Carriage Feed Quit

Diaric

Diaric

Registered
Registered
Joined
Dec 18, 2021
Messages
17
New member, just learning. Have a new to me, Craftex 9x20 Lathe and mill. Same as Grizzly G4000 and G0704.
I wasn’t expecting to post so soon, but as I was threading today, my carriage feed just suddenly quit half way through. It just acts like the half nut isn’t engaging, and trying to use the carriage feed lever, it tries to spring back. I have the lead screw off and the apron Carriage removed and nothing looks amiss, just a mess of ancient grease and very little metal filings. The only thing I feel out of place, is the feed lever feels like it’s binding somehow. And watching the gear it slides, only engages the next gear by about half its width, which doesn’t look right.
Anyone have a link to any rebuild resource or upgrades for the apron? Or have some ideas what to look for, from their own experience?
Thanks for any advice.
 
Hello @Diaric

Welcome to the group!

Unfortunately I have nothing else to offer you since I have never had a similar model, or had to tear into one.
What I can say is that hopefully we'll have a few experts stop by here real soon with some useful info!

Hold tight.
-brino

EDIT: I did poke around a bit on the BusyBee website; I had to search by lathe size, since that's all I have.
I found a CT039 manual here:
https://www.busybeetools.com/content/product_manuals/CT039.pdf
However it's labelled as a 9x19" lathe.....page 31 shows the apron parts.
Is it even close to yours?

That manual does have exploded views and part labels.
Maybe the Grizly ones have better manuals......
 
Last edited:
Diaric said:
New member, just learning. Have a new to me, Craftex 9x20 Lathe and mill. Same as Grizzly G4000 and G0704.
I wasn’t expecting to post so soon, but as I was threading today, my carriage feed just suddenly quit half way through. It just acts like the half nut isn’t engaging,
Click to expand...

The feed screw is still turning ?
There is a pin to prevent the feed screw from chewing up the transmission gears when there is a carriage crash.
Did you crash the carriage on the end of the thread being cut ?

and trying to use the carriage feed lever, it tries to spring back. I have the lead screw off and the apron Carriage removed and nothing looks amiss, just a mess of ancient grease and very little metal filings. The only thing I feel out of place, is the feed lever feels like it’s binding somehow. And watching the gear it slides, only engages the next gear by about half its width, which doesn’t look right.
Click to expand...

There is some attachment of the lever and the shaft which is used to engage the ½ nut.
Check that the lever is properly attached (flat on the shaft).
You might have to go inside the apron to find some debris preventing reasonable and normal operation.

Anyone have a link to any rebuild resource or upgrades for the apron? Or have some ideas what to look for, from their own experience?
Thanks for any advice.
Click to expand...
 
Mitch Alsup said:
The feed screw is still turning ?
There is a pin to prevent the feed screw from chewing up the transmission gears when there is a carriage crash.
Did you crash the carriage on the end of the thread being cut ?



There is some attachment of the lever and the shaft which is used to engage the ½ nut.
Check that the lever is properly attached (flat on the shaft).
You might have to go inside the apron to find some debris preventing reasonable and normal operation.
Click to expand...
 
Yes, the screw is still turning fine, I had to knock it out to take it off.
As I stated, I have the apron off now. Everything looks attached properly, and I don’t see anything jamming anything up.
There was no crash, it just stopped feeding half way through the pass, and they were very light passes.
I see the half nut closing when I hit the lever but before I took it apart, it felt like it wasn’t.
From reading threads I have searched, they talk of a key that is in the worm gear, I never saw a key. So I may have to look a little harder here, or where it should be,
 
Is your name Dick?
That’s my dad’s name
Send us a pic of your lathe.
 
A5FC0B88-73F5-4CE1-BE3D-81F15D03CB8F.jpeg
 
The Lathe is the same as a Grizzly G4000 or same as the Harbour Freight or Jet 9x20’s

when I undid the carriage from the apron, it felt like the apron just slid loosely along the lead screw, like it wasn’t engaging properly. That’s about the easiest way I have of explaining this
 
Last edited:
Structurally, the 8X18s, 9X19s, 9X20s and the like are almost identical. Much of the "bragging" about center height and length between centers is a matter of marketing. How deeply the tail center fits into the tailstock. The carriage, well the apron has two different feed mechanisms for feed per revolution versus threading. The feed is driven by half nuts, for threading it uses a key running in a slot on the lead screw. There is an "interlock" to prevent engaging both at the same time. You should concentrate there for a loose piece not rotating fully, allowing the undesired kick out. Other than a piece of scrap on the cam follower, a loose cam is likely the problem. Not an absolute answer, but the apron has a number of adjustments.

.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top