

As it seems now, Stepcraft are giving me "service". Much too late. But frankly this "service" is just a joke.

I will update you guys if I make it to the end and maybe have this machine work so i can SELL IT bcz i cant stand the sight of it in my house.

I'm furious and I envy all those users who got lucky to get the right parts and the right machine. I was unlucky like many other users here. Now, I have an outdated & nonworking & damaged paint & old spindle & bad parts machine.

I really dont get the nerve of this company and its managers. its too much!