EShapeoko 1.2 Assembly: X carriage

For this step, you will need the fourth motor plate, the rear X motor plate with the motor and idlers attached from two steps ago, and the remaining parts in Pack 5.

Dual X Rail

Take a deep breath...

Front and middle of the X carriage

Rear of the X carriage

Position of V-wheels on the X carriage, as seen from the front (red: fixed X V-wheels; blue: adjustable X V-wheels; yellow: fixed Z V-wheels; purple: adjustable Z V-wheels)

Item	Part Number	Part Description	Count
1	EM-S5-70	M5 70mm cap screw	2
2	EM-S5-90	M5 90mm cap screw	6
3	EM-W5	M5 washer (form A)	48
4	EM-MES	Eccentric spacer	6
5	EM-W5B	M5 washer (form B)	8
6		Assembled V-wheel	12
7	EM-D5-16b	M5 25.4mm aluminium spacer	12
	or
	EM-D5-16a	M5 25.4mm spacer (thick)
8	EM-D5-04b	M5 6.35mm aluminium spacer	2
	or
	EM-D5-04a	M5 6.35mm nylon spacer (thick)
9	EM-LMP	Motor plate	1
10	EM-N5	M5 hex nut	8
11		Assembled rear X motor plate	1

Part 5 (shown in orange) is EM-W5B (form B M5 washer), which is thinner (0.75 mm) than the regular washers (0.95 mm). The thinner washers are packed in a separate bag, because they are otherwise hard to tell apart (they are not painted orange in real life). It is important to get the spacing of the X V-wheels exactly right, to match the distance between the Vs of the MakerSlide, so please be careful to use the correct washers.

To assemble this, it's easiest to do the front plate first, one bolt at a time, following the top exploded drawing. Temporarily add a nut to hold those parts together. Do all eight bolts, then lay the plate down, Z V-wheels down. Remove the nuts. Offer the rear motor plate (the one with the motor and idlers), and lower it on the bolts, guiding them into the correct holes. Finish by adding the eccentric spacers, washers and nuts on the back of the carriage.

For reference, here's what goes on each bolt (two of each, eight total):

A. Fixed X V-wheels (red)

70 mm screw • washer • front plate • thin washer • V-wheel • washer • washer • long spacer • thin washer • washer • V-wheel • washer • rear plate • washer • nut;

B. Adjustable X V-wheels (blue)

90 mm screw • washer • eccentric spacer • front plate • thin washer • V-wheel • washer • washer • long spacer • thin washer • washer • V-wheel • washer • rear plate • eccentric spacer • washer • nut;

C. Fixed Z V-wheels (yellow)

90 mm screw • washer • V-wheel • washer • short spacer • washer • front plate • washer • long spacer • long spacer • washer • rear plate • washer • nut;

D. Adjustable Z V-wheels (purple)

90 mm screw • washer • V-wheel • washer • washer • eccentric spacer • front plate • washer • long spacer • long spacer • washer • rear plate • washer • nut.

Or, in table form:

X V-wheels		Z V-wheels
Fixed	Adjustable	Fixed	Adjustable
Red A	Blue B	Yellow C	Purple D
		90 mm screw
		washer
		V-wheel
rowspan="2"	90 mm screw	washer
washer	short spacer	washer
70 mm screw		eccentric spacer	eccentric spacer
washer	washer
front plate
thin washer		washer
V-wheel		long spacer
washer
washer
long spacer
		long spacer
thin washer
washer
V-wheel
washer		washer
rear plate
washer	eccentric spacer	washer
nut		nut
rowspan="2"	washer
nut

Note that what goes between the two plates is the same for bolts A and B, and also for bolts C and D.

Insert the assembled dual X rail as shown, with the single T-slot on the front rail at the bottom and the one on the back rail at the top (this is marginally better at supporting a heavy spindle than the opposite configuration). Adjust the X eccentric spacers until they V-wheels grip the MakerSlide firmly, but the carriage still slides smoothly. Tighten the X V-wheel screws, re-adjusting the eccentric spacers in the process. Leave the X rail in for the next step.

Insert the Z rail as shown (the orientation of the T-slot is not important). Adjust the Z eccentric spacers so that the V-wheels grip the MakerSlide firmly, but the Z rail still slides smoothly. Tighten the Z V-wheel screws, re-adjusting the eccentric spacers as necessary. Remove the Z rail for now.

Single X Rail

TO DO (please use previous version of the instructions)

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