Unimat Lathe Cross Slide and Dial Indicator Anvil Locking Screws

[Paul Jones]

The Unimat SL 1000 lathe uses a socket head cap screw (SHCS) in the top of the cross slide for locking the cross slide. However, access to the SHCS can be blocked by accessories bolted to the cross slide such as a QCTP or milling table. I now use the factory installed locking screw for only adjusting the cross slide backlash and have installed a new locking screw on the side of the cross slide.

The new locking screw locks against the left-hand cross slide rail and is a 10-32 SHCS with a knurled ring added to the screw head. The new locking screw can be locked with a hex key for milling operations or just thumb tightened for lathe work. The 21 pitch knurled ring was machined from 0.364” dia. 303 stainless steel and bored to a press fit and fastened with Loctite 680 retaining compound.

This locking screw arrangement works so well that I made another one for locking an adjustable sliding anvil for the cross slide dial indicator. The dial indicator is limited to a 1” travel and must be adjusted within the 1” range depending upon the tooling set-up on the cross slide. The differences in set-ups between lathe work and vertical milling work requires this level of flexibility for the dial indicator. I use a 2” dial indicator on the longitudinal movement but decided to use the 1” dial indicator on the cross feed to limit the weight of the overhanging dial indicator (see http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/c...ndicator-17160 for more details on the cross slide dial indicator to the Unimat lathe).

More information and photos to the Unimat Sl 1000 lathe improvements can be seen at http://www.homemadetools.net/lathe-modifications .