Thread: cross feed screw

You maybe hard pressed to get a good finish with Carbide on the Mild without polishing.

With the tips you are using are they Positive Rake and only .02/.04 nose radious.

Originally Posted by Col2310

Ken,
I have another style of Hercus Craftsman 4-Way Toolpost.
With the exception of the the underside counterbore, the Toolpost dimensions are as your drawings.
Mine has indexing cut outs on the underside of the toolpost which engage with the chisel shaped 'dog' located in the T-Nut.
The counterbore houses the spring which pushes up the toolpost and dis-engages the dog when the handle is released, allowing the tool to re positioned at another angle.
The two grub screws at each end of the T-Nut just clamp the T-Nut.
Is this a Hercus standard?
I have since found that the lathe came from a Met-Lab in Sydney and was used to make Denison test pieces, so it could have been made there.
I received some 16mm indexable insert tools with the lathe which brings the cutting edge exactly on centre height.

Col

I don't know if it's standard but for what it's worth, my 1940 Sheraton has the exact same tool holder. Al

Originally Posted by azzrock

i was looking at this tool hold.
http://members.optusnet.com.au/clear...s/article1.jpg
http://members.optusnet.com.au/clear...s/article2.jpg
i like that the hight is adjustable.
thanks for your advise

I've not made it myself, but it looks easy to make and gives shimless adjustment. If you want quick change too, you'd need to make a number of blocks, so material cost might come into it as they are fairly big compared to dovetail type.

Jordan

well ive made my first new tool post fairly simple. it holds 2 tools. bolts directly to the compound slide. its the right hight for 1/4" tool steel and fits half inch with the right grind. i have also started on the tool posts above. i have ruffed out 3 holders and im just about to mark out the holes ect.
as far as i can tell my machine was built in 1959. just wondering if the lead screw cross slide ect are imperial or metric?

Going by the age you think your lathe is I would say Imperial.

I suppose that Hercus could of made lathes to customers specs and that it could possably be Metric.

Are the Dials on the Cross slide and Compound graduated in thous or hundredths that should give some indication,also the Tailstock spindle would have Metric numbering.

Have you measured the Pitch or Lead of your leadscrew.

Possably someone has fitted Metric screws to this lathe as replacements.

i think its imperial as well. i didn't think of the dials. they are imperial. its just i bought a new cross feed nut for my machine and it seems to tight. so i was suspeces i may of ordered the wrong nut.

Does the nut go onto your crossfeed screw all the way?

does the nut only screw on the first few threads?

Is the nut tight to start and then free up as it goes on or is it easy to start and then gets tighter?

Have you checked the cross slide screw to see if it is worn,(either the threads are no longer a Square edge or a rounded crest on the thread).

Did you purchase the nut from AMH in Sydney or from overseas?

hi pipe clay thanks for taking time to help me out it does travel all the way along the cross slide screw. its just tight. the spindle its self looks ok except for the handle mount area. its been butchered . its a new bronze nut i bought from a guy in Adelaide he has a hobby sight.
thanks again mate

Do you need to put much effort onto the screw to turn it through the nut,when holding the nut in your hand.

If you need to put alot of effort into turning it if its not in the lathe you may find it very hard to turn when its installed .

What I mean my effort is if you were holding it in your hand if when you rotate the screw it wants to pull the nut out of your fingers its to tight in my opinion,you dont wont a lot of backlash in the nut but some,but on the other hand you wouldnt want the nut to spin onto your screw with the flick of your finger.

If its overly tight it may need a tap run through the nut.

Or it could just be wear on the screw.

Check out this place for hercus stuff and some other bits
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Australian Metalworking Hobbyist

i bought a replacement cross feed spindle from amh to replace the one on my machine that had been butchered.. its appeared to be in very good condition. so when i installed the new spindle and handle and adjusted it carfully. there was no play. and a test cut revied that my machine is cutting parallel.
i couldn't be happier. its quite a surprise for how rough the lathe looks over all.

ive finished my first tool holder and tool post. made out of Bisalloy Steel. scrap so so far it has cost nothing. its a fairly simple job.now ill see how it works.
ill post some photos soon.

Attachment 154689

Attachment 154690

Nice one, Azzrock. Look forward to a report on how it works.
Is there any particular reason you have it mounted on the extreme end of the compound slide?

Jordan