Request for service - lathe related.

[EdK]

A couple of links to way wiper info.

http://www.thodacon.cn/products.asp?clas...Qgodfl8Adw

http://www.ameropean.com/waywipers.htm

Ed

[TomG]

Thanks Ed.

It looks like Ameropean carries strips of way wiping material that will work perfectly and they even take plastic! Now I just gotta get busy and design an armored holder to protect the wipers form chips on the tailstock side of the carriage.

Tom

[EdK]

(09-26-2012, 11:21 AM)TomG Wrote: Thanks Ed.

It looks like Ameropean carries strips of way wiping material that will work perfectly and they even take plastic! Now I just gotta get busy and design an armored holder to protect the wipers form chips on the tailstock side of the carriage.

Tom

You're welcome Tom. Out of curiosity, what style of wiper are you going to go with?

Ed

[TomG]

I don't know Ed, I'll need to get home and take some measurements to see what fits. It's going to have to be on the smaller side since it's going to go inside a frame for chip protection. If they fit, the double lip styles would be good. Since the Hardinge has an oiler under the carriage, they would help keep the clean oil in and the dirty oil out.

I'll work something out and document the build and installation. Maybe someone else can get some benefit out of it as well.

Tom

[Rickabilly]

(09-26-2012, 02:55 PM)TomG Wrote: Since the Hardinge has an oiler under the carriage, they would help keep the clean oil in and the dirty oil out.

Hello Tom,
In a similar oil fed slide I have used something very much like these, very successfully. They are a pain on anything but flat or dovetail slides, but you're ok on that front.

http://www.thodacon.cn/product_display.asp?keyno=3

I believe they have a version with a metal shroud to guard the plastic external lip seal from hot chips.

Regards
Rick

[EdK]

All of those wipers on the web sites seem to be for flat ways only. What would one use for the 'V' ways if they wanted to install better wipers. The ones on my lathe are injection molded plastic and suck at what they are suppose to do.

Ed

[Rickabilly]

Believe it or not, it is quite common for larger prismatic slides to have wipers made out of little pieces of these straight wipers cut and mitred to suit, I have done it once on a really big lathe 40" swing 12 feet BC and that was bad enough, but have seen it done on a Colchester Mascot 1600 just like mine, which would have been really nasty to do, that is exactly why I use felt, it does almost the same thing and is about 5% of the effort of trying to make them out of straight wiper material, on top of that the felt wipers are adjustable and really easy to replace when they either get really dirty or damaged.

Regards
Rick

[SnailPowered]

So for once I'm really glad I have flat ways so that I have will have a pretty easy time of putting some wipers on there My dad was telling me that you can't get precision with flat ways but it sure seems like I have seen some amazing things done with these old Craftsman machines. It may take a few tries and tons of practice but it isn't impossible.

[EdK]

I'm certainly no machine engineer but I would think that flat ways aren't the problem but how well the carriage assembly fits the ways, no matter what the shape of the ways are.

Ed

[Rickabilly]

(09-26-2012, 10:56 PM)SnailPowered Wrote: My dad was telling me that you can't get precision with flat ways

Your Dad holds a very common view with respect to flat ways, But given that precision can be had with a hammer, chisel and file, and that we mostly recognise that hand scraping is all about precision and all you need to hand scrape is a sharp piece of tool steel, another flat surface and determination. My personal opinion is that precision is a function of mindset not tool design.

Regards

Rick

PS, when you do get home and start to play with the Atlas, post us to let us know, if you want I will and I'm sure others will chime in as well, help you to evaluate the condition of your ways and give tips on setting up and or repairing it, in order to get the best possible precision.