My Gibs are worn out

[randyjaco]

I was working on a project today and I noticed that my milling table is a little loose. I tried to tighten up the gibs and found that I have run out of adjustment. So, I am going to need both X and Y gibs. My mill is the standard Taiwanese Bridgeport clone and is tagged as an "ASTRO". Is it possible to purchase gibs for these Taiwanese clones, or am I going to have to make them? Are there any plans out there?
How do you get those suckers out ?

 

[Nickm512]

I was working on a project today and I noticed that my milling table is a little loose. I tried to tighten up the gibs and found that I have run out of adjustment. So, I am going to need both X and Y gibs. My mill is the standard Taiwanese Bridgeport clone and is tagged as an "ASTRO". Is it possible to purchase gibs for these Taiwanese clones, or am I going to have to make them? Are there any plans out there?

You should be able to find some to fit if it’s Taiwan made. Try Eisen Machinery, they will sell parts for all kinds of different Taiwan made machines.


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[OTmachine]

You can get some .015 & .020” shim stock x 1/2 wide and put it behind the gibs as required. When I worked at N.A.S. Pensacola they did it all of the time on production machines. It will be trapped between the non-moving knee and the gib.

 

[Firstram]

You can get some .015 & .020” shim stock x 1/2 wide and put it behind the gibs as required. When I worked at N.A.S. Pensacola they did it all of the time on production machines. It will be trapped between the non-moving knee and the gib.

^^^^This^^^^
Figure out the thickness you need and buy some shim stock big enough to cover the entire gib. Super glue it to the back of the gib and drill out any oil passages the shim covers.

 

[MyLilMule]

All gibs need to be surface ground to size and scraped for oil retention. You cannot buy an off the shelf gib and throw it into your machine.

Unless you are set up to do that, you're best bet is to use shim stock. H&W machine has a great video on how to measure the thickness of shim stock you need and how to shim a table gib on a Bridgeport.

 

[T Bredehoft]

What they said.

 

[Makintrax73]

All gibs need to be surface ground to size and scraped for oil retention. You cannot buy an off the shelf gib and throw it into your machine.

Unless you are set up to do that, you're best bet is to use shim stock. H&W machine has a great video on how to measure the thickness of shim stock you need and how to shim a table gib on a Bridgeport.

I used this method on my round column. Worked perfectly.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I was working on a project today and I noticed that my milling table is a little loose. I tried to tighten up the gibs and found that I have run out of adjustment. So, I am going to need both X and Y gibs. My mill is the standard Taiwanese Bridgeport clone and is tagged as an "ASTRO". Is it possible to purchase gibs for these Taiwanese clones, or am I going to have to make them? Are there any plans out there?
How do you get those suckers out ?

Something not mentioned yet.

Some machines have tapered gibs, you’re not reproducing those. They will look like this, located at n the front of the X/Y saddle.





Back out the screw until it falls out and grab the gib with a wire hook or something and slide it out.

Clean the backside with acetone and put a layer of electrical tape on it, trim and reinstall.

 

[D.sebens]

If tapered gibs the shim needs to be small. My tapered gibs on my mill took .004” to work again. I could of went a little more on the x but that it was good enough to get adjustment out of it.

 

[randyjaco]

Thanks for all the information
Referencing the picture above; it appears that the previous owner placed the adjusting screw over the end of the gib rather than in the cut-out slot. I guess to get some extra length. So there is no way to grasp the gib to pull it out. Any thoughts how I might remove that gib???
That is on the X axis. And the Y is the same thing