i’ve just dug back through the makita manual and google has sold me a duff.
just before i order another bit, what diameter single flute upcut bit would you recommend for cutting full sheets of ply?
looking at my core, it seems to all be running freely however when stood at the front watching it move back to home i notice the bottom right rear bearing not rotating but the left side one was, is it a good idea to keep everything lubed up?
I use mostly 1/8" O Flute upcut bits. But I do have some in 1/4" as well.
You need to tighten the top bolt just a smidge until that starts moving with it. If you take a finger at each side of the bottom of the core, and try to very easily move it around. “rock” it side to side. You should feel just a little bit of movement if you have a bearing not touching. You want to tighten it up as little as possible to get rid of that movement.
Bearings (shielded) shouldn’t need lubed. With the router off grab the collet and give it a good wiggle in all directions and make sure there’s no slack. If there is then make very very very small adjustments to the bolts that tighten the core down. Like 1/8 or a turn or less at a time.
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so when looking for a new cutter online, most the 1/8 cutters don’t have the depth required for 18mm plywood, am i looking in the right place, is 1/4 inch suitable in this application
ill give that a tweak later when I’m back home.
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There are some 1/8" cutters that will do it. But 1/4" cutters are ok too… Compression bits are much harder to dial in than O Flutes for sure.
Here is an 1/8" with a 25mm cutting length - Amazon.com
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Check that you are not re-cutting chips. Compression bits aren’t great at clearing chips from the cut, and if you are re-cutting that is a lit higher a load than just your DOC settings. This can cause skipped steps.
Also check your machine for tram. If your router is not vertical, this also increases cut load for deeper cuts, since the slight angle on the bit means that you are also cutting full (current) depth on a part of the bit. This can also happen if your core is a bit loose and can wobble in the Y plane, thus affecting tram on the X direction.
This is the primary difference between say 1/4" through cuts and 3/4" through cuts.
Summary:
- blow out the cuts to prevent re-cutting chips.
- check for a loose core affecting tram in the Y plane
- check for general tram once the core is locked down.
I’d bet your problem would be resolved eith those taken care of.
This reduces your torque by 25%. If you’re skipping steps, buy the right sized pulleys. This should be a big improvement for a couple of bucks.
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So this is now happening,
I noticed it when i first built it, but a bit of lube on the lead screw fixed it.
Now its worse and lube doesnt work.
Its like its not got enough umph to lift the gantry.
I’ve also bought this bit
my first run was a 2mm depth per pass at 20mm/s with the router on 3.5.
it sounded very high pitched and was creating more dust than chips.
In the instructions they say to leave the pinch screws out for the Z stubs, start by taking those out.
You need to make sure there is no binding, from the bottom to top of travel, and the angle of the Z stubs is as perpendicular as it can get. If you are crooked it binds the screws, if the pinch is there it can lead to misalignment of the nut holder (if not paying attention), and yes you need lube.
Beyond all that make sure you are not trying to move the Z axis too fast.
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Start at the lowest setting.
Yeh i only popped them in to see if it helps.
I took the xz plate off the runners, checked that they moved freely. Reattached but left the out slightly whilst i checked travel again and then nipped up. Worked okay the first time and then started doing it again.
Im using silicone lube is this right.
Did you check whether the Z stub is twisted? Ryan already asked, but it might have gotten lost. When you screw the stub to the plates, if you twist it to the front or back, it makes the screw bind, try to get it as straight as possible. 
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So ive had a play, checked things for alignment, everything seems good, ive cleaned the components and lubed with silicone spray, it seemed better but didnt cure the issue, i sent the head across to the other side and the z homes absolutley fine. Any other solutions, it seams to be since i installed the hose and dust mount.
Does anyone know if increasing the stepper current will help
I use lithium grease to lube the lead screws. I apply it, run the Z axis all the way up and down a couple of times and reapply it. So far I haven’t had any binding issues.
I dont think its biinding, it runs absolutley fine with the router and x stepper over the other end of the gantry, its like the added weight since adding the ducting and solid strut plates is too much with the x homed
There is a good possibility that the vacuum hose is creating added pressure when the core is on one side of the gantry.
I would disconnect and re-route the hose so that it is hanging loosely and freely from above, and retest to see of the problem goes away. If it does, then you need to look at how the hose was previously mounted, and how it is binding/putting pressure on the core.
If you increase the current, watch the temperature of the motor. Try to keep it around 50C to keep the mounts from getting soft.