Hardened Bronze Bar

AlbertNakaji

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Need hardened bronze bar. Dimension are 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 4". Length in not critical as long as it's over 3". It's to be used to make a cross slide nut (another request has been posted for that) for a LeBlond Regal 13" lathe.
 
Does it really need to be hardened? It needs to be softer than the lead screw.

Randy
 
Doesn't that use a split nut? Just use a quality piece of bearing bronze, keep it clean and lube'd. It will last a long time, when it wears a little, you should be able to adjust the clearance. Remember, adjusting the nut for wear works great, but you can't adjust out wear in the screw (since the wear will be more significant in the primary use area, but you have to set the clearance in the region which has minimal wear). Randy is right, a softer nut is the way to go.
 
That is the recommendation. Even hardened bronze will be softer than the lead screw and since it's difficult to remove and replace, I'd prefer not to have to do it again.

Does it really need to be hardened? It needs to be softer than the lead screw.

Randy
 
Think you are referring to the threading half-nuts.
It looks like the image shown below
crossfeednut_zpsc48l9z60.jpg
.


Doesn't that use a split nut? Just use a quality piece of bearing bronze, keep it clean and lube'd. It will last a long time, when it wears a little, you should be able to adjust the clearance. Remember, adjusting the nut for wear works great, but you can't adjust out wear in the screw (since the wear will be more significant in the primary use area, but you have to set the clearance in the region which has minimal wear). Randy is right, a softer nut is the way to go.
 
A split cross slide nut is a nice feature. Obviously not what you are working with. Are you going to start from scratch or bore & sleeve the old one?

upload_2016-8-24_19-20-58.png
 
The nut is very worn and also cracked, so it makes more sense (to me) to cut a new nut. The material is cast iron (or "grey iron"). My impression is that cutting acme threads in a sleeve or cutting in a new nut amount to the same degree of difficulty, but chucking the original piece so that everything is concentric and square is going to be difficult.

A split cross slide nut is a nice feature. Obviously not what you are working with. Are you going to start from scratch or bore & sleeve the old one?

View attachment 134575
 
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