Source For Jam Nuts

As I understand it, although the OP refers to the nuts as jam nuts, and indeed they are being use as such, the height of the nut is not an issue.

His problem is that the standard nut has a 5/16" distance across the flats. The OEM nut is 1/4" across the flats and a 5/16" nut interferes with the rotation of the the compound feed. The smaller nuts are commonly used in electronics equipment and suppliers like DigiKey and Mouser carry them.
 
If you use full size nuts the thickness of them will frequently interfere with the side of the tailstock body the half nut will sit in a slight milled out depression and miss the tailstock allowing you to get the cross slide close in for fine work and for getting the maximum saddle travel

I had the same problem as the O/P

Let me find the thread and also see if I have details of what nuts I purchased .
I get teh feeling that The description of the nuts you mention are not the size of the ones I got .


Back in a few....
BACK .

These are the nuts I purchased for my Sphere cum Atlas
10-32 (3/16") UNF Full Nuts Stainless Steel (Qty 10)

Now to find the thread, you have triggered something in the old grey matter .... that may mean I had to reuse the old nuts after cleaning off the burrs for the very same reason of the AF sizes being awkward .& fouling the compounds rotation . ..
 
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RJSakowski is correct in that my problem is with standard 6-32 nuts are 5/16" across the flats. My original search was for "Jam Nuts" which are 5/16" across flats but only 3/32" thick. I finally found I should be looking for "Small Pattern Machine Nuts" which are 1/4" across the flats. I have found them in multiple vendors and they will be on order when she says OK.
 
Yes .. You are correct .... as I was searching for the post of what I did it all came flooding back ..... I had to clean up the original nuts .
That's one of the downsides of suffering a stroke ..some days the neck top computer crashes on the hard drive .

Glad to hear you've got a handle on it .
 
Coupling nuts are also usually the smaller size across the flats. You would have to part them off but they are easier to hold to turn the part round that is next to the machine.

Also when looking for Atlas parts with clausing you have to call. They do not list them on there web site. A lot of the time parts are cheaper than you can get used from other sources. It is suprising how well they still support the lathes.
 
coolidge said:
Both my local hardware stores carry jam nuts, I just purchased some last weekend. I gave up on the Lowes/Home Depot and shop at real hardware stores anymore.
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I found if you need just a few common and sometimes odd bolts and nuts the local Ace Hardware and small stores carry a lot in those little storage boxes.
 
Bill C. said:
I found if you need just a few common and sometimes odd bolts and nuts the local Ace Hardware and small stores carry a lot in those little storage boxes.
Click to expand...

And for the really odd stuff nobody carries McMastercarr. This week I needed some 2 1/4 inch long 5/16-18 stainless button head screws, it had to be this exact length and nobody local carries that odd size, McMaster to the rescue, $8 for a package of 10.
 
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