Thread: Just using what you have.

I have been asked to have a go at making some tee slotted cross slides to suit the 9" and 260,just curious if people think they would be worth doing if you didn't have the correct tooling for measurement.

I only have a micrometer, and engineers square, ground bar, adjustable parallels and other basic measuring tools.

I don't have metrology gear or surface plate.

My only accurate method of measuring or doing anything is experience.

Do you think there might be a chance that people would be interested in them.

I would be interested providing you are using tapered adjustment, not the stupid arrangement on the origninal with 3 grub srews and it will fit the 260
Cheers
Tore

Pipeclay,

What ballpark price are we looking at ?

Bill the scrooge is interested in lots of things depending upon cost involved.

Bill

I am not selling these,I have been asked to have a go at making them, the drawings that I have call for the standard type gib.

Originally Posted by pipeclay

I am not selling these,I have been asked to have a go at making them, the drawings that I have call for the standard type gib.

There is nothing critical with making these. You will be fine without surface plate and without any need for scraping. You may have to rough out the castings all around before finishing to avoid warping - maybe do this twice. The dovetails are easy to measure with dowels and micrometer.

The hardest task is I think, applying the graduated scale for the compound angle. The originals had this stamped in one setup, obviously that is for mass production and not viable for a small batch in your shop. I would probably engrave the lines on the rotary table, and stamp the numbers maybe with a gig.... and probably spend a whole day on it to make it look nice....

The gib strip needs be straight and untwisted, else the slide will not be a joy to use. To check this you may indeed need a small surface plate. Not a super precision one, a free marble plate cutoff from a bathroom/kitchen marble supplier will perfectly do for this smallish task. They often throw marble cutoffs out to the kerb for people to take, before the tip truck comes along.

Article on machining a slotted cross slide from a casting here: http://tinyurl.com/o6sl2hv
South Bend, like Hercus.

Jordan

Originally Posted by pipeclay

I am not selling these,I have been asked to have a go at making them, the drawings that I have call for the standard type gib.

Sorry Pipeclay, I completely misunderstood your post.

I'd be very interested in any discussion you'd care to post regarding how you'd go about this job.

Would this picture that you posted previously in another thread be some sort of starting point ?

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...5&d=1429857302


Bill

Originally Posted by pipeclay

Do you think there might be a chance that people would be interested in them.

I would love one for my 260.

I would be interested providing you are using tapered adjustment, not the stupid arrangement on the origninal with 3 grub srews and it will fit the 260

I'm happy if they come with the original gib strip design. If pipeclay is prepared to make these things for us, I don't think we should be making the job any harder than it already is.

Hello Bill more along the lines of this but with four slots.
The other type with the add on piece was only a thought to a cheap alternative.

Originally Posted by cba_melbourne

The hardest task is I think, applying the graduated scale for the compound angle.

I would be happy with a drop-in ring like this slotted cross-slide has:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/boxfordtslottedcrossslide/

Hi Pipeclay,

Good onya for having a go, reckon I know who your client is.

If I'm right, the problem of the graduations is already solved with a press.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=178700

Ken