Lathe leadscrew protector advice ?

[Road_Clam]

Hey all,
I'm concerned as to the chip contaminants that are getting on my 11x29 lathe's lead screw. Anyone have any tips on purchasing some type of expanding / collapsing guard ? I did some research, and I came up with ONE option from China, and I REFUSE to buy directly from China anymore from my last shipping clusterfuge.

 

[Justin.P]

Search for telescoping bellows.

 

[Janderso]

You only use the lead screw when cutting threads.
Just clean it before you thread. Not a big deal.

 

[great white]

You only use the lead screw when cutting threads.
Just clean it before you thread. Not a big deal.

I believe the model lathe he has uses the lead-screw for both thread cutting and carriage travel (like my Atlas), so a bellows is probably a decent addition.

That being said, I don’t have anything on my Atlas. I just use a paint brush and swipe away any chips I notice on the leadscrew.

 

[ChazzC]

There were some YouTubers who made lead screw covers from inexpensive magicians’ canes. However, cutting these to length was hazardous and then they needed to fabricate fixed & traveling ends.

For my 7x16 I picked up a set of covers from LMS to protect the fine lead screw. Unfortunately, they don’t have any for their Bench Lathes, but none of the larger lathes I have seen have coarser lead screws and didn’t seem to have issues with swarf (IIRC, most of them also had wipers where they entered the apron).

 

[C-Bag]

I mod my old SoniCare toothbrush heads and use them as brushes for keeping schmutz off the leadscrew on my 9x20 and to clean the wheels on my bandsaw, vertical and horizontal. The magnets in the base are super strong and hold them in place. They last longer in the machines than in my toothbrush so I’ve always got more waiting to be modded.

 

[rodm1]

String and Kerosene works wonders on them.

 

[WobblyHand]

String and Kerosene works wonders on them.

A pipe cleaner and solvent would probably work as well. I just use a chip brush, it gets most of it off.

 

[ChazzC]

I mod my old SoniCare toothbrush heads and use them as brushes for keeping schmutz off the leadscrew on my 9x20 and to clean the wheels on my bandsaw, vertical and horizontal. The magnets in the base are super strong and hold them in place. They last longer in the machines than in my toothbrush so I’ve always got more waiting to be modded.

Excellent! Can you share details of the mounts/mods?

When our heads are worn I use the old brush to scrub off the crud that builds up on the base of the shaft before inserting the new head and just pitch them. Now I can re-recycle.

 

[lesrhorer]

Hey all,
I'm concerned as to the chip contaminants that are getting on my 11x29 lathe's lead screw. Anyone have any tips on purchasing some type of expanding / collapsing guard ? I did some research, and I came up with ONE option from China, and I REFUSE to buy directly from China anymore from my last shipping clusterfuge.

Are you working with a lot of things that produce abrasive dust, like cast iron or grinding? If not, you might be worrying more than necessary. As some folks here mentioned, unless your lathe, like mine, uses one lead screw for both gross movement and threading, this may be doubly true. Of course, you are perfectly free to hold whatever concerns you wish. Rather than a guard for the lead screw itself, however, you may be as well (or better) served by making a chip guard that attaches magnetically to your carriage, like I made here. This design might work well to not only keep chips and swarf off the lead screw, but also off the floor and out of your eyes. Depending on the position of your lead screw, you might need to modify the bottom of the shield a bit.