Recently, I have noticed very shallow scratches appearing on both of my x rails on my journeyman. I do not see similar scratches on the Y rails. They aren’t so deep a fingernail can catch on them, but you can feel them barely. I wasnt able to get a great picture of them.
I (normally) use a dust boot and this machine only very rarely is used to mill metals, and when it does never is it done so vigorously that chips would have reached the X rails.
It does not seem to have had any effect on function, but has anyone else noticed this and is there a way to reduce any potential damage that may result?
Interestingly this machine began life as a woodworker with a stiffy before being upgraded to a journeyman, and probably saw about as much use prior to the upgrade. I never noted any scratches or wear on the woodworker rails.
I do not notice this on my Woodworker X50 with 3rd rail (yet?). But to answer your question regarding reducing damage, I had considered on my own machine perhaps rotating the linear bearings on all the main X and Y rails. Not something I think needs to be done, but the fact that the balls are always rolling over the exact path makes me think it can’t hurt to change the rail surface they contact.
If the chrome hardening is done to spec on the rails, then the perhaps my idea will have no impact on uneven wear/scratching.
