Found a spring near my headstock; cant figure out where it came from.

I think it's the one missing from the ratchet mechanism on my 6" Starrett micrometer. I was disassembling it last week to replace the pin. The spring was stuck in the bore so I started wiggling it with a dental tool. Suddenly it shot out. I looked for hours but couldn't find it. In the end I went to a local used equipment dealer and bought a junker for parts.

I knew it went quite a distance, but all the way to New York is pretty astounding. Just put it in a "special place" in case you need it in the future.
 
Over the years I have lost dozens of springs. They have a life of their own and have the ability to find inconceivable hiding places. Whether it be gremlins that seize on the opportunity, or pack rats, or whatever, I usually give up and just buy or make a replacement.

Some time in the distant future, they or their offspring will show up, at which point, I grab them and shove them in the spring box and close the lid where they are candidates for replacement for future escapades.

Seriously, if the lathe is working, hang the spring on your pegboard. At some time the origin will reveal itself.
 
Feed rod clutch would be my first thought on my machine.
maybe you have a feed rod clutch?

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john.oliver35 said:
Friction spring from the cross-feed graduated dial?
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Hmmmmmm. As a matter of fact I did pull the dial of my cross slide. So there is a spring in there? Could you tell me the purpose of the spring? The reason I took it apart was because the dial seizes up when the handle is turned in. This makes it hard to zero out the dial after I touch off. I'll take a look. I end up having to back off the handle so I can get the dial to turn. Thanks.
 
twooldvolvos said:
Hmmmmmm. As a matter of fact I did pull the dial of my cross slide. So there is a spring in there? Could you tell me the purpose of the spring? The reason I took it apart was because the dial seizes up when the handle is turned in. This makes it hard to zero out the dial after I touch off. I'll take a look. I end up having to back off the handle so I can get the dial to turn. Thanks.
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On my Boxford (a SB Clone) there are two springs in the dial with set screws installed to hold them in. The springs press against the lead screw shaft of the cross feed and provide friction that holds the dial in place as the crank is turned. One can tighten the set screws to adjust the amount o friction on the dial.

Adjusting these won't help with the dial being 'tight' in one direction and 'loose' in the other. This is related to the backlash of the lead screw and I think is adjusted by another shoulder inside the cross-feed assembly. Mine does the same thing but I have been procrastinating on taking it apart!
 
john.oliver35 said:
On my Boxford (a SB Clone) there are two springs in the dial with set screws installed to hold them in. The springs press against the lead screw shaft of the cross feed and provide friction that holds the dial in place as the crank is turned. One can tighten the set screws to adjust the amount o friction on the dial.

Adjusting these won't help with the dial being 'tight' in one direction and 'loose' in the other. This is related to the backlash of the lead screw and I think is adjusted by another shoulder inside the cross-feed assembly. Mine does the same thing but I have been procrastinating on taking it apart!
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Thanks for the guidance. I took a look at my cross slide to see if anything was obvious. I didn't see anything obvious since the only part I took off was the handle and the dial. However, it might be possible for the spring to have dropped out of the bottom somehow. I'll need to look into it a bit more.
 
twooldvolvos said:
Hmmmmmm. As a matter of fact I did pull the dial of my cross slide. So there is a spring in there? Could you tell me the purpose of the spring? The reason I took it apart was because the dial seizes up when the handle is turned in. This makes it hard to zero out the dial after I touch off. I'll take a look. I end up having to back off the handle so I can get the dial to turn. Thanks.
Click to expand...

No springs in the dials on a SB. There is just a brass shoe to provide the shaft gripping function. You have to back off because there is too much pressure on the dial. If your dial doesn't spin freely when loose, then there may be a burr or debris on the shaft.
 
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