Adjusting Parallel Gibs - USMT - V2

A

azscooby

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I'm hoping someone here can give me some advice on how to adjust what I've learned are "parallel gibs". I understand adjusting tapered gibs but when I took this mill apart to clean out 50 years of grease pushed through the machine I discovered that it uses this system.

It's a US Machine Tool "V2" mill. There are no external gib adjusting screws on the outside. The gib itself (X axis) is attached by two screws with lock washers from above (with table removed.) There are some shims in there and I just left them the way they were.

In the pictures I've attached you can see there is uneven wear from where the gib rides vs where just the table rides. This doesn't look right to me. There is a wiper retainer that was removed to take the pictures. From the right side of the saddle you can lock it down with the lever shown in the pics.

Can anyone give some useful tips on how to adjust this properly to assure even wear?

I am, at best, a hobbyist, at worst, I know just enough to be dangerous.....
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Thanks in advance for any help!
 
Here's how the gib attaches. How is this adjusted at all? If I bolt it down tight, it won't be able to "lock down", right? Seems counter-intuitive.
KBi1HSX.jpg
 
That is really weird!
Are you happy with the performance? Is it sloppy?
It looks like those clamping screws need to be tight. I guess you shim and assemble, and see what you got...

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
 
DAT510 said:
Is this your mill?


If so, page three talks about adjusting the gibs.
Click to expand...
It is, and I have that publication and read the instructions of course but it isn’t very descriptive or clear about the use of shims (or whether they should be used at all.) Thanks for the effort on finding that, it was my guide as I reconditioned this mill.

Honestly the adjustment is a secondary concern to the uneven wear that I hope you can see.

And no, there isn't much slop or play and it's more accurate than I am, but that isn't saying much.

I've circled the area of concern. There is quite a bit of wear to the right of the gib where the saddle itself rides. Is this normal? This is the only area on the mill where the scrapings are gone and there is severe wear. I'm wondering if the gib itself should be on the same plane as the saddle so they are sliding on the same surface?

Hope that makes sense.
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