Clausing 5913 Cross slide screw and nut question

[ltlvt]

After getting the price from Clausing last week for the cross-slide screw and nut (upwards of $550 usd ) I am going to take a shot at making a new nut for it. the original nut is brass so I'm going to guess the screw is still useable. So, my question is does anyone know the diameter and the pitch size of the nut and screw? I have a set of ACME thread gages, but it seems like I tried to measure once before and must be a special Clausing pitch. I am hoping to buy an Acme left hand tap so I can make my own. I have had pretty good success doing this on my other lathe. So far, the ACME taps have been reasonably priced as long as I stay from the name brands that MSC and McMaster Carr sell and make a good clean and tight thread.

 

[Richard King 2]

You can take your screw out and send these guys a photo with a steel rule laying next to your screw and they can tell you the lead and threads per inch. Also measure the OD. They sell generic Acme Screws and nuts. You have to fashion the nut by copying your old one. I cut of the handle business end of the old screw and bore a hole in the new screw and pin it. It is usually more the 1/2 the cost of a factory screw http://greenbaymfgco.com/

 

[bill stupak]

I 've made several of these.

Making Acetal leadscrew nuts... DIY - Denford Software & Machines

 

[G-ManBart]

There is a guy on the Clausing group who makes nuts and repairs the screws as well. He also sells on eBay and shows the nut being a standard 5/8-10 LH Acme thread. Last I recall it was something like $135 to get a new nut and have a new length of Acme thread spliced onto your factory part.

 

[Jimsehr]

One of the largest posts I have ever seen on this group is called Evanut By a guy I think named Evan Williams. It is all about making a cross slide nut out of delrin. The post is BIG. But lots of ideas on the process. I tried it and it was very
simple. I used a cheap kitchen cutting board from Walmart , a couple bucks for material.
Just search this group for Evanut.

 

[ltlvt]

You can take your screw out and send these guys a photo with a steel rule laying next to your screw and they can tell you the lead and threads per inch. Also measure the OD. They sell generic Acme Screws and nuts. You have to fashion the nut by copying your old one. I cut of the handle business end of the old screw and bore a hole in the new screw and pin it. It is usually more the 1/2 the cost of a factory screw http://greenbaymfgco.com/

I contacted Green Bay Mfg. yesterday. I am going to order the 4140 ACME left hand rod and make the screw use t to make the lead screw. I have decided to make the nut totally from scratch using a 5/8 x 10 tap. After looking over their nuts I think it would be better to make my own nut because it is easier for me to make perfect or near perfect screw and nut alignment than it is to try to adapt their nut to my cross slide. I have already done this on my other Clausing lathe, and it worked out better than I expected. I will try to take some pictures as i do the work and post them at a later date. Mr. King, do you recommend brass-bronze-or cast iron for the material to make the nut out of. (the screw will be 4140) I already have cast iron and that is what I used on the other lathe since it had a cast iron nut from the factory but the 5913 has some kind of cast bronze.

 

[ltlvt]

Just some add info for those who want to check the wear on their acme screws is to take an Acne thread gage and compare the difference in clearance from at least 3 places on the screw. I did the rear -middle and front of the screw and NOT to my surprise the front was the most worn because that is where it was the most used on my machine, While using the gage just use a push pull method lengthwise to the screw and you will be amazed at what you will see verses just putting the gage on the threads.

 

[Richard King 2]

Most machine builders use Bronz. I have used cast iron a few times because that's the one GB mfg. had. Keep them lubricated and for a hobbyist or light mfg., both should work OK.