9 x 20 half nut problem

Definitely the way John, thanks.
Still working on a holding method.
 
Started milling the waste material with an end mill but it was very rough finish.
cross-slide-14.jpg

So I ground a broken tap to a small raked flat tip cutter and used a small boring bar to remove the rest.
cross-slide-15.jpg

Now its being filed down for the final fit.
Meanwhile -
can anyone see a reason as to why I cannot cut a channel or drill a hole for the extended cross slide lead screw at the end of the cross slide so the nut can travel a bit further?
Would a channel weaken the saddle too much?
saddle-1.jpg

As its in bits to do all this plus replacing the headstock bearings I thought why not go here as well.
If I was designing this I would have placed a roller bearing there for the end of the lead screw but thats probably a bit of overkill.
 
I decided I needed a key for the handle so thought a woodruff type would be the easiest to make.
I ground a thin cutter and fixed it into a boring bar.
The bar was held in the chuck and the shaft I wanted to keyway cut was held in a wedge type QCTP holder.
I set the height so the cutter was centered on the shaft and just kissing it.
Locked the saddle and cross slide.
Then the cringe bit.
Gently loosened the holder and adjusted its height so the cutter started cutting, gently tightened the holder which had the propensity to raise the shaft parallel again and cut a little more. Repeat untill the slot is deep enough.
keyway.jpg

Not a brilliant photo but hopefully you can get the drift.
 
G'day Charles, I'm still constantly amazed at the new ways you can create to do the impossible with next to nothing. Your continued use of excessive overhang to get good results is mind boggling as always.

Carry on you've got me beat. I look forward to the day when I'm next in Qld, and I can see some of your toys.
 
as you can see there is a brass shim under the holding screws.
The test bar didnt use the shim and a too heavy a cut actually spit the shaft out of the holder making a neat row of divots along its length.
The cutter touched, gripped and levered the shaft out one rotation at a time.
All good fun.
 
"The test bar didnt use the shim and a too heavy a cut actually spit the shaft out of the holder making a neat row of divots along its length.
The cutter touched, gripped and levered the shaft out one rotation at a time."

Saw this happen in the shop where I worked. Operator was cutting key seats in a 2 7/16ths x 12' shaft. Machine was a Summit universal mill with a 10 x 54 table set up in horizontal arrangement. Hold down clamping was inadequate and pulled the shaft into the cutter. Amazingly the cutter didn't break. Pulled the entire length of shaft past the cutter. It did trash the cutter mandrel.
 
Cut the keyway in the handle by grinding a carbide (horrible) small boring tool thinner and used the saddle handle to gently cut away the slot.
I used the same process of lowering the tool holder after every pass.
handle-keyway.jpg

To stop the chuck rotating I locked it with my indexing system.
handle-keyway2.jpg

I have got to get my act together and clean, polish and blue all my made tools in a forlorn attempt at beating the humidity rust bug.
 
Here in Louisiana, humidity is a given. Yet with a gas fueled water heater for the house actually located in the garage where I do my machining, no worries of rust at all. I also periodically spray WD on bare surfaces & run a small electric heater while working. Your project is looking good!
 
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