SteelTrak User Guide - Maintenance

Cleaning - Keencut design machines to be as maintenance free as possible, however we do recommend regular cleaning. Do not wipe the squaring arm channels or remove any debris with fingers, as it may contain sharp particles such as glass. Use a vacuum cleaner if possible or if a soft brush is used, work slowly and do not allow particles to flick off of the bristles.

Lubrication - It is important that the correct lubrication is used as ordinary oils and solvents can adversely affect plastics, the diagram above shows the best lubricants for the various parts of the machine. Do not use penetrating oils for lubrication on this machine.

Wipe the guide rods and rollers using cleaning solvent on a cloth, and lubricate the surfaces very lightly with petroleum jelly. The axles of the rollers are lubricated and sealed for life and need no further attention.

Use a light oil (3 in 1) on the ratchet system, one or two drops on the pivot point and one drop on the
ratchet teeth

Silicon Lubricant can be sprayed in from the top of the balance weight opening whilst the cutting head is parked at the top of the machine

Smear edge with petroleum jelly on the ratchet release bar

Smear Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) around curved slot on the Swinging Arm

The pressure of the clamp is in relation to the amount of pressure applied to the operating handle. However in time the maximum clamping pressure can reduce due to wear on the friction block (hidden within the machine), compensation for this can be made by adjusting the two small grub screws in the housing as shown. Turning the screws clockwise until they stop moving them undoing them one full turn should give an acceptable pressure, but further small adjustment can be made to increase or decrease the pressure as required. Care should be taken not to tighten either grub screw fully or this will result in undue wear of the friction plate.

When cutting tough materials it is essential that the clamping system operates at its' optimum, the moving clamp bar must press evenly onto the board being cut and not clamp it only at the top or bottom.

Open the clamp by at least 1-2mm and remove the plastic cover strip situated above the clamp handle it just
clips out of place, use the end of a small steel rule to lever it from its’ groove.

The clamp adjuster is at the top end of the push rod and is locked in position by two locking nuts.

The silver nut has a normal right-handed thread, slacken it using a 10mm wrench by turning it counter-clockwise when looking from below.

Now slacken the black nut, this has a left hand thread and should be turned clockwise when viewed from below.

The ‘adjuster’ is the hexagonal bar between the two nuts, by turning it with the spanner it alters the clamps
alignment with the back of the machine.

Rotate the adjuster whilst observing the clamp from the side and bring the clamp into parallel

To check for parallel use 2 pieces of A4 paper, place one under the bottom end of the clamp and hold the
other at the top end whilst depressing the clamp handle, check that the clamp firmly grips pieces of paper

Tighten the two locking nuts whilst holding the adjuster in position with the second spanner, then operate the clamp a few times, check and adjust further if necessary.

Finally, replace the plastic cover strip.

The Cutting Head slides up and down on two stainless steel Guide Rails (1) that are embedded into the Slideway

There are four grooved Guide Wheels that run on the rails, the two furthest away are fixed (A) and the two closest are adjustable (B). These Guide Wheels are adjusted in the factory and should not under normal circumstances require re-adjustment.

The adjustment check and procedure is listed in the event that the Cutting Head needs to be removed for any reason

The steel bar with the oval holes, the Spring Block (4), holds the two adjustable wheels and is designed to flex, a small amount, like a spring and add tension so the Guide Wheels are pressed onto the Rails. It is important that the tension is set correctly, use a 0.15mm (0.006″) feeler gauge or a stout piece of paper to measure the gap under the Spring Block as shown. If the gap is too large or too small the adjacent wheel will need adjusting.

The Shafts that the adjustable wheels run on are eccentric and move the wheel into or away from the rail as it is rotated.

Using a 13mm spanner on the Locking Nut and a 5mm spanner (or grips) on the square end of the Shaft hold the Shaft still and loosen the Locking Nut by about half a turn.

Rotate the Shaft clockwise whilst using a feeler gauge or paper as above to measure the gap under the Spring Block. If the Shaft will not rotate any further and the correct gap has not been achieved, turn it anti-clockwise and the correct adjustment should be obtained within one full rotation of the Shaft.

When the correct gap appears hold the Shaft still and tighten the Locking Nut.

1. Maintenance