9" Cross Feed Nut Replacement

[texasgeartrain]

Perhaps there are some other owners out there who are in a position to check their own machines. All they would have to do is unscrew the screw and check for a hole with a wire. Inquiring minds would like to know !

Agreed. I was actually expecting other 9 owners to chime in much earlier. Might just be a blind spot many missed. Good thread, informative.

I was only aware the 9 had different pieces for nut when i was searching nut makers previous. I was looking for which guys used which brass or which bronze in thier product.

 

[mcload]

Blindspot

Yeah, the thread did get a bit long and I imagine many bailed out.
We'll give it a week to see if anyone responds. If not, I'll send out an
APB (all points bulletin) asking for input from 9" community. It's really
a possible issue they should be aware of.

Thanks for your participation!

PMc

 

[mcload]

Problem May Extend to 10K Lights As Well

Just to beat this horse just a little more, it occurred to me that the reproduction CS nuts are sold for the 10K light machines as well as the 9". This certainly extends the range of machines that could be affected. One vendor states that over 315 have been sold....and presumably, all without a thru hole for lubrication.

So for clarity on exactly how a person can get to these threads, I found some photos from a complete unit being sold on the auction site. As you can see, a person would have to entirely remove the top compound-rest assembly to see and oil the threads. This involves backing off two screws that lock the rotary table, and, hoping that the two shoes will retreat back into their holes so the unit can lift off. With this method, you are still 2" away from the nut.

From the underside, a person could squirt oil through the webs in the bed up into an opening in the casting I suppose, but that seems rather extreme and unlikely to occur(?). The aid of an inspection mirror would help.

So do you suppose that this is how SB expects you to lubricate the CS threads on 9's and 10's?
It seems that the hollow-bolt method was only employed on larger machines past the 10's.
I don't know. There's an answer somewhere.

PMc

View attachment 311019View attachment 311020View attachment 311021

 

[iwananew10K]

easy way is to just remove the nut...small drill(32nd or so)
thru the bottom of hole so it goes clear thru to the acme threads...then reinstall nut as normal.

then to oil remove the little keeper screw in the center, a few drops of oil, reinstall keeper or just drill a whole new oiling hole in the casting

i went a little further...

https://www.practicalmachinist.com/...ide-nut-mod-253576/?highlight=cross+slide+nut

 

[SLK001]

So for clarity on exactly how a person can get to these threads, I found some photos from a complete unit being sold on the auction site. As you can see, a person would have to entirely remove the top compound-rest assembly to see and oil the threads.

But that's not where the oil needs to go. It needs to go in the ACME nut.

I guess that from your picture, you oil the ACME nut by shooting oil up from below.

 

[mcload]

But that's not where the oil needs to go. It needs to go in the ACME nut.
I guess that from your picture, you oil the ACME nut by shooting oil up from below.

Yes, of course I know...that's what I/we have been saying for 2 pages of threads!

The purpose of the photos above was only to illustrate the only other ways that someone
could possibly get some oil on the ACME threads if they stick with the same non-drilled OEM
nut that is either already in their machine or a repop that they recently installed.
(Or is this how SB expected you to do it).

Clearly what needs to happen is that the manufacture(s) of these specific replacement nuts need
to at least start offering the drilled-thru option, and to help educate the owners of both
9" and 10" machines of this need for lube at the threads. Otherwise they will just install the same old
closed style without giving it any thought as hundreds have done in the past.

And with all due respect, I personally think a 1/32 hole is far too small to try to drill thru a thread wall.
The chance of a broken bit is fairly high. I don't think there is enough room for the nut to act like a
"reservoir". A 16th might be as small as I'd go, anything smaller stands a good chance of getting plugged up.
And besides, an open hole is just going to drip the reservoir dry anyway overnight.

I drilled a 1/8th in mine, and I get the flow I like as I crank the handle throughout the travel.

Just saying.
PMc

 

[jim rozen]

I would point out for the record that even crossfeed nuts *with* the "OIL" setscrew sometimes don't have that oiler hole
drilled all the way through to the acme threads. So if you have one of those, and the oil never 'goes down' then take a good
hard look at that.

 

[4GSR]

I'm with you and am shocked by the lack of an oil port on the 9" lathes. I'm wondering just how 9" owners oil their cross slide screw. Or, is the cross slide screw just a disposable part?

For my 9" SBL, I just slide the cross slide all the to the back where it is hanging on by about an inch. Squirt oil on the screw, and oil on the slide/dovetails, then reassemble. Do this occasionally, not like I run the lathe daily or monthly. Just when it shows lack of lubrication on the slide. MAybe once in two or three years, pull the entire slide off, clean, lubricate, re-assemble. BTW- I made a new nut for this lathe way back in 1978 to replace the factory nut. Still holding up great all these years. Now the cross feed screw, that's another story.

 

[chipss]

As said by 4G, oiling the screw and nut is easy as these machines are so small and light. No reason to make a big deal out of it.

Just run the cross in until it's out of the nut. Push the whole slide backwards and take it off.
Slobber the screw and ways with way oil. The whole procedure might take you 30 seconds. If you want to be creative wipe some grease on the screw to mix with the way oil.