Hi,
Thanks for asking Gary. Some lathe beds have inverted "V"s on the top sliding surface these are cast into the bed and ground to exact dimensions; the saddle slides over them with a matching profile; on these Myford's the "V"s are along each edge side of the bed; the top surface being dead flat but with a V along each edge they form a dovetail. On the saddle there is a matching angle to the front which is part of the saddle casting but to the rear adjustment is afforded by what is known as a GIB STRIP; this strip is also angled and it is the dovetail formed by the two V's which locate the saddle allowing it to slide the full length of the machined "ways" with great accuracy. The GIB STRIP on these Myford lathes is adjusted by four machine screws fitted with locking nuts and once adjustment has been made the GIB is secured by three locking nuts from beneath.The ways are ground to very fine tolerances and many are hand scraped; in hand scraping a guide of 25 points to the square inch is the usual standard; the tiny hollows between the points aid lubrication.
As the job progresses I'll add a lot more detail regarding this together with pictures but I hope the picture of the rough drawing helps to clarify what I'm trying to explain. The arrows indicate the V's which I believe to be 60 degrees.
It is easy for those of us who own lathes to take these things for granted so I'm pleased you asked the question Gary.
Kind regards, Col.
Basic cross section of Myford lathe bed.
Thanks for asking Gary. Some lathe beds have inverted "V"s on the top sliding surface these are cast into the bed and ground to exact dimensions; the saddle slides over them with a matching profile; on these Myford's the "V"s are along each edge side of the bed; the top surface being dead flat but with a V along each edge they form a dovetail. On the saddle there is a matching angle to the front which is part of the saddle casting but to the rear adjustment is afforded by what is known as a GIB STRIP; this strip is also angled and it is the dovetail formed by the two V's which locate the saddle allowing it to slide the full length of the machined "ways" with great accuracy. The GIB STRIP on these Myford lathes is adjusted by four machine screws fitted with locking nuts and once adjustment has been made the GIB is secured by three locking nuts from beneath.The ways are ground to very fine tolerances and many are hand scraped; in hand scraping a guide of 25 points to the square inch is the usual standard; the tiny hollows between the points aid lubrication.
As the job progresses I'll add a lot more detail regarding this together with pictures but I hope the picture of the rough drawing helps to clarify what I'm trying to explain. The arrows indicate the V's which I believe to be 60 degrees.
It is easy for those of us who own lathes to take these things for granted so I'm pleased you asked the question Gary.
Kind regards, Col.
Basic cross section of Myford lathe bed.
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