Lurk
Cast Iron
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2014
- Location
- Peak District UK
Appreciate this is once again a pretty basic question - but here goes.
The original flat gib strip from the tool slide on my shaper was 0.900 x 0.125 x 10" long and had a real good kink part way down and pretty badly scored & rusted up. I tried peening it and concluded it was time to renew after I was unable to make it much better.
My first mistake was selecting a length of 0.250" thick x 1" Bright Steel (Mild Steel) - I machined the same amount of each side of the strip with my shaper and it still sprung & twisted. - After a couple of attempts to peen it flat it remains twisted along its length - I got it to within a few thou' and concluded I was fighting a losing battle.
So next attempt is with some gauge plate pre ground to 0.125" thick. Only a small strip but expensive as such and I suspect overkill.
The question is - what material would normally be used for such Gib strips - running as it is on Cast Iron dovetails.
Should the ground surface be 'flaked' or left as is ? I was looking to flake only the fixed portion of the dovetail as its always covered. Ive held back in the knowledge that I shouldn't flake both faces (Gib & Fixed section).
Thoughts ?
Mat
The original flat gib strip from the tool slide on my shaper was 0.900 x 0.125 x 10" long and had a real good kink part way down and pretty badly scored & rusted up. I tried peening it and concluded it was time to renew after I was unable to make it much better.
My first mistake was selecting a length of 0.250" thick x 1" Bright Steel (Mild Steel) - I machined the same amount of each side of the strip with my shaper and it still sprung & twisted. - After a couple of attempts to peen it flat it remains twisted along its length - I got it to within a few thou' and concluded I was fighting a losing battle.
So next attempt is with some gauge plate pre ground to 0.125" thick. Only a small strip but expensive as such and I suspect overkill.
The question is - what material would normally be used for such Gib strips - running as it is on Cast Iron dovetails.
Should the ground surface be 'flaked' or left as is ? I was looking to flake only the fixed portion of the dovetail as its always covered. Ive held back in the knowledge that I shouldn't flake both faces (Gib & Fixed section).
Thoughts ?
Mat