locking cross-slide?

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

The idea of setting the top slide at an angle so the tool can be advanced in tenths of a thou has always seemed to me to be odd idea.  Completely disrupts axial displacements.

Having said that, I have done this when using the tool post grinder, okay when the grinding wheel runs off each end of the work piece, a pain when grinding up to a shoulder.

[Howard Lewis]

On Howard Lewis Said:

Maybe an easier way would have been to replace the central gib adjuster with a simple knurled screw, and used that as a lock.

 

My WM250 has an additional cap screw as the lock. But needing an allen key to use it is poor ergonomics, so I made a knurled knob as big as there was space for and fitted it over the head with my precision hammer. No excuses for not using it now!

 

Improving the carriage lock was a bit trickier, as its screw is in a counterbore. I made a new screw with a low-profile head(to clear the top slide), and added a screw on lever to it clocked to give adequate adjustment. Finished by radiusing the edges and polished with scotchbrite so it looks like I care.

That’s maybe 15minutes work that is used everytime I turn on the machine.

[Perko7Participant @perko7]

Thanks for all the replies, and thanks particularly to Jason B for clarifying the purpose of the two small screws on the leadscrew nut. To address confusion, it was mainly the cross-slide I was having problems with, but I found I also needed to adjust the topslide.

I did work out how to adjust the preload on the leadscrew for both the cross-slide and topslide and they are now pretty good, although the handwheel on the cross-slide still creeps during interrupted cuts or with chatter when the single handle is at 3 o’clock or 9 o’clock. If I make it any tighter it becomes too hard to use, and I don’t want to replace it with a balanced handwheel. I will look at how much the handle weighs and experiment with some adhesive mag wheel weights to see if I can get it balanced. Now I just need now to work out how to access the little screws on the leadscrew nut to take up the remaining backlash.

I will look at replacing the highlighted gib adjusting screw with a suitable thumbscrew to lock it in position if the adjustment to the nut does not fully resolve the issue.

Been on this steep learning curve for a few years now and still finding out lots of things I didn’t know.

[Perko7]

On Perko7 Said:

… Now I just need now to work out how to access the little screws on the leadscrew nut to take up the remaining backlash.

Don’t overdo it!  The anti-backlash mechanism is crude, intended to keep backlash from getting completely out of hand, not to eliminate it.   The problem is tightening up puts severe wear on the nut, and maybe the screw too.  Either way, backlash is soon back, and continual readjustment will eventually force a repair.  That’s when the owner discovers spares are unobtainable…

In practice, usual for the operator to manage backlash and only tighten the nut up when it becomes too much.   Backlash isn’t difficult to manage on a lathe, even over large distances, but if too painful, fit a DRO.   I would always recommend a DRO on a mill.

…

Been on this steep learning curve for a few years now and still finding out lots of things I didn’t know.

Me too!

Dave

[RobinParticipant @robin]

I can’t get to the cross slide locking screw because there is a bolt on goody DRO scale in the way 🙁

I removed lots of gubbins but that scale is just too much fun 🙂

Robin

 

 

[JAParticipant @ja]

It appears to be difficult to get a good DRO arrangement on a lathe. It always seems to be a compromise. On a Myford one usually looses the use of the taper turning attachment, OK one can live with that. I would sooner have the ability to lock the cross slide than have the DRO.

I agree with Dave as far as DROs on mills. Also there is usually more room.

JA

[RobinParticipant @robin]

On the mill, I managed to put a glass scale underneath the table next to the X screw. Very pleased with how that turned out 🙂

Made me wonder if I could do the same trick with the lathe cross slide? Perhaps using one of those new-fangled sticky on scales

Robin

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

If there’s enough daylight under the chuck you might be able to squeeze a slim glass scale onto the ‘front’ side..

..this on a GH600..

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