# Cross feed screw appears to be bent  12x36 lathe



## mickri (Jul 4, 2018)

In the process of making my homemade taper attachment I have discovered that the cross feed screw appears to be bent.  The end of the screw has a fair amount of wiggle to it.   Is this normal? I have not been able to remove the screw yet.  It looks like I need a spanner wrench which I don't have.  In lieu of a spanner what could I used to remove the cross feed screw?


----------



## NortonDommi (Jul 5, 2018)

Can you find an exploded parts diagram for it? A careful inspection should reveal how to disassemble it but a diagram is always nice to have.


----------



## mickri (Jul 5, 2018)

I Have the exploded parts diagram for my lathe and have read a couple of threads.  The threads all reference using a spanner wrench.  A Tubalcan video show the removal but his lathe had a 1 3/8 hex whereas my lathe has holes for a spanner wrench.  Have no idea where to buy a spanner wrench that would fit.  So looking for other alternatives.


----------



## NortonDommi (Jul 5, 2018)

I don't know what your lathe is but in the photo looks like you have removed the handle. I can see a hex on the end. Was that holding the handle on?Anyway screw usually removes to the rear so once the handle is off it just slide out. Not sure where these holes are but if its for a spanner just make one. Easy if it's a pin spanner,(pins in same plane as shaft), C-spanners are available off the shelf but again easy to make and a homemade one will probably be better quality. With C-spanners just making the C part and drilling for a pin usually works otherwise jigsaw and files.
  Any chance you can post some more information like make and model? Bound to be someone with the same lathe who knows.


----------



## Tozguy (Jul 5, 2018)

mickri said:


> I Have the exploded parts diagram for my lathe and have read a couple of threads.  The threads all reference using a spanner wrench.  A Tubalcan video show the removal but his lathe had a 1 3/8 hex whereas my lathe has holes for a spanner wrench.  Have no idea where to buy a spanner wrench that would fit.  So looking for other alternatives.



The holes in the picture look like you need a pin wrench. You might be able to find a pin wrench at a motorcycle shop for adjusting suspensions. The one I have is hinged so it will fit a variety of sizes, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Pit-Posse-Mo...26&sr=8-14&keywords=motorcycle+spanner+wrench


----------



## Rob (Jul 5, 2018)

If you have a strap wrench you could give that a try.  I have one that I use a lot.  On the smooth surface it sometimes has a problem gripping.


----------



## markba633csi (Jul 5, 2018)

You can improvise a strap wrench with a stainless hose clamp. Find some tiny screws or pins that fit the holes, protruding slightly. Then fit the clamp over so the inner edge of the clamp jams against the pins, then use channelocks to loosen.  Heat helps here too.
This also works on spindle left side threaded collar to remove without leaving marks (Atlas)
M


----------



## T Bredehoft (Jul 5, 2018)

I can't help with removing the screw, but..... some wiggle on the end of the screw is not unusual. If it moves beyond 1/2" I'd be concerned.  Otherwise, it's not worth the effort to remove it.  Even then, if it doesn't bind while you're turning the handle, a stiff point in rotation, it isn't a problem.


----------



## Silverbullet (Jul 5, 2018)

Or you can measure the holes and distance between for centering , drill two holes in flat piece of steel to match and add to small bolts to be the pins . Then you have a wrench , try using snap ring pliers with 90 degree pins it should work if not to tight.


----------



## mickri (Jul 5, 2018)

I was able to get my dial indicator on it this morning.  There is 0.002 run out at the the front end and 0.020 to  0.030 run out at the far.  It was hard to get a good reading at the far end because the DI would catch on the threads.  If this is not unusual then I won't worry about it.   There is some stiffness at times when moving the cross slide.  I'll put everything back together and try to figure out the stiffness and where it occurs when I rotate the handle..


----------



## wa5cab (Jul 6, 2018)

Micri,

The cross feed screw on the Atlas with power cross feed must come out of the front of the apron because of the spur gear on the screw (the gear is what drives the power cross feed).  So you must remove the bearing for which you need a pin spanner.  Do not stick a solid rod into one of the two pin holes in the bearing and try to break the bearing loose.  You will wallow out the pin hole and probably bend the pin.  There are several sellers offering various sizes of pin spanners, mostly adjustable, on eBay.  The adjustable one that you need is the O-471A, which covers diameters between 3/4" and 2".  Prices seem to range between $25 and $40.  Unfortunately, none of the ads that I looked at gave the pin diameter, which is critical.  So you will need to contact the sellers and ask what the pin diameter is on the ones he is selling.  Somewhere, I have a Williams catalog that shows what all of the choices are, but at the moment I can;t find it.  Don't accidentally buy the hook spanner version.  The part number happens to be on the handle, which is used on both the hook and all of the pin types.

0.020" run out on the end of the screw with the screw through the nut in the cross slide shouldn't be a problem.  If you made the measurement with the cross slide removed, it is meaningless, as there is clearance between the screw and the bushings in the bearing sufficient to allow that much movement at the rear end of the screw.


----------



## Richard King 2 (Jul 6, 2018)

The holes look dings up because someone used a punch on them.   If they were not screwed up you could slide in a dowel pin and hit it with a drift.   If one hole is clean then try the dowel pin trick before buying a pin spanner.   Also on the top there appears to be a hole.  Is that set screw?   Be sure to examine the surrounding castings looking for a lock set screw.


----------



## mickri (Jul 6, 2018)

I put everything back together this morning.  The only place where it feels stiff when turning the cross feed is at the very end of its travel.  Otherwise it seems ok to me.  Since it is working I am going to stop while I am ahead.  The only reason I got into this is because the taper attachment that I am making attaches to the end of the cross feed screw which causes it to wobble around.  I'll see if the taper attachment causes any ill effects to the cross slide.  If it does then I'll chock the taper attachment up to a learning experience and move on.
I would like to thank everybody for all their help and suggestions.


----------



## wa5cab (Jul 6, 2018)

The factory taper attachment attaches to the cross slide after you have removed the cross feed nut.



Richard King 2 said:


> If one hole is clean then try the dowel pin trick before buying a pin spanner.   Also on the top there appears to be a hole.  Is that set screw?   Be sure to examine the surrounding castings looking for a lock set screw.



The problem with sticking a dowel pin  in the hole and hitting it with a drift is that as the pin is not a rigid part of the drift, hitting the pin with a drift applies a force in the desired direction at the top of the hole and in the opposite direction at the bottom of the hole.  The pin spanner holds the pin rigid on a radius of the bearing and in the ideal case, applies a uniform force to only one side of the hole.  A workable alternative would be to drill a hole sideways across the nose of the drift and slide the dowell pin into it and into the hole.  Drawback of this is that depending upon where the good hole is, you may not be able to swing the hammer.

There are no set screws holding the bearing (at least none from the factory).  In the top flat part of the dovetail, there are two small tapped holes that should each have a short slotted headless screw (plug) in them.  These are oil holes, one for the bearing and one for the power cross-feed gears.


----------



## mickri (Jul 6, 2018)

Hi Robert
I am not using a factory taper attachment.  Here is the thread on the taper attachment that I am making.  https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/taper-attachment.66967/


----------



## Richard King 2 (Jul 7, 2018)

If the pin slides into a tight hole and your don't stick it into a sloppy hole it works, as I have been doing it that way for 50 years and haven't screwed it up.    It sounds as if he got it.  There are ways to do things that may not be the best way, but it works.  I would never recommend using a punch and wallored out the holes as it seems that a former owner did.


----------

