Thread: Brass inserts for oil holes on Hercus 260

Recently I dismantled the cross slide screw on the Hercus 260 lathe to machine the face of the screw as outlined in the Hercus book, & reduce backlash.
This was the first time I had taken it apart in 23 years since purchasing the lathe new.
Adjustments were made & all is good now.
There was a lot of fine cast iron crud & fine metal shavings - dirt, in the assembly that had probably entered by the small oil hole.
To minimise future problems I machined up a small brass plug as per the photos, for both the cross slide & compound slide.
Its a simple job to lubricate by taking out the plugs, oiling & then replacing. The internals now stay a lot cleaner.
regards
Bruce

Great idea Bruce. I'll add that to my ''to-do'' list.
Chris