Castle System Drill Model LB-23 Operator Manual Castle, Inc. Petaluma, CA 800-282-8338 U.S. Patent No.
Table of Contents Safety Notification…………………... Page 1 Machine Parts Inventory..……………. Page 2 Machine Requirements……………… Page 2 Setting Up…………………………… Page 3-4 Operating Instructions……………… Page 5 Machine Adjustments………………. Page 6-14 Definition and Description of Parts… Page 15-16 Maintenance ……………………….. Page 17-18 Troubleshooting…………………….
DO NOT OPERATE THIS MACHINE UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THIS MANUAL COMPLETELY. Safety Notification WARNING: The Castle Model LB-23 System Drill was designed with operator safety as a priority. This machine was carefully prepared for shipment at our factory. Upon receipt of this machine, inspect for shipping damage. Report any damage immediately to the freight company, your Castle dealer and to Castle, Inc. DO NOT attempt to operate this machine if you observe any physical damage. Contact Castle, Inc.
Inventory With your Castle machine you should have received the following: Warranty Card (Please fill out & mail to Castle, Inc.
Setting Up Your LB-23 Your Castle LB-23 system drill was set up and tested for proper operation at the factory. It is normal to find a small amount of sawdust residue in the machine from this process. Begin set-up by unwrapping and installing the side stop extensions for your machine. On either side of the yellow guard you will find two hex head bolts with T-nuts. Loosen these bolts and slide the side stops on. The yellow stop on the side-stop should point to the drill bits.
The fitting towards the front comes with a plug in it; if you want to attach an air tool to the machine you can use this port. For optimal performance of your LB-23 plug your motor directly into the wall. The use of an extension cord and/or having the machine at the end of a circuit may impede the performance of the machine. With the air hooked up to your machine and the power turned off, position the foot pedal in such a way it is comfortable for the operator.
Operating Instructions Always use eye protection when operating power equipment. Turn on the motor at the switch mounted on the motor facing the front of the machine. The foot pedal operates in two stages. Pressing down halfway brings the index pins down. Full depression of the pedal brings down the head to begin boring. If you are drilling an upper, the two drop gauges with handles on the right should be down.
Machine Adjustments The Castle model LB-23 is designed for use in a wide variety of materials. You will find that the machine performs well in hardwoods, softwoods, melamine, particleboard and MDF. The machine will work on materials of thickness from ½” to 1 ¾”. Collet Adjustment There are two collets per spindle, making 46 collets per head. The collet on the bottom of the spindle is used to lock the drill bit into the spindle assembly.
Setting internal pressure for the head can be achieved by turning the primary regulator counter-clockwise until the knob stops. Next, mark the knob of the regulator so that you have a reference point to start from. Using the reference point you just drew, turn the regulator 5 ½ to 6 ½ turns to reach a sufficient air pressure. (Approximately 80 to 85 PSI) The foot switch can also effect the cycle time of the machine. The valve should be fully closed when the pedal is not depressed.
Adjusting Secondary Regulator The secondary regulator is the one towards the front of the machine and controls the pressure delivered to the index pins. It is called the secondary regulator. While there is no gauge to check the internal pressure driving the machine, there is an easy way to reset the regulator to factory settings. Turn the secondary regulator knob all the way to the left, counterclockwise so that it is completely closed.
Adjusting the Indexing Pins If it appears that the pins are out of alignment, you can straighten them out by drilling a test board and realigning a Pin in one of the drilled holes. Follow the testing procedure to confirm that they are out of alignment. Use a scrap of at least two feet in length and cut a set of holes with the front Drop Gauge down. Slide the board over so that either the left or right Index Pin can enter one of the holes that you just drilled.
Checking the tension on the belt If the head significantly slows down or stops while you are drilling, then you may need to check the tension on your belt. This is done by simply reaching in the rear of the machine (with the power and air off), and attempting to squeeze the two side of the belt together. There should be NO MORE than ¾” of deflection in the belt when you squeeze it together strongly.
Stand in front of the machine and pull the 2x4 towards your body in order to create enough tension on the belt. Do this while someone else tightens the four carriage bolts. Once the bolts are tight, test the belt tension through the rear of the machine again and drill a set of test holes. Repeat these steps, if necessary, until there is enough tension on the belt per the previous adjustment description Table Top Adjustment The tabletop is adjustable in relation to the guard frame and head.
