- Joined
- Jan 9, 2016
- Messages
- 120
Now that I have my headstock issues about wrapped up, it's time to move on to the rest of the lathe. First up is getting the saddle squared away.
The "Saddle Retaining Strips" are as tight as they can be and there's still a lot of vertical play: .004 at the front, and .006 at the rear. It's time for plan B or C.
Plan B is to do the tapered gib modification and is the direction I would like to go, but I don't have a mill. Is it possible (and reasonable) to pull this off without a mill?
I've done a lot of thinking, looking, and measuring to try and figure out an alternate method of doing this work. Aside from a ton of hand work with files, scraping tools, and a hacksaw, I just can't see it. However, given the huge pool of creative machinists here, I thought I'd ask before preemptively throwing in the towel.
Tools I do have access to: Lathe, bench top drill press (loose at best), all sorts of hand tools, table saw, and an industrial CNC router (at work). I don't have a ton of measuring gear, but I should have enough to get the job done.
Plan C, as much as I hate to admit it, consists of varying thicknesses of brass shims, some clamps, and a few drops of super glue to build the contact surfaces of those brackets up to the correct level. Not perfect by a mile, but it should reduce the amount of play to a more reasonable number.
Follow-up question:
Are alternate materials for the gib and gib holder a possibility? Our CNC will work with all manner of plastics and non-ferrous metals. We've milled a bit of aluminum on it, and I am willing to try brass as well, but I still need something for the holder (mount? bracket?). Would phenolic or some other type of hard composite be acceptable? My gut says no, but I thought I ought to ask anyhow... I can live with wear, tear, and frequent replacement if it gives me better performance.
The "Saddle Retaining Strips" are as tight as they can be and there's still a lot of vertical play: .004 at the front, and .006 at the rear. It's time for plan B or C.
Plan B is to do the tapered gib modification and is the direction I would like to go, but I don't have a mill. Is it possible (and reasonable) to pull this off without a mill?
I've done a lot of thinking, looking, and measuring to try and figure out an alternate method of doing this work. Aside from a ton of hand work with files, scraping tools, and a hacksaw, I just can't see it. However, given the huge pool of creative machinists here, I thought I'd ask before preemptively throwing in the towel.
Tools I do have access to: Lathe, bench top drill press (loose at best), all sorts of hand tools, table saw, and an industrial CNC router (at work). I don't have a ton of measuring gear, but I should have enough to get the job done.
Plan C, as much as I hate to admit it, consists of varying thicknesses of brass shims, some clamps, and a few drops of super glue to build the contact surfaces of those brackets up to the correct level. Not perfect by a mile, but it should reduce the amount of play to a more reasonable number.
Follow-up question:
Are alternate materials for the gib and gib holder a possibility? Our CNC will work with all manner of plastics and non-ferrous metals. We've milled a bit of aluminum on it, and I am willing to try brass as well, but I still need something for the holder (mount? bracket?). Would phenolic or some other type of hard composite be acceptable? My gut says no, but I thought I ought to ask anyhow... I can live with wear, tear, and frequent replacement if it gives me better performance.