Anybody have a good (cheap) source for mini-lathe (7x12 Vevor in my case) Cross Slide Gib Screws?

Growley Monster said:
Eventually I am just going to make a decent cross slide with all adjustifications easier to access. What a PITA to turn the existing one a few degrees for a small taper!
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Off-topic: You'll need to keep the compound slide- with the irritating need to wind it back to get at the screws for angle adjustment- if you are doing a lot of tapers or thread cutting at 30 degrees. For regular turning I remove the compound and replace it with a solid metal block (a.k.a. plinth) - it helps a lot to increase rigidity.
 
Growley Monster said:
I have thread gauges, but I think these screws are metric.
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You need to get metric gauges, Allen keys, and likely dog point socket head cap screws. All metric! Almost all imported machines are going to be metric. It's the world wide standard. While you are at it get a set of metric wrenches, you will need them. They fit your car also. If there are screw heads that look like Phillips on an import machine they are likely Posidrive. You can tell by little tick marks between the recesses. Use a Posidrive screwdriver to keep from trashing the screw head. Buy quality tools.
 
Growley Monster said:
I have thread gauges, but I think these screws are metric. The fit is slightly loose in a 8-36 hole and my python skills make that to be a possible M4 x .7mm pitch. The thing is they do not have a head, only a hex socket broached right into the end of the screw. Sort of a specialty screw. Of course no reason I have to use that. I could also just drill out the holes and put some 10-32 knurled thumbscrews in there, with locking nuts. OMG I HATE metric crap with a passion! I guess I was hoping to find OEM packaged goods so I could claim plausible deniability about the possible metricism of them. Maybe the path of least resistance is McMaster. I will see what they got tomorrow. Now, it's time for my nightly Old Fashioned. Thanks for all replies.
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I think you are looking for metric grub screws. Here's a link to an assortment on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/285044647879
 
If the vevor is anything like the Sieg mini lathes, They use M4 x 14 Allen grub screws or M4x14 SHCS with single lock nuts.

I have replaced all the Gib screws on the mini lathe I am rebuilding due to the "soft" nature of the originals and used "Dog Point" rather than "Cone point" grub allen screws.

Plentyfully available through ebay/amazon/LHS.

I also chose to use square nuts, rather than hex nuts and used TWO nuts, to ensure the nut does not back off. It gaurantees the screws stay set.

When setting the Gib strips, I tighten the set screws, check the motion of the slide, then, with an allen key in the grub screw, I lock the nut. Never have stripped a grub screw doing that, only when I have forgotten to undo the lock-nut first.

The M4 allen grub screws use a 2mm allen/hex key.
 
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These were M4 on mine. It is a Vevor MX916 lathe. To make the slides work I needed to put in new gibs and screws. I made tried just putting new screws in but it did not work near enough to fix the problem. New gibbs did help a lot and I followed this guide: http://www.fidelityforce.com/keantoken/content/LatheGibs.php
I also made the gibs a near perfect fit using brass by getting 1/4x 1/2 brass bar and filing it down by hand.
I have yet to fully correct the main problem with mine in that the dovetail has two different planes on one side. They are offset around the mounting screw holes for the compound. I suspect the part slipped or mill had play and shifted when it hit the through hole there. So they are parallel but not in the same line.
The work around which will stay even after the fix is to put a lever lock on the compound and the slide. These help make the lathe far more rigid even if they have way too much play. These I got cheap on Amazon.
 
M4 x 0.7 is very close to 8-36 so that's what you got. I would drill them out and make them 10-32 also. Easier to find nuts then.
 
markba633csi said:
M4 x 0.7 is very close to 8-36 so that's what you got. I would drill them out and make them 10-32 also. Easier to find nuts then.
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The whole lathe is metric, why bugger it up with imperial hardware? I find it a pain in the you know where when I have to stop and think - is this metric or imperial? Pick one system and stay with it. It reduces mistakes. If the OP wants to stay all imperial, he bought the wrong lathe... He needs to buy old American iron then.

Just buy quality fasteners - they are not expensive... Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Just my opinion.

The worst thing to do is use 10-32 and get it confused with M5! They are really close to each other - sometimes they fit. Really messes things up when torqued down.
 
Stick with metric or you will end up with wabbled out socket heads from using the wrong Allen key & keys the are rounded over and not good for anything. Get color coded keys if you want an easy way to keep track. Keep the keys in their holders so they are in order. That is, unless you like to be frustrated while trying to use your tools. A lathe is a tool! Have a place where you keep each thing, regularly used items visible, within arms reach.
 
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