Misbehaving top slide

[Maker]

I can't turn it around. I loosened the bolts that hold it in place but it'll only move about 5 degrees each way, what should I do?

And once that's fixed, how do I adjust it, there's loads of backlash and it's really stiff (Ooh err).

 

[brewdexta]

do you have any pics?

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I can't turn it around. I loosened the bolts that hold it in place but it'll only move about 5 degrees each way, what should I do?

And once that's fixed, how do I adjust it, there's loads of backlash and it's really stiff (Ooh err).

If it's like the top slide on my Student you only need to slacken the nuts slightly, too loose and they drop and twist instead of sliding.

 

[Maker]

If it's like the top slide on my Student you only need to slacken the nuts slightly, too loose and they drop and twist instead of sliding.

I think that's what's happened, my milling vice (Which I use as a bench vice) does it sometimes. I've re-tightened them and slackened them again but it still won't move.

I also took the leadscrew out to clean the crud that fell into the oil hole and I noticed it was very stiff to slide by hand (None of the gib grub screw things have any tension on them BTW). Is that normal?

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Might be worth spraying with diesel and leaving overnight, could just be a bit of surface rust locking it all together. If I don't use my lathe for awhile it tends to go stiff until I have moved the slides through their ranges.

 

[Maker]

do you have any pics?

There's nothing to see really, just a top slide (Without a tool post as I was cleaning everything) that won't move.

 

[rory1]

My top slide was really stiff when I got the lathe, when I stripped it I found marks on the the end of the fixed part of the slide where the chuck had rubbed upon it and created some burrs. I filed them off and it made it much better

 

[zzr1200]

Can't you undo the holding nuts, plus lift the top slide at the same time and remove the top slide completely. That should allow you to locate/inspect which part is causing the lock up.

Your top slide locking nuts appear to be in the side of the cross slide which should allow the top slide and turn table to be removed as a unit for inspection.

Have a look at the parts exploded diagram if you have one, you should be able to get an idea what might be causing the slide to lock up.

 

[Maker]

So I need to pull it up while I undo the bolts to get it off?

 

[dobbslc]

I don't think you'll have enough clearance to lift the whole lot straight up as the tapers / gib will clash.
Does it have a tapered gib? If it does loosen the adjusting screws and try tapping it one way then the other, if the screws are loose the gib may have "ridden" up in the gap and jammed.

 

[Maker]

I'm not sure what you mean. I undid all the bolts in the bottom of the gib and slide it out (With considerable force) but the nut was in the way of lifting the top of it off so I put it back together.

 

[Maker]

Problem solved.
I got it off by turning it a bit to hold the bolt still whilst I undid the nuts.

In the lower right of the picture is the hole for removing the nuts from the tee slot (Is a curved one called a C slot?) and one of the bolts had fallen into it meaning I could not move it back.

Here's the top of the cross slide where it was, with lots of swarf and crap in it.

 

[zzr1200]

Its amazing where swarf can get and how things can jam up on their own without any help from us....

Just make a mental note of the angles where the top slide can lock itself when either of the bolts drops a bit. Then you can use a screwdriver to lift it, to release the top slides rotation.

Its all part of understanding the idiosyncrasies of older machine tools, just another learning curve...

 

[Maker]

It's at about 45 degrees with the hand wheel over the bed pointing towards the tailstock and of course, 180 degrees around from there.

It's all cleaned and reassembled now. I wiped everything and put some thick way oil on it, it's much smoother now but there's a compromise between an easy to turn hand wheel and no movement in the slide.

When the big bolt in the wheel is loose, the wheel is easy to turn but the slide has some front to back movement. When it's tight, the wheel is hard to turn but there's no movement. Do you think it would be a good idea to put a thrust bearing in between the hand wheel and the plate behind it?

 

[roofman]

A slack top slide is normaly the weak link in the chain regarding tools digging in ect...i run mine fairly tight to eliminate this as its a slide that does,nt get wound in and out during the course of a lot of jobs

 

[ukracer]

A slack top slide is normaly the weak link in the chain regarding tools digging in ect...i run mine fairly tight to eliminate this as its a slide that does,nt get wound in and out during the course of a lot of jobs

I am having a problem with tools digging in and I am yet to locate the problem. I have shelved looking for it now until I have built my concrete shed . I am sick of the evil neighbors and if I dont do something I will end up turning them on the lathe into something useful...lol

 

[Maker]

A slack top slide is normaly the weak link in the chain regarding tools digging in ect...i run mine fairly tight to eliminate this as its a slide that does,nt get wound in and out during the course of a lot of jobs

It's no problem to keep it tight and loosen it when I need it, that's what I'll do.

 

[Pete.]

Maker I reckon that you would enjoy learning hand-scraping. It would certainly be a boon to you if you want to keep buying used machinery.

 

[Maker]

Maker I reckon that you would enjoy learning hand-scraping. It would certainly be a boon to you if you want to keep buying used machinery.

It's something I'd like to learn but it doesn't sound enjoyable, rather tedious.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

If I use the compound slide for any length of time I power it with a cordless drill on a low speed.