1951 Round Ram X-Axis Way Lubrication

Hi I just got an old 1951 Bridgeport round ram, with a 60s era J head (great deal). Z has the tab broken of the top of the gib and is stuck but that's a story for another day. For now I pulled out the riser block and am just using the quill and doing small stuff. I will get around to doing surgery on it to extract the gib at some point. Thanks for the great forum, I read a lot about the process of rescuing the knee on here.

The saddle on this one only has 2 oil zerks that deposit on the Y axis ways. Anyone else have this style and what's the best way to lube the X axis ways? Right now it seems I have to reach under the table and squirt some way oil on the dovetail and slide the table over into it. I hope I'm just missing something. The old manual mentions something about an oil nut in the center of the table but all I can see is a hole (that appears to be plugged up on mine) and since it's not a zerk I can't imagine the oil will go very far with gravity alone if I am in fact supposed to just drip some in that hole in the middle of the table.

Thanks,
Nick

There are a few different vintages of saddles with those lube points. You should have lube points on the right hand side of the saddle (one on the front and one in the rear) for the X or you might have 3 lube points on the front of the saddle (2 for th Y and 1 for the X) and then one on the side of the rear for the back X way.

Jon

I've only ever seen the two oil holes on the right side of the saddle to lube the 'X' axis. Front one for the front way and back one for the back way, both directly under the table ways. They sit just bellow where the oil gets out into the ways, so you either need to use zerk fittings to pump oil "up hill" (I think this was the factory solution), use a one shot system for the same purpose, or use a couple angle fittings to get your oil cups slightly higher than the ways, which is annoying but works. The last option is how we lubed all our BP's until they got one shot systems installed. If I remember right, two 45 degree fittings under each cup gave them the needed rise and also allowed you to get the cups positioned out from under the table ways so they were easier to fill.

On manual oiling machines on the left front of the saddle you should find stamped in lettering that says oil here with the vertical stamped line,line that line up with the line on the table. Then pull the set screw in the middle T slot in the middle of the table ,that is where you lube the X-Y nuts and screws. People tend to center a vise up on the table then hiding that screw and those parts never get lubed. Result of that is Bridgeport itius all the wear in the middle of the screws . mount the dang vise offset to one end or the other and switch once in a while.

Thanks I found them. Right side of the saddle, one front, and one back. Seems like they're plugged up because the oil just comes out between my converted grease gun and the zerk. Looks like I'm tearing the table down to clean them.

nhorvath said:

Thanks I found them. Right side of the saddle, one front, and one back. Seems like they're plugged up because the oil just comes out between my converted grease gun and the zerk. Looks like I'm tearing the table down to clean them.
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If I was a betting man I'd say they were full of grease. Tearing it down and cleaning it properly is the best way forward, however, in a pinch I've also threaded a 1/8" NPT air hose connection into each lube fitting hole and let it sit under pressure until you can hear the air hissing out the sides of the ways. Follow that up by squirting solvent or mineral spirits through the passages until you can see it bleeding out all along each way. It won't be clean, but it'll get you making chips and the oil will continue to flush it out until you have the time or manpower to pull the table apart.