Fixing Cross Slide Backlash on my South Bend 11

**winkys workshop** · Sep 28, 2020, 05:09 PM

Here's an improvement and a fix I made to my South Bend 11. It's a 1931 model and later models didn't have the same problem (see video). However, the new cross slide nut worked out fantastic and I based the design on later models. The backlash went from .040" to .004"!

**metric_taper** · Sep 30, 2020, 07:17 PM

I watched this yesterday. Nice correction of the original packaging problem with the interference problem.

My small lathe came from the factory with lots of backlash.
So I installed a DRO when Enco had them on sale a few decades ago.

Keith Fenner another youtube channel I watch just did a repair on his large lathe. It has this nut with a slot cut in it and set screws to adjust the backlash as it wears.

What was the cross feed screw pitch of your lathe?

**winkys workshop** · Sep 30, 2020, 09:11 PM

It's a 1/2"-10 acme thread. I've seen this method of fixing and like it but there isn't enough room on my lathe. Plus the original nut was cast iron so I suspect it would break. But thanks for the info.