Can anyone else provide some Taurus experience??
I would never want to be a custom framer as I have a penchant for doing my own thing. I prefer to create and then sell the framed product. Recently this included acquiring 3 old Taurus 292DE machines. One as a spare parts machine. So... what did I do... spend a week Getting the spare parts machine running - just since it was included FREE! 10 years in technology is a long time!!!
The Taurus 292DE are so cool, but probably not for a custom framer. They are quite techy to fix and the Univer air vavles are somewhat hard to get certain seals for. The nail driver and clamp valves have urethane seals which eventually disintegrate. I managed to buy a couple of wall sizes of rubber 0-rings and hoped to replace the decayed urethane - one of the sizes fitted and the valve is now fully functional. Since then I found the Univer NZ agent... as always happens!
I must say I am blown away by the great engineering - they are just so precisely made. Even the slightest damaged to a nail cassette and they won't feed the 2nd and third nail, from either head. The 'damage' can indeed even be invisible. There is so little time for the nails to feed between strokes 1/2/3 that the cassettes must be perfect - even a slow feed from one cassette will affect the other head in the same way..... don't ask me why! I spent one whole day to get multiple feeds running - both heads would initially only fire one nail in first and 2nd position, from each head - and both heads refused to drive the 2nd and 3rd nail! The head driver would drive 2/3 times, but no subsequent nails would come out. It nearly drove me crazier...
I even checked the voltage continuity for the nail lockout solenoids - these solenoid valves and their slave pistons stop the nails feeding, if the 2nd/3rd stacked nails are not needed.
Oh the 292DE can try you, but when they go they can poke out the work time after time.
10 years of hard work and 'only when needed' service left these machines in a reasonable working state - but far from great condition. I'm finding rubber 0-rings fitted to the first/second position stops last better than the plastic/teflon? original cushioning.
Even though though they are 10 years old the computerised logic PLC's in the control boxes and general engineering is all still remarkably modern and the airline pushfit fittings throughout make servicing so easy.
Good on you Taurus! Good sold stuff! I'm sure the newer machines should be even better - but 292DE was still a helluva good machine!!! Overall I'm very happy with my TAURUS'S!! BUT IT DIDN'T COME EASILY...!
