Gap bed on G4003 or G4003g?

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dsymes

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Having just set my G4003g on stands and epoxied the threaded rods into the concrete (I got a friend to weld some 3/8 angle to the sides of the stands as a number of others here have also done), I've been going over the manual with more diligence as I get closer to firing up the beast. I notice that the manual warns that taking out the gap bed may upset the alignment of the ways. Has anyone here removed and replaced the gap, and what has your experience been?

Douglas
 
Unless it's absolutely essential, dont. I removed the gap on an enco 13x40. I got the gap back on and adjusted, but I wouldn't do it on my pm1440gs.

My 2 cents worth
 
I do not have a grizzly lathe. But at work we have a 20x80 gap bed and a 30x120 gap bed lathe and the gap comes out all the time. Just indicate it in when reinstalling. What is the point of having a gap bed if you can't remove it.
 
I had an old machinist tell me to never remove the gap. He delivered it with one of those knowing thousand mile stares you see so often in Army movies. Or maybe like Aunt Matilda when warning the kids not to swim until 45 minutes after eating. At any rate, I figure they wouldn’t keep making them that way if it was a method of sure destruction. Then again, I’ve never taken the gap out of mine either.
 
If you take your time taking the gap piece out carefully, and then clean everything scrupulously before going back together, and then don't beat on it with a hammer trying to get it to fit, all will be well. The gap must match with the bed perfectly, which mean no trash or chips -- ZERO! It should fit perfectly BEFORE you tighten the bolts down. If you try to force it once, it will probably never fit correctly again.
 
Bob Korves said:
If you take your time taking the gap piece out carefully, and then clean everything scrupulously before going back together, and then don't beat on it with a hammer trying to get it to fit, all will be well. The gap must match with the bed perfectly, which mean no trash or chips -- ZERO! It should fit perfectly BEFORE you tighten the bolts down. If you try to force it once, it will probably never fit correctly again.
Click to expand...
Thanks Bob. That makes sense, but is this advice from personal experience a Grizzly or similar lathe? The manual says "Removing the gap may cause the lathe insert to spring slightly out of shape. When re-inserting, there is no guarantee that original alignment and flush mating will be the same." I'm looking for someone who has taken the gap bed out and reinstalled it.

Douglas
 
dsymes said:
Having just set my G4003g on stands and epoxied the threaded rods into the concrete (I got a friend to weld some 3/8 angle to the sides of the stands as a number of others here have also done), I've been going over the manual with more diligence as I get closer to firing up the beast. I notice that the manual warns that taking out the gap bed may upset the alignment of the ways. Has anyone here removed and replaced the gap, and what has your experience been?

Douglas
Click to expand...
I dont have a g4003g, but i wouldn't think taking the gap out would cause a problem.
Most of the lathes I've worked on had parallel or tapered pins to realign the gap when reassembling. Think cleanliness.
If you have space somewhere, i suggest clocking your gap to make sure its in alignment and then fitting your own tapered pins for fitting it back in. Just make sure they're installed in a solid section of webbing if possible.
I think the manual shouldn't be suggesting you not remove it, because it was made to be removed. And they are concerned with the users ability to reset it.
Can't help you much more, but thats my thoughts.
Cheers Alby
 
fitterman1 said:
I dont have a g4003g, but i wouldn't think taking the gap out would cause a problem.
Most of the lathes I've worked on had parallel or tapered pins to realign the gap when reassembling. Think cleanliness.
If you have space somewhere, i suggest clocking your gap to make sure its in alignment and then fitting your own tapered pins for fitting it back in. Just make sure they're installed in a solid section of webbing if possible.
I think the manual shouldn't be suggesting you not remove it, because it was made to be removed. And they are concerned with the users ability to reset it.
Can't help you much more, but thats my thoughts.
Cheers Alby
Click to expand...

I aslo think that is the reason why Grizzly recommends not removing the gap, from a customer service stand point, they don't want to deal with all the users calling in who are unable to get it realigned properly.

The G4003/g is based on a very common 12x design. It too should have 2 tapered pins & a set screw pusher at the headstock end.
 
I removed the gap on my machine (Taiwanese 13*something) to clean out the rust, and definitely regret doing so. There are 2 taper pins that are supposed to align it, but the 2 flycut faces are rough enough that it refuses to go back where it should. If I insert the taper pins it moves further out of alignment than without them installed. I tried for days to get the dam thing back, stoning, cleaning and tapping, but had to eventually settle for 0.01mm (3-4 tenths I think) high on the front v and about the same ammount low on the rear flat. The carriage noticeably gets a bit more snug when I move it over the gap. I'll have to revisit the problem soon, worst case I think I'll permanently tram it with epoxy.

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
 
My pm1440gs carriage tightens up just after getting to the gap. I've tried everything to figure out what is going on. It has been like that since I took delivery, matt and crew insisted that was normal and it would wear in... 2 years later it's still like that, I dont think wearing in is going to do it. I have suspected the gap being improperly installed but I dont want to pull it and find I cant get it back to where it is now. Its useable now, I'd hate making it worse.
 
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