Is this a sign of bearing failure?

[SIBUD]

Here are some photos.

The first are of a carving I did a few weeks ago.

The letters and design cut pretty well with clean smooth edges.

The next ones are ones I did today.

They are rough and fuzzy.

I'm wondering if this is an indication of bearing failure.

Brand new blade in the bit today. Everything else is the same.

Thanks in advance for help as I need to finish this for an anniversary gift for my son and daughter-in-law.

[Leo]

The woods look different to me.

Wood can DEFINITELY make that much of a difference.

What are the wood species that are shown in the 2 pictures?

Soft woods do not cut as nicely as hardwoods.

[SIBUD]

They are both cherry. The first one is stained and oiled.

The second is unfinished.

[scottp55]

You said "New blade in the bit" What bit? and are you Positive it's sharp/aligned/seated tight? Any more vibration than normal? Any way you can check the angle?

[WoodEraser]

What router are you using and how many hours do you have on it ?

[SIBUD]

It is an Amana bit with replaceable blades. http://www.toolstoday.com/p-5671-cnc-v- ... nives.aspx

The router has about 150 hours of run time. Bosch 1617EVS 2-1/4 HP Variable-Speed Router

[gordread]

Did you do anything to the wood before you carved it? If you put finish on first, then you will get slightly more crisp edges, and I've found a slightly cleaner cut.

I've also noticed a difference in the quality of cut between boards of the same species of tree. Sometime it is just a different grain pattern, or a softer piece of wood.

I've found with v-carving that sometimes it is a good idea to run the pattern twice, that way if the result of the first time is 'fuzzy' then the second time through will clean it all up.

I know that this doesn't definitively give you an answer, but hopefully there is something useful here.

Gordon

[Mobius]

It could be a difference in the moisture content of the wood as well, with the fibres of the 'wet' wood bending rather than cutting cleanly. Like gordon said, try cutting it again to clean it up.

[Leo]

Cherry cuts better than your second pic.

I suspect the cutter at this point.

Do you have a non insert type "V" groove cutter to try and compare.

[SIBUD]

But the first example was cut with an insert bit.

Why would I not expect the same results?

No one has yet addressed the possibility of bearing failure. Still wondering if that is the cause????????

[Leo]

But the first example was cut with an insert bit.

Why would I not expect the same results?
Because it is the one thing that you changed.

If everything else has not changed and you changed one thing - that would be the most suspect.

In systematic troubleshooting - you want to eliminate the easiest things first.

So - by cutting the same program in the same wood - but with a "known" good cutter - you will possibly eliminate the bearing and also the insert cutter as suspects, OR - prove beyond any shadow of doubt that there is still a problem - depending on the results. Doing the test will provide information that you do not have now.

Going after the bearing is not the easy stuff - and that may not be the problem.

No one has yet addressed the possibility of bearing failure. Still wondering if that is the cause????????

Bearings just don't fail suddenly - and the way you explained this is that is was a sudden failure.

[SIBUD]

Thanks Leo.

[Woodbutcher-59]

Hi all,

gonna throw in my 2 cents...

I've worn out bearings in a PC 690 router and also used up a 2.2kw water cooled spindle from China....

Both times the first symptom was more and more noise during spin down after shutting off the motor.

The router motor eventually developed ALOT of radial play in the shaft....

The 2.2 spindle motor developed quite a bit of axial play but no radial play at all...go figure.

I've since learned these Chinese spindle bearings are not so good for straight plunging cuts so use those ramps wherever possible.

Good luck with your issue, but I'm guessing cutter problem.

Jeff

[Leo]

Routers in general - are NOT - designed for drilling and plunging.

They DO allow in design for SOME level of plunge cutting - but the design intent of a router is peripheral cutting.

I have sat with CR Onsrud technical people face to face - and talked about their machines as I had a twin 25 hp spindle - twin table machine of theirs before.
That is what they said about plunge cutting.

[Adrian]

I always ramp and never plunge for exactly those reasons and my spindle has been going strong in a production environment since 2009.

Not sure if it's strictly necessary but I took the view that doing it wouldn't cause any problems and not might do.