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This article deals with the alignment of the X axis leadscrew in order to minimize backlash. This involves creating a means of smoothly moving the leadscrew and measuring this movement.
If you are interested, please see
http://rick.sparber.org/XAA.pdf
Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.
Rick,
Your descriptions and photos contain a wealth of outstanding insight and advice on your machine tool alignment methodology and modifications. The concepts can be applied to other milling machines. In addition, your modifications have given me some new ideas to consider and explore.
Thank you, Paul Jones
Paul,
Thanks for the kind words. My hope is that this and its companion article on the Y axis will help the community. I have heavily reworked the Y axis article: http://rick.sparber.org/YAA.pdf
Rick
Thanks for the useful instructions Rick I adjusted my old Du-more Versimill table in a very similar fashion but never put pen to paper on it Your methodology was top notch
Thanks Rick! We've added your RF-30 X-Axis Leadscrew Alignment to our Machining category, as well as to your builder page: Rick Sparber's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:
<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/rf-30-x-axis-leadscrew-alignment"><img src="http://www.homemadetools.net/uploads/130928/rf-30-x-axis-leadscrew-alignment.jpeg" /></a></div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/rf-30-x-axis-leadscrew-alignment">RF-30 X-Axis Leadscrew Alignment</a> <span> by <a href="/builder/Rick+Sparber_2">Rick Sparber</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/alignment">alignment</a>, <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/mill">mill</a></div> </div> </div> </div>
I suggest you modify the title to include the fact that this is the X axis. A companion article deals with the Y axis so it might be confusing. I also just posted a companion article providing performance data: http://rick.sparber.org/PDAXYR.pdf. I measured a worst case variation of +/- 0.001 inches over 40 measurements on various size coupons.
Your article gives hope to us just starting out with a used machine, it leads to a question on the gib adjustment. Is there only one screw holding it in place or is there another at the back end to lock it down when adjusting? If so I'm assuming it leaves too much slack.
Rick posted a good fix for keeping the gib in place a while back. It might be on his site or in the archives.
Here it is: http://rick.sparber.org/GR.pdf
You can see all of the articles related to my mill modifications at Rick's Web Site: Machining
On my mill, there is only one screw holding the gib in place. There are two screws that push on the side of the gib to lock the ways. This gib lock was removed when the machine was outfitted with CNC.
Thanks Rick for sharing the ton of work you've done on your setup for dialing in your fine old mill. It must feel well loved from all your tweaks and fixes! Hope it serves you well for many years. Your write ups are always well written, really easy to understand, and useful to many, I'm sure (me included). :clapping::hattip: ~PJ