Leblond 13" Regal

MLDJR

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Feb 18, 2016
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Guys,
Trying to clean up a pretty good backlash in my LeBlond 13" cross slide. Any help on where I can get a replacement cross feed nut with backlash adjustment?
 
Can you do the slitting saw trick? Slit the nut and put a set screw in to adjust the separation. Tighten the screw to separate the halves, distorting it to lessen the backlash.

Can you picture it the way I am describing it?

Bernie
 
Can you do the slitting saw trick? Slit the nut and put a set screw in to adjust the separation. Tighten the screw to separate the halves, distorting it to lessen the backlash.

Can you picture it the way I am describing it?

Bernie
I never thought of that. Thanks Bernie, I am going to look into that today.
 
I'll point out that the wear on a badly worn cross feed screw is usually in the middle 1/3 of the screw. If you install an adjust nut and tighten it up in the badly worn area, the screw will lock up when you try to go out of the worn area. How much backlash (use the dial reading to specify) do you have? Is it substantially the same in the high usage area as with the cross slide almost fully retracted? If it isn't, you are going to have the above problem. If it is and it truly is excessive and not just more than zero, the probable culprit is feed screw end float, which should be adjustable to near zero.
 
I'll point out that the wear on a badly worn cross feed screw is usually in the middle 1/3 of the screw. If you install an adjust nut and tighten it up in the badly worn area, the screw will lock up when you try to go out of the worn area. How much backlash (use the dial reading to specify) do you have? Is it substantially the same in the high usage area as with the cross slide almost fully retracted? If it isn't, you are going to have the above problem. If it is and it truly is excessive and not just more than zero, the probable culprit is feed screw end float, which should be adjustable to near zero.

Thanks Wa5. The backlash was in pretty consistent on a large part of the screw and it was a substantial amount to the point that I could click it back and forth by pushing and pulling the cross slide. Upon removal and inspection, the nut was really loose on the acme tread. Not only did it have backlash, I could rock it around a lot!

The gentleman I purchased the lathe from had mentioned he had a parts lathe in his shop so I called him. Lucky me he had another cross slide nut. So I ran over and tried it and it was way tighter then the one on my lathe but his had a taper attachment and the screw was not the same. Luckily it was equally snug on my screw. So I installed it yesterday and the backlash is a couple thousands. That makes me happy. I might consider trying ti sit my old one and put a set screw in it as suggested above just because I have an extra one now.

Oh and FYI. Roger Virgin at LaBlond did reply to my email and said they might have a replacement in stock, but once I found the nut I didn't even want to know what the price of that was!!!

Thanks for all the help guys!
 
OK. 0.002" total backlash is probably better than average.
 
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