Felt wipers

[yugami]

You can pickup F1 felt from mcmaster for less than a buck and cut a lifetime supply out of the strip you bought.

 

[samthedog]

That said, and I don't mean to hijack the thread, but is felt a better material for a wiper than rubber? My lathe (now ten years old) has rubber wipers. I've taken them off periodically and cleaned them. They're still in good shape. It would be a simple matter to use the felt to make replacements. Is felt better than rubber?

John

I just made some wipers from rubber as the Chipmaster has rubber wipers as standard. I think the most important thing is choosing a pliable rubber and getting a good tight fit. I used solid neoprene sheet 6mm thick. It is soft, oil resistant and thick enough to give a good seal. So far it seems to work well as it traps the oil under the carriage and sweeps the swarf away.

As a side note, if you use rubber, lubricate the ways in front of the rubber to stop it from sticking when you first crank the handwheel. If you don't, you run the risk of tearing the wiper over time and also not allowing the swarf to float away on a cushion of oil.

Paul.

 

[Codered741]

That said, and I don't mean to hijack the thread, but is felt a better material for a wiper than rubber? My lathe (now ten years old) has rubber wipers. I've taken them off periodically and cleaned them. They're still in good shape. It would be a simple matter to use the felt to make replacements. Is felt better than rubber?

John

I always understood that the felt served two purposes. First was to brush off swarf and debris, but the second was to distribute oil on the ways. In that regard, felt is far superior to rubber. Though it seems that both would be better than only one. eg. rubber to do the majority of the debris removal, and felt to do the fine cleaning, and oil dispersal.

-Cody

 

[samthedog]

I always understood that the felt served two purposes. First was to brush off swarf and debris, but the second was to distribute oil on the ways. In that regard, felt is far superior to rubber. Though it seems that both would be better than only one. eg. rubber to do the majority of the debris removal, and felt to do the fine cleaning, and oil dispersal.

-Cody

I have seen way wipers that are a laminate of rubber and felt. The outer surface is rubber and layer closest to the carriage is felt. This would be easy enough to make. I guess irrespective of which material you choose, there is no substitute for wiping the ways clean and keeping them well oiled.

Paul.