Master Carver Flex Shaft Bogs Down

[Dan]

I recently bought a flex shaft master carver. It has been working great but now i have a problem when i try to use the hand piece its bogs down and wont cut. i dont know if its the hand piece of the shaft that is broken. when i look at the shaft there is a small ridge that i guess the hand piece mounts on too like a key. but it is chiped back and i wonder if it was saposed to go all the way to the end. that way it would turn and make the carving burr move. if anyone has a master carver please let me know if you have had a similar problem or if you can tell me if you tool has the ridge all the way along the shaft?

[Billy]

I have a Master Carver but am unsure of what you're talking about. I only use is sparingly so have not had any problems.

 

I brought my drill off Colin at Rotorua Lapidary. You can reach him on info@rotorualapidary.co.nz

 

He's a nice guy and knows his stuff. He may be able to help you if you describe the situation for him.

 

Hope it helps, Billy.

[Dan]

Billy if you would can you look at your shaft that attaches to your hand piece and tell me if there is a ridge on the flexible inside part? i think that part slides into the hand piece and locks the hand pieces onto the flexible shaft. then when the shaft turns it makes the hand pieces turn. without it it just spins around inside the hand piece and the carving burr has no way to spin with the motor. just trying to figure out if i need to buy a new hand piece or just pay 10 bucks for a replacement shaft.

 

think of it as the teeth on a key sliding into the tumblers except instead of unlocking the door it locks itself on the door..............then i guess it makes the door spin around in a circle.......ok guess its not the best example but its all i can think off.

[Ken R]

I am not familiar with with the master carver flex shaft. With my flex shaft, I sometimes have a problem with the set screw that holds the motor coupling to the motor shaft coming loose. When that happens the motor spins but not the shaft.

Good luck,

Ken

[Dan]

thanks ken ill look at it and see maybe thats it. what strange is today i turned it on and it carved away but yesterday the tip boged down again.

[Billy]

Hey.

 

Sorry but I actually have a 'Flexible Power Carver'. I don't use it very much which is maybe why I thought it was a Master Carver. Anyway, I took a shot of the end of the shaft the handpiece fits onto. There is a ridge similar to what you were talking about. I hope this helps in some way. Sorry about the photo.

 

Billy

[Dan]

no your attachment looks different and i think im going to have to contact the company and fight my way through blue tape and frustraiting people. thanks billy it started working again so ill have to wait till it stops working again to try and figure out why it does not work.

[Colin]

Hi Regarding your flexy shaft. I also initially had a problem when first started using the flexy drive, I think I broke at least 2 inner cables before I learnt not to have too sharp a bend in the flexy drive. As my first flexy was second hand I just bought an inner cable and finally it sunk in what was causing the problem. The inner cables are not "too" expensive, and I now have a spare available as I use 2 flexy drives. I wouldn't be without them, they are !/4HP 20,000Rpm drives, and as I use them to carve stone they work great. I also use the to releaf carve on the wooden boxes using the diamond burrs for both materials...Cheers Colin

[Dan]

colin-that might be the problem i might have had a bend in the cable as i was working and it was boging down from now on ill be aware of how the cable is to figure out if that is the problem or not. like i said i cant tell whats wrong with it till it stops cuting again.

 

 

ken- i took the shaft apart to look at the set screws and there was no problem so that takes that out of the equation.

 

thanks for the help guys ill just have to wait till it stops to know if im doing it right or wrong.

[Janel]

Question for flex shaft users: Are you hanging the motor so that the cable can move freely? Try to find some bench set up photos here on the forum by using the SEARCH function. Many users have figured out good ways to mount their flex shaft motors other than on the bench top.

 

Janel

[Dan]

i made mine to hang next to my lathe its actuly couple 2bys that is siting on my lathe stand (old dressor) then i drilled a 3/4 hole in the 2 bys and then inserted a conduint pipe that was left over from rewiring the entire classroom. the pipe had a 90 degree bend in it. i then drilled a hole in my pipe and then attached a clip to my flex shaft motor. its handy to use when im carving on my lathe but it can be twisted around so that i can sit in a comfortable chair and carve over a small table that i can set my wood turning on. just the right height for standing at the machine or siting down and working.

[Tony N]

some times when using a flexi shaft you can if you have a knick in it burn it out or the collet is not fitting right when its connecting to the drive shalf

[Dan]

ok so i talked to someone that has the same flex shaft tool that i have and he said their is a ridge all along the shaft. well mine the ridge stoped about a half a inch from the end so im thinking that it is not have a good tight fit on the hand piece. and because it does not have that ridge the flex shaft wants to just spin inside the hand piece. eather i did it puting the hand piece on the tool or it came like that it because i have not used it extensivly. i did not realize it because sometimes it cuts and sometimes it will not cut.