X1-gear selector fork...

[digits]

Hi guys - does anyone have a picture of a correctly installed X-1 gear selector fork in place? I have broken two in as many weeks, and I can't tell from the instructions which way round it should go - it isn't quite symmetrical.

Also has anyone made their own replacement one? I'm not convinced that the horizontal slot that engages with the pin on the gear-selector knob is an ideal shape for a smooth gear-change - wouldn't some sort of arc work better to turn the rotary motion of the knob into a vertical movement of the fork and gears?

Cheers.

P.S. The part I'm referring to is #43, I think - it's the curved metal piece that clamps the high and low speed gears and drags them up and down their shaft.

[twocik]

Might be a little late for this but the side with the groove or whatever you want to call it goes toward the electronics. I recently broke mine about a week ago, really cheap to replace.

Good luck

[digits]

Thanks - I've broken four now! It's not really the expense, just the fact that there's never a good time to break one! I now have a spare just incase!

Cheers.

[twocik]

Is your mill stalling?

If so, you might want to check your flange lining (I believe that's what they're called), little brass looking inserts on the fork. I bent mine, and had to replace them as well.

Another thing you might want to check is the shaft pin for any I mean any little bumps. If the fork can't move easily up & down the shaft once in place, then this might be the reason why yours keep breaking. Hope that helps



I was thinking of making one out of steel or just making a pulley system.

[MIKE JEFFERS]

time for a belt drive methinks lads

[twocik]

I'm researching it at the moment, but I haven't found much. I'm also wanting to go with a more power motor (torque & HP). Nobody really sells them in kits.

[xiphmont]

time for a belt drive methinks lads

There's only one belt drive kit I know of, made by www.tj-cnc.com. I ordered mine last October and it just arrived this morning (no kidding) ten months later. John Guenther, the guy who makes them, is a nice fellow and the kit looks great-- but I think he got a little buried by the unexpected popularity of his handiwork.

[digits]

I'm researching it at the moment, but I haven't found much. I'm also wanting to go with a more power motor (torque & HP). Nobody really sells them in kits.

I know some people have had some success with bigger motors and belt drives on their X1's, but my gut feeling is that once the gears and motor stop being the weakest points of the X-1, it's frame will rapidly show up all its short comings. It's a little mill - it can make some great parts if you have the patience of a saint, but IMHO if you want more power on your X1, you probably really want a bigger, more capable mill.

[xiphmont]

I know some people have had some success with bigger motors and belt drives on their X1's, but my gut feeling is that once the gears and motor stop being the weakest points of the X-1, it's frame will rapidly show up all its short comings. It's a little mill - it can make some great parts if you have the patience of a saint, but IMHO if you want more power on your X1, you probably really want a bigger, more capable mill.

I'm satisfied with the motor. I wanted a belt drive so it's quieter on big mills and doesn't break a gear if it dives in by accident.

[twocik]

"I ordered mine last October and it just arrived this morning (no kidding) ten months later."


WOW I can't believe that, 10 months. Well at least you have it now. Maybe he should look into mass production for others, seem to be a really big market here....



Well I'm definitely buying a bigger mill (Tormach), but needed something for now.