RF-30 Clone Head Alignment Guide

[epanzella]

I'm wondering how good a radial bearing in a pillow block works in a linear application.

While I love all the designs people make to "fix" this problem, I tried this and it works surprisingly well. I just have to watch the dial as the head moves so the movement stays within the limits of the dial.

Yes the pillow block works great. I did have to "polish in" the shaft for a precise sliding fit to the bearing as it was a bit too tight from the factory. This took about 15 minutes in the lathe while sliding the bearing along the shaft.
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Once I had an indexing system that worked I found myself raising and lowering the head so much that dealing with any kind of indicator would drive me crazy.