Thread: AL-960B owners needed, herless lathe interchagable parts???

Hi Brendan,
I've got a AL-960B if I can help. Still a novice but happy to help and learn

If it isnt too much trouble could you let me know the specs of your crossslide leadscrew?

Brendan, Can you post a picture of your bent leadscrew? Provided the bend is not much they can be straightened. I've done a couple and it is not difficult if you set up properly - something to think about anyway.

Michael

Yes i was going to try today to try strighen it out but ultimatly i would like a new one anyway and i also need a net brass nut for it.
My main consern at the moment is the top saddle crack

Hi Brendan,

Welcome,

If it comes down to making/buying a new srcew/nut, it doesn't matter what other people have you need to match the pitch to your dials.
I've not been inside one of those dual reading cross sildes, but it might be 10TPI not 2.5mm (granted to a hung difference, but enough to bite you in the ass if you're counting turns).
Do the graduations of the cross slide dial say a full turn is .100" or 5mm*?(surely they haven't split the difference with a pitch of 5.04mm-0.099" and called it good?)
*it might be 2.5mm but most metric lathes work on diameter.

I've also straighten the screw off my lathe. It was a "well I cant make it any worse" repair. I stopped at "almost spot on", one of these days I might get around to making a new one.

I assume the cracked part of the saddle will fall out? Might be time to take the saddle off so you can see what you're dealing with underneath. At a guess I'd say bolt and pin, rather than glue or weld............but I wouldnt really have a clue.


Stuart

Hi Brendan,
I can check specs tonight, what exactly do you need to know?

it was well be an inch leadscrew im not sure realy sure, but with a bit of luck im hoping to get a new dial as well as mines broken as well. i have included some pics of what im dealing with.

hare and forbes have said ''The current AL960B takes a16mm by 4mm cross slide screw, with the older models taking a 10 tpi.""

Maxi77, well im really would like to know if the top saddle would be a direct replacement, or at least close enough to work with it. maybe some dimensions from the center to center of the 2 VEEs would be a good start, bolt hole spacings? thickness?, im working now to pull mine off when i do ill get a photo with the specs of mine.

I see you are in Sydney, Your welcome to come over and take a look? send me a PM if you like and we can arrange

ok ive managed to get the crossslide gearbox off, no idea how im going to get it back on as it was a huge fight just getting it off. anyone done this before?

anywhere heres the saddle.

I've taken the saddle off my lathe a couple of times but normally by having the saddle supported on some blocks while I lifted saddle off.
The damage you have there is nasty. The leadscrew can probably be straightened - if not completely reasonably close I would guess. The wheel for the screw is something that once you have a working lathe can be duplicated and replaced.
The leadscrew mount is the nasty one to me. CI can be brazed up but given the amount of oil that has soaked into the casting over the years and that the heat used would probably distort the surfaces that method is probably out. If you have access to a mill I would be tempted to machine out the damaged area and using a combination of bolts and dowel pins secure a steel plate in there that can be drilled and tapped to replace the cast iron section. At the risk of offending some members, it is not an expensive lathe so you don't want to spend a fortune fixing it as you would be unlikely to recoup those costs if you sold it.

Michael

Originally Posted by Michael G

If you have access to a mill I would be tempted to machine out the damaged area and using a combination of bolts and dowel pins secure a steel plate in there that can be drilled and tapped to replace the cast iron section. At the risk of offending some members, it is not an expensive lathe so you don't want to spend a fortune fixing it as you would be unlikely to recoup those costs if you sold it.

Exactly what I thought as soon as I saw that break.

Chance of finding a replacement saddle: slim to none and slim left town....

Chance of a replacement saddle actually fitting properly without scraping & alignment - less than the above.

The good news is, there is plenty of metal there to mill down to a solid place and fit a replacement steel block. It's a PITA repair if you have access to a mill, not an impossibly difficult one. I've fixed a lot worse in my time.

I really hope you got the lathe almost for free, though.

PDW

how did you get your gearbox off? because i know im goign to need some help with getting it back on. under the saddle is 4 screws that cant be access with the gearbox on and i had a very hard time getting it off with a bit of force. . Ive got a x2 mill myself however might be a bit small to hold this saddle otherwise i got a mate who might be able to help.. i like the idea of milling it out and putting in a steel section that bolts in place. having it at home and pulling it apart im starting to think i payed too much. but i supose its too late now and there not much option other then getting it fixed and turning.
as for the lead screw i had a go at straightening it out but i dont think its really going to work, either that or im not doing it right. maybe members on here could make up a lead screw for me for a bit of cash or there favorite drink.

thanks

Originally Posted by brendanh

how did you get your gearbox off?

Mine is a totally different lathe - older, bigger and heavier. I'd duck around to Maxi77's place and get your head together with him. It's amazing how 2 people looking at the same problem can suddenly work out the answer.

The X2 is likely to be too small but if you have a mate with a larger mill you should be right. Using what you have work out where the other components sit and where you can have reinforcing/ bolt heads/ nut and so on.

As for the leadscrew, they can be pretty awful and still be usable. A slight bend will just show up as a stiff spot as you turn the handle. I'd concentrate on getting the saddle fixed first. With the nearly straightened leadscrew you can probably cut a new one (although a leadscrew and nut are the parts I would expect H&F to most likely have). With the leadscrew remember you don't need to achieve perfection first time, just better than the last one. It may take a couple of goes with each leadscrew an improvement but you will get there in the end.
Similarly with the handwheel - not a difficult turning job and good practice.

Michael

Just had another look at these two photos -
20150113_161110.jpg 20150113_161421.jpg
The dial says a full revolution is 0.196" - which is 4.9784mm (or 5mm to us non-purists). If the leadscrew were a tenth of an inch I would expect it to be a multiple of 0.1". The thread gauge is showing 2.5mm pitch, so it looks like it is a 2 start M14x5mm thread. Anyone else agree with that?

Michael