Lathe crosslide recut ? ? ?

[busastars]

Just been speaking to a friend on the phone about my Lathe. He has told me that most enginiering shops should be able to re'cut the track/jib so it will run true for only about an hours labour. Is this right? If so would save me alot of bother selling mine and buying a new Lathe.

Now the crosslide is worn, like you can set it up in the center but the outers are tight so it makes skiming not accurate.

The crosslide is a V type with screw's to tighten down the path, a little like the Clarke Lathe's.

 

[Richm]

what type of lathe is it?

 

[busastars]

what type of lathe is it?

Ops forgot, Its a Smart & Brown SAB 9" Persision.

 

[Pete.]

They could machine a few thou off the dovetail to make it parallel again but the proper way to fix it would be to have it scraped, which is not a commonly-found skill nowadays. You would probably need a new thicker gib strip though you might get away with adjusting the old one.

 

[graffian]

Doesn't sound very likely.
Had a quote to have a bed reground, seem to remember the cross slide was a few hundred quid of the quote.

 

[AndyP]

Buy a pot of engineers blue and a scraper and get going, taking of the high spots until you bring it back to square. Just remember that lathes are suppose to face very slightly hollow.
It will only cost you time

 

[busastars]

Not quite sure what all that means, im not 100% fimiliar with terms as I have tought myself and to be hounest not 100% sure I know what im doing.

This Jib/Gib plate thing, could it be that worn, im gessing its like a spacer between the adjustment screws and V part of the crosslide?

 

[Bsmith]

I'm watching your thread with interest because I have a Smart & Brown production lathe that also has worn cross slides. Yes the gib strip is where you say.

 

[busastars]

I'm watching your thread with interest because I have a Smart & Brown production lathe that also has worn cross slides. Yes the gib strip is where you say.

Have you got any pics?

Just doing some research now and it seems the carrage is the same as some Boxfords and Southbend lathes.

Just emailed a company to see if they have maybe a compleate secondhand carage for the Smart & Brown.

If I carnt get it sorted out then 100% it will be for sale and ill be looking for a new lathe. I know what I need it to do, I know how to work it, just dont know anymore than that, its a little hard trying to teach myself with very little information out there. BUT this site is always helpfull.

 

[yarpap]

thats a nice wee lathe , better to get it right rather than spend on Clarke etc.
hand scraper and marking out ink as andy P said its not that hard to do, a DTI will help you check as you go and keep things parallel.
make a scraper from an old file.
Dave

 

[Bsmith]

The only pic I have of it is included in the first pic in my post here http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=1190&highlight=show+garage&page=44 but its not a very good one unless you touch it up in adobe photoimpression or something. I might be after another lathe later, but I need a workshop first.

 

[busastars]

I did tonight email http://www.lathes.co.uk/page8.html I sent them pics and asked about parts.

Im also missing parts that sit ontop of the carrage, think its all the original tool holder as mine is fixed and others I have seen have an additional crosslide for doing cones/angles.

 

[brightspark]

I did tonight email http://www.lathes.co.uk/page8.html I sent them pics and asked about parts.

Im also missing parts that sit ontop of the carrage, think its all the original tool holder as mine is fixed and others I have seen have an additional crosslide for doing cones/angles.

a topslide isnt realy critical unles u are needing to machine tapers

 

[Bsmith]

I did tonight email http://www.lathes.co.uk/page8.html I sent them pics and asked about parts.

Im also missing parts that sit ontop of the carrage, think its all the original tool holder as mine is fixed and others I have seen have an additional crosslide for doing cones/angles.

I see what you mean,, the cross slides on mine swing on a pivot for cutting tapers etc. But like brightspark says, I hardly ever used that facility in 15 years of having it.

 

[busastars]

a topslide isnt realy critical unles u are needing to machine tapers

Always handy though, one of my little projects soon will be a static bike wheel balencer so will want to do some small cones to insert into the wheel.

I still not sure on what I would be doing with enginieers blue and a scraper, I can usuraly do anything im shown but trying to learn blind is so hard.

