[DDgitfiddle]

Greetings all. Its been a while since I posted here, mostly due to limited time...work and trying to actually build something with the CNC router.

So I'm in the middle of a project and I noticed a pretty bad squeak coming from one of the Y-axis drives on my FineLine Saturn. I disassembled the drive and found that the needle bearing inside the gear is locked up. Apparently I should have done a better job lubricating that when I assembled it. Water under the bridge...

With FineLine seeming to be an unreliable source, I am hoping to order some parts from CNCRP. All I really need is a replacement pulley/gear shaft assembly ($50 from CNCRP). I know that Nate pretty much copied the CNCRP drives, but does anyone know if these are directly compatible? If the are not, are the CNCRP drive assemblies compatible?

Thanks in advance for the help!

-Robert

[wmgeorge]

I lubed mine but I understand the new ones are bronze bushings. Not sure how handy you are but if you have a digital caliper you can measure your shaft size and the inside bore diameter of the gear to get the sizes. My local hardware store carries brass or bronze bushings. Hopefully it will not need reaming to size.

[GME]

Greetings all. Its been a while since I posted here, mostly due to limited time...work and trying to actually build something with the CNC router.

So I'm in the middle of a project and I noticed a pretty bad squeak coming from one of the Y-axis drives on my FineLine Saturn. I disassembled the drive and found that the needle bearing inside the gear is locked up. Apparently I should have done a better job lubricating that when I assembled it. Water under the bridge...

With FineLine seeming to be an unreliable source, I am hoping to order some parts from CNCRP. All I really need is a replacement pulley/gear shaft assembly ($50 from CNCRP). I know that Nate pretty much copied the CNCRP drives, but does anyone know if these are directly compatible? If the are not, are the CNCRP drive assemblies compatible?

Thanks in advance for the help!

-Robert

Fineline still advertises using needle bearings. Avid/CNCRP uses Oilite bushings in theirs. Measure your shoulder bolt shaft diameter and confirm the thread. Then, send an email to Avid and ask for the same information about theirs. Then, you will know with certainty.

Gary

[DDgitfiddle]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately, I need a new shaft also, because it is pretty badly scored. Mine is the original stainless steel version, so it wasn't going to last forever anyway. I could try to push out the bearing and replace it, but the shaft is a little strange to begin with (weird length). I'll contact Avid and figure out if the parts are compatible.

-Robert

[GME]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately, I need a new shaft also, because it is pretty badly scored. Mine is the original stainless steel version, so it wasn't going to last forever anyway. I could try to push out the bearing and replace it, but the shaft is a little strange to begin with (weird length). I'll contact Avid and figure out if the parts are compatible.

-Robert

When I mentioned the shoulder bolt, I was referring the shaft. If the Fineline shaft has the same thread as Avid's, you should be good to go ordering Avid's gear & shaft set. The shaft is sized to the gear, and the shoulder tightens against a flat reference surface on the R & P drive unit. At worst cases, you may have to adjust the position of the gear on the motor shaft to get the right alignment. I'm betting the main issue is the shaft thread. If Avid uses a different thread, you're out of luck and will be looking at Avid's R & P drive - assuming their pivot bolt (shaft) also has a 3/8-16 thread. I'm guessing the gear shaft has 3/8-16, like the pivot should bolt. Easy enough to tell. Just try to thread on a 3/8" nut. In the photo on the Avid site, the two shoulder bolts (shafts) look like about the same diameter and thread. Looks can be deceiving, though.

Good luck on your quest, Robert.

Gary

[DDgitfiddle]

I have reached out to Avid and will wait for their response. I understand what you mean about the shoulder bolts/shafts. The shaft on mine is a strange length (almost exactly 34mm or 1.34 in.), so I think it is customized. It also uses a split lock washer between the shoulder and the main plate of the drive unit, which makes it effectively a little longer. I think the Avid shoulder bolt is 1.25" based on their literature. So that could result in less gear engagement. That was an issue with the Saturns early on (fixed with a spacer between the rack and frame). This may be due to a thinner thrust plate on the main drive pivot point on the Avid drive (just based on observation, not measurements. I'll see what they say. Part of me would not be sad to replace the drives...I always felt that they were not designed quite right (bearing fits a little loose).

-Robert

[micknm]

We had issues with Nate's drives from the start on our Saturn II. We returned them for credit and swapped them for Avid's. Not compatibility issues at all and no drive problems since.

[DDgitfiddle]

We had issues with Nate's drives from the start on our Saturn II. We returned them for credit and swapped them for Avid's. Not compatibility issues at all and no drive problems since.

I received a response from Avid CNC today indicating that their spindle assemblies (gear, pulley, and shaft) are compatible (as expected), so I placed an order for three replacements.

On a whim, I also emailed Nate at FineLine to see if he would respond. Surprisingly, he answered my email very quickly and responded that he also has parts available to ship. I decided to go with the Avid parts instead just because there have been a number of problems in receiving parts from FineLine. I don't use my machine to make a living, but I would like to have it up and running again in a predictable amount of time.

-Robert