Once the table is loose, locate the four leveling bolts. There are two on each side of the machine on the underside of the table. Adjust the bolts up or down and check that the table is level and has the appropriate clearance from the guard. It is important to maintain the table in the same level position it was in before the adjustment. To do this, the leveling bolts must be turned the SAME NUMBER OF TURNS AS ONE ANOTHER.
Inside machine view Using a 9/16" wrench, LOOSEN the nuts while someone else holds the wing table in the desired position. Once the proper position has been achieved, tighten down the nuts. Repeat for the other side. Adjusting the depth of the head The travel limiter controls how far down the head can move towards the tabletop and into the stock. If your holes are not deep enough or they are too deep you may need to make an adjustment to the Travel Limiter bolt.
Using a large Philips head screwdriver adjust the screw through the hole by a 1/2 turn at a time. The adjustments can be made with the machine on or off, but should be made with the drill head UP. To drill deeper turn the screw counter-clockwise 1/2 turn at a time. To drill to less depth turn the screw clockwise 1/2 turn at a time.
Description of Parts The Foot Control Is a dual action foot switch comprised of two air valves that will first activate the indexing cylinders and with increased pressure, will drop the drilling head. Air Pressure Regulators Are located on the right side of the machine. The rear regulator will regulate how fast the drilling head will descend and the front regulator will adjust how much force the indexing pins exert.
Indexing Pins The indexing pins are used after the first set of holes has been cut and the next set need to be aligned with the previous cut. Plunger Locks The Plunger Locks are located on either side of the yellow guard. They lock the yellow guard into place. Side Stops These are located on the right and left side of the machine. They slide right or left to set the beginning hole position. The extensions are shipped inside the machine and are put into place during set-up.
Maintenance Head Lubrication The head should be oiled every 30 to 40 hours of usage. The head, once it is broken in beyond its initial start-up, should run very quietly with no loud metallic racket or grinding. In order to maintain the machine in good working order, the head should never be run dry. The head uses oil impregnated bushings that need to stay oiled for optimal performance.
Add 10 to 15 drops of oil to each of the holes. The oil is picked up by the wick and distributed evenly among the spindles Locate the Drive Link Pins and add 1 or 2 drops of oil to each. The pins can be oiled once every 30 hours of usage. However, this should only be done if the head is in good adjustment, but still has a metallic rattle. After the oil is added, the machine should be left running for AT LEAST 30 minutes and then all excess oil wiped off.
Troubleshooting Head is Releasing too Slowly The SQE valve on the inside of the frame can become clogged with debris. This will keep the head from returning to a neutral position at the end of the cycle. Locate the SQE by looking through the rear of the machine. It is attached to a brass elbow on one side which has the thickest of the hoses running into it. The SQE itself is a 1.5" aluminum fixture molded into a hex on one side.
Remove the stop, but DO NOT adjust the Rear Stop bolts sticking out of the rear of the machine that butt up against the rear stop. Remove the drill cover on the top of the machine by loosening the threepronged knobs. Locate the two 1/2" nylock nuts that secure the air bar that runs across the top of the air bladder. Use a pointed file or a scribe to mark a reference line across the nylock nuts and the bolts they are attached to.
After scribing a clear line, use an open or boxend 1/2" wrench to remove the two nylock nuts. VERY IMPORTANT: Count the number of turns from the scribed reference lines it takes to remove the nuts. When reassembling, this count will be used to recalibrate the air bladder back to the original setting. Remove the nylock nuts, but be careful to keep them in a way that they do not get mixed up. It's important that the nuts go back on the bolts they came off of.
When tracing the hoses, you should be looking for kinks or splits in the material. These are most likely to occur in places where the hoses run out of the machine and are susceptible to being pinched. Once you trace the hoses all the way back to the Index Pin, then make sure that you have a firm connection at the barb that connects into the pins. Check the barbs for any splits or cracks. This is especially likely to occur where the barb nipple comes out of the fitting part of the barb.
Locate the 7/16 hex head bolts on the sides, towards the rear of the machine. The will have a jam nut on them. Loosen the jam nut and then tighten or loosen the bolt to the desired tension. Retighten the jam nut.
Warranty Information Castle, Inc. uses only the highest quality materials available for the construction of our machines. Your LB-23 System Drill is warranted for one full year from the date of purchase against workmanship or material defects under normal use and service. We are not responsible for negligence, misuse or accidents. We suggest any and all machine maintenance or repair be discussed with an authorized Castle Representative prior to any disassembly.