 

[yarpap]

try wiki search hand scraper, it gives a basic idea

 

[busastars]

Ive had a reply about my Lathe and I am shocked how much things are for it, seems like a nice guy but way to expensive for me to spend money on an old lathe I think. If I could just find a top carage compleate in good condition then it would be worth it but thats like a needle in a haystack.

Anyway here is the email I just had incase anyone else needs parts.

Hello Kelvin,

Thank you for your message.

For your Smart & Brown I can offer a range of items

MS580
SMART & BROWN "Sabel", "SAB" & "S" Lathes. Original maker's "Instructions for the Operation of the 9" swing models 10 pages. £12

Or, a much better book:

MS580A
SMART & BROWN "SAB" and "S" lathes. These lathes are copies of the "9-inch" South Bend and, as
such, the best manual is the one produced for the other copy, the Boxford. Unlike the South Bend
book "How to Run a Lathe" this 137-page edition concentrates in detail on the 9-inch lathe,
not the whole range, and thus contains much more information about how to operate it as well
as many screwcutting charts, lists of changewheels set-ups as machines left the factory, metric
conversions and other valuable data. A few mechanical details are different but the operating
procedures are identical. This edition also Includes a copy of the Smart & Brown Manual. £38

MS580B
SMART & BROWN "Sabel", "SAB" & "S" Lathes. Parts Manual and General Assembly Drawings. 50 pages of drawing that are so good they are, in effect, blueprints without the dimensions.
£25

MS580C
All the above Smart & Brown Sabel, SAB and S items.
£55

We are just about to do a batch of backplates and faceplates for this lathe - delivery around 2 to 3 months at the moment.
NEW 200 mm (8-inch) faceplates - £85 + £9 post and packing + VAT
NEW 125 mm (6.3-inch) backplates £70 + £8 post + VAT

We can also provide cross-feed screws and nuts - made to order - though you should also be able to use the parts we stock for the South Bend (these are a smaller diameter but otherwise identical. Hello John,

NEW cross-feed bronze nuts - English or Metric thread £38 + £3 P + P = £41 + VAT
NEW cross feed screws for hand or power cross feed models: £62 + £3 P + P = £65 + VAT

NEW cross feed screw and nut together: £100 + £4 P + P = £104 + VAT

We can offer the following up-to-date item that will make tool changes - and the correct setting of tool height - both quick and simple. Once a tool is in the holder it can be adjusted up and down until it cuts perfectly and then the setting locked. When the toolholder is removed and replace it always drops back to exactly the same setting as previously. Extra toolholders are £38 each (plus post + VAT). The unit comes with 5 holders:
Picture here: http://www.lathes.co.uk/accessoriesnew/toolholders/pistontoolholder.jpg

Stock 011A:
Heavy-Duty "Piston" Quick-Set Toolholder Size "A" for lathes 100mm and 140mm (4" and 5.5-inch) centre height (Boxford, South Bend, Raglan, Emco V10, Sheldon, etc). - with double location to take the five supplied interchangeable tool stations: 2 standard, 1 parting, 1 knurling (complete with knurl) and one cylindrical. Maximum height of tool that can be accommodated = 12mm. The base is 65 mm (2.5") square. All parts hardened and ground All parts hardened and ground. £124 + £15 insured post and packing = £139 + VAT £20.85 = £159.85

We can also supply the special T-nut (but not tapped) needed to retain the toolpost in the top slide (you just need a metric tap to finish the job). £14 + VAT

Immediate delivery from stock.

 

[AndyP]

You should learn to make a lot of what you need, that's what machine tools are for

http://homepage3.nifty.com/amigos/index-e.html

 

[chap]

If you had the time/were willing to be inventive, you could improvise a guide rail clamped to the top of the carriage, and grind/recut the dovetail very lightly to remove the high-spots.
Never really having done much "scraping in" this is the way I'd try and resolve the problem.

Another thing to try is to just strip, clean, and polish any areas that may have "picked up", then re-assemble with plenty of lube.
But then i do like taking things to bits

 

[busastars]

I can see what your saying but making a new carrage would take time, and that is if I could do it. Im at a realy early stage in my life for learning all the machining, always had people who done it for me but now alot of them have lost interest. I want to learn as much as posible but it is kind of hard teaching yourself when you just dont know what your doing, in another ten years I should be up to speed lol